 So, what are the things that they can do this, you've spoken about seals and you've spoken about maybe closing the gaps that you may have with your doors, but we're not specifically talking about people who've got leaks and maybe damp and swollen walls and doors, you know, what can they do as of now? So, first of all, I'm sorry, that's not fun, but it's something that can be fixed and it can be remedied. Hello and welcome to the Private Property Podcast. My name is Dumui WMJ and as usual, we are bringing you everything and anything property related. In today's episode, we are going to be talking about something really, really interesting. But if you are seeing my face for the first time, please ensure that you stick around because you would really want to get to know what we are talking about on this podcast. We talk about each and everything property related, buying, selling, investing and also just growing your overall property portfolio. We bring you industry experts who are well-seasoned, who are going to give you tips, tricks, as well as advice on how you can just manage it and possibly grow your property portfolio. So in today's episode, we are talking about how to winter-proof your house so that you can save money. And I am joined by John Duplices from kandua.com who's going to be talking to us about this. John, good evening. How are you? Good evening to me. It's so great to join you this evening and to speak to you and the rest of the private property community. Thank you so much. And if you are a returning person who's always watching our podcast, mark the register and throw a green heart in the comment section, share it with anybody you think is going to need to hear this information tonight because I'm sure John is going to answer all your questions about how to winter-proof your house. It is the autumn season in Johannesburg, South Africa, while in most of South Africa. And we are moving into winter. So John, let's talk a bit more about what winter-proofing is, what it entails. What does it mean when we are saying someone is winter-proofing their home? No, absolutely. If you also in Johannesburg, you can feel winter knocking at the door heart this week on top of all the rain. So when it comes to winter-proofing and the first thing I want to say is that I'm not the expert, but I know all of the experts because I can do it at home. We have over 30,000 home service professionals. So everything from painter to a solar specialist to Tyler to a carpenter. We have all these guys and we ask them because they've seen it all. So they know when winter hits, for a lot of people, that means problems hit. And the reason that happens is because they haven't done preventative maintenance. So preventative maintenance is the first thing, the first principle around winter-proofing your home. The second principle around winter-proofing your home is making sure that you keep the heat on the inside and the cold on the outside. And so I'll share some ideas around what we can do there. And then the third thing is to look at smart energy usage. That's another idea and another principle around winter-proofing your home where you can really make sure that your bill at the end of July, August isn't something that shocks you off your chair. So these are some of the things when we're talking about winter-proofing your home. And what does it entail specifically? And why would you think it's important that one does this? Because as you said, it's really preventative and, you know, making sure that you use eco-friendly things. But I want to talk us through maybe just one procedure that you would call winter-proofing. What exactly is it like if tonight I want to do something that's going to help me winter-proof my home, what would I do? What's the first thing I would do? OK, so a great the reason why preventative maintenance is so important is that when you don't maintain, you have small problems that end up turning into huge problems and that can end up costing you a lot more to repair versus doing something now and preventing that problem from escalating. So a great example is your roof, right? So if you want to start anywhere, starting your roof is a great place. If you've been experiencing the rain like we have in Khatang, then you'll know that you might have some leaks in your roof. You've been noticing them now for sure. Now, just stopping the leak is obviously something you want to do. So getting someone in to do full water proofing and stop those leaks. If you don't stop the leaks, what can happen is that you not only had the first thing that happens is that you have damp that sits in the walls and you have the bubbling paint and you have the marks on the walls that are really unsightly. The next thing that happens is if that water sits there and it keeps on accumulating, it keeps on accumulating, you may end up with structural damage. So then you're weakening the structure of your home. Now, once you get to that point, the repairs really cost increase exponentially. So looking at waterproofing and fixing your roof right now is a great way to start with making sure that you don't have bigger problems down the line. Another thing that you can do in the same vein is look at your gutters around the house. Now, autumn time, the leaves start falling down. You know, you have much more debris in the gutters and it adds up. Now, typically, if it's during the dry season, you know, the leaves are build up and you forget about it and you don't notice it. And what happens then when the rains come down, that gutter is not functioning as it should and all of the water gets stuck and it pulls in places and again causes water damage, which can start from something basic like discoloration and unsightly marks, something a lot more serious where you have structural damage or, you know, your gutter starts sagging and coming loose from the wall. And then you have a lot more expenses down the line if because you didn't look at preventative maintenance now. So those are two things that are really great tips for preventative maintenance as we as we head into winter. Sure. And this already does sound like an expensive exercise if you ask me because we're talking, you know, repairing some of the structures, you know, ensuring that the structures that you already have in place don't deteriorate. Do you think that there are things that one could do that are less expensive that could contribute to the overall winter proofing of someone's house? Absolutely. So this brings us to the second thing, right? So the first thing is preventative maintenance. And the second thing is keeping the cold on the outside of the house because that not only is something that you can do often quite inexpensively, but it's also something that saves you money in the long run, because you don't have to crank up seven heaters in every room of the house because you've kept the heat on the inside. So insulation, now insulation, there's a few things you can look at. One is the insulation that we use a lot in South Africa is the insulation that goes in your ceiling in the roof. So that helps to insulate the house overall. And then it really depends on the