September in the Townships: get the cottage ready for winter before the colours
Updated
September at the cottage still means late-afternoon swims and apple picking in Dunham or Frelighsburg. Winter feels far off — which is exactly why this is the time to get ready for it.
In October, everyone calls the same plumbers, roofers and snow-clearing contractors, and the weekends fill up with leaf-peeping traffic. In September, you still have your pick of dates and the daylight to see things properly.
What to do in September, in order
1. Decide: closed or heated this winter?
Everything else follows from that. A closed cottage needs the plumbing fully drained and antifreeze put in. A heated cottage needs reliable heat, a cleared driveway and someone who stops by. Make the call now, not on the day you leave.
2. Book the trades
- The plumber for closing, if you’re closing.
- Servicing for the furnace, heat pump or stove, and a chimney sweep if you burn wood.
- The roofer, if the roof worries you.
- The snow-clearing contractor: the good contracts get signed early.
For plumbing, electrical or roofing work, check the contractor’s licence in the Régie du bâtiment du Québec registry.
3. Walk around the roof — from the ground
Bring binoculars if you have them: missing or lifted shingles, shifted metal panels, flashing pulling away around the chimney, branches rubbing. A repair is much easier to plan in September than under snow. Don’t climb up yourself.
4. Look at the gutters and downspouts
Sections firmly attached, downspouts connected, water directed away from the foundation. Plan a cleaning after the leaves are down, not before.
5. Test the sump pump
If the basement has one, pour a bucket of water into the pit and watch it start and stop. Check that it’s plugged in and the float moves freely. A pump that won’t start gets replaced before the spring melt, not during it.
6. Close off rodent entry points
Walk around the foundation, the soffits and the bottom of the siding. A torn soffit screen, a gap around a pipe coming through the wall, a garage door that no longer seals at the bottom: in the fall, mice and squirrels are looking for exactly those openings.
7. Check doors and windows
Every window closes and locks, weatherstripping is in place, no cracked panes. Doors close properly: a door that rubs in summer can jam once frost shifts the frame.
8. Look at the trees
Dead branches over the roof, a tree leaning toward the house, branches near the electrical service wire. Pruning near a wire is never a do-it-yourself job: call Hydro-Québec or a qualified arborist.
9. Reread your insurance policy
Not the night before you leave: now. Look for what it says about a home left empty in winter, and jot down questions for your broker. Conditions vary from one insurer to the next.
10. Book the free pre-winter audit
If you’d like a second pair of eyes, we offer a free pre-winter audit: we look at your situation with you, and you leave with a clear list of what needs attention before winter — even if you never become a client.
Why September, not October
Trades’ schedules. In the fall, calendars fill up fast out here. A plumber or roofer booked in September has time to come, order a part and come back.
Daylight and dry weather. A roof, a foundation or a gutter is much easier to see on a sunny September Saturday than in a cold November rain.
The rodents aren’t in yet. Plugging a hole before a family moves in is simpler than dealing with a family that already has.
Townships realities. Mountain roads around Sutton or Potton get harder as soon as the first snow falls; steep driveways need an equipped contractor; many cottages were added onto in stages and have cold corners worth finding before winter. All of that goes better with some lead time.
What you can do, and what belongs to the trades
What an owner can do:
- Decide closed or heated, and set the dates.
- Look at the roof and gutters from the ground.
- Test the sump pump with a bucket of water.
- Spot rodent entry points and put up weatherstripping.
- Reread the policy and prepare questions.
What belongs to licensed trades:
- Draining the plumbing and adding antifreeze (RBQ-licensed plumber).
- Repairing a roof, flashing or chimney (roofer, mason).
- Servicing the heating system and sweeping the chimney.
- Any electrical work, by a master electrician.
- Pruning near a power line.
In an empty house, how long before anyone notices?
A problem spotted in September gets fixed on your schedule. The same problem found in January usually gets found through its consequences: a stained ceiling, a pump that quit, the smell of mice. In between is all the time nobody stopped by.
Getting ready cuts down the number of problems. Regular visits cut down how long a problem goes unnoticed. The two go together.
What we look at on a visit
Every visit, we walk around the roof from the ground, look at the gutters and downspouts, check the sump pump (water level in the pit, float, plug), look at every window, walk around the trees near the house and the electrical wire, and check outside for new holes or gnawed wood around the soffits and foundation. Every finding is photographed and time-stamped in the report.
If something’s off, we call you the same day, with photos. If needed, we meet an RBQ-licensed tradesperson on site and document the work.