structure of your home. And, you know, what is it built out of? Do you have a basement or not? Do you have more than one floor? Is it drywall in between in between the rooms or is it brick walls? Lots of structural things then determine what kind of insulation you will put in the rest of your house. And our recommendation is always to to ask the pros, get a few quotes that you can compare from pros to see what kind of insulation solutions work the best for you. So insulation is a good place to start. Now, that's not always something that comes cheap. And you asked me for some for some smarter tips. So the other thing is that, especially if you're in an older construction, a lot of the windows and doors often have gaps around the windows and doors. So you close the window, you close the door, but that cold air just creeps into the house and kills you to the bone. So you can get seals around the windows and you can have a pro come and look at your at your at your house. Maybe you start with one room where you spend the most time and and you just seal the windows so that when you close the window, you really close the window. Of course, you can do an upgrade. You can install double glazed windows and can install more sophisticated windows or close properly, but sometimes just to seal will do the trick. And then for even nicer upgrade, and this is maybe upgrade that someone who who loves decorating their home will like is some thick curtains. You close those when the sun sets and then it keeps a bit of the heat inside the house. That's another way that you can you can keep your home a little bit warmer. Sure. And, you know, with with the rains that we've been experiencing currently in Johannesburg, what about those people who didn't take these preventative measures? I actually love the word the fact that you use the word preventative because, you know, sometimes you don't get an opportunity to do the preventative measures and you're already in the challenge. So some people might be facing this challenge, especially after the the past couple of weeks. So what are the things that they can do? There's you've spoken about seals and you've spoken about maybe closing the gaps that you may you may have with your doors. But we're not specifically talking about people who've got leaks and maybe damp and solid walls and doors, you know, what can they do as of now? So so first of all, I'm sorry, that's not fun. But it's something that can be fixed and it can be remedied. So our recommendations at can do it. is all about how you choose the right professional to work with. So here again, sometimes, you know, you've seen the YouTube video, you've got a couple of tools you're really excited to get going. You think nothing can go wrong. There's a lot that can go wrong. So we always recommend getting in a professional. And then when you, you know, on our platform, you can post a request, you know, describe a little bit about what your problem is to even add some photos. And then you can quotes from from different guys to compare. Now, what's important is that you go and you look at their profiles. You look at what previous customers have said about them. You look at what are the photos of their previous work and you get a sense of who this professional is, what's the quality of the work that they do. And then you make the choice with who to go with. So don't just choose the cheapest quote overall, but really evaluate the person and see also who fits with what you want and the kind of expertise that you want. So it's always important when you've encountered an issue, make sure that you choose the right professional to work with. And we hope that we give you some of the tools to be able to do that. So that's one of one of the biggest recommendations that we have. I can do it at com. Thank you so much for that, John. Really, really some some great insights there. And if you just joined us, we are talking how to winter proof your home so that you can save money. It is almost winter, so you do want to stay tuned so that you can get some of those tips from John this evening. So thank you so much to everybody who is also engaging with us on the socials. We really, really appreciate the love. We had a question on the poll this week on on our Facebook page. And we would we asked, what would you rather see when you look out the window? We gave you the options, number one, buildings, number two, a big field with a lawn or with a lawn, rather, C, which is a C view and then D, which is mountain views. And we got some beautiful responses from our Facebook family. La Rochelle said, I live in Nelsprate, so I love to see D, which is mountains, but I'm working towards getting the best views, which is C, C views. I see that a lot of people want to really, really have those C views. That is an ultimate goal for some people. And then going to the next question or next response, rather, Anelda says, shoot, this is a difficult one. I grew up on a farm, so it was B and D, which were which were awesome. But for now, C would be nice too. So for somebody who grew up on a farm, I'm sure some C please, you know, and some C views would be nice. Jean, if I were to if I was to throw the question in your way and ask you, which of you would you rather prefer when you open your window? Well, so I grew up in Khating, so I'm going to see a C view, of course. Everybody's just saying C view tonight. Well, absolutely love the the the poll. And thank you so much, everyone, for engaging with us. So we are still talking winter proofing your home. It's almost winter. Everybody wants to make sure that they're ready. We are getting winter clothes and we are just bracing ourselves for for the winter. The statistics have actually said that this is going to be the coldest winter we have ever experienced, so you don't want that to catch you off guard. So stay tuned and let us give you all the information that you may require to make sure that you you save some cash and also winter proof your home. So going into the next questions, I want to talk about the eco friendliness and biodiversity. Is the do you believe that this is one of the ways that each and every person can be a good citizen in them contributing to and they're not contributing rather to the pollution and all the the challenges that we are having globally when we are looking at ecology. Absolutely. The choices you make in your home, the choices of, you know, what are you choosing to install? What upgrades are you choosing to make? These are all things that can either be something that is more harmful to the environment or something that is less harmful to the environment. So one is if you look at overall at saving energy costs, you are always getting a check mark there. So saving energy costs is great because it's only going up and then you have money to spend on other things. So we all want to save on on energy costs. You know, and you have to see, you know, at certain times of the year is when municipalities will adjust the rates that they charge you around here and cutting that often happens around June, July. So you can get quite a shock of your energy bill in that time because not only is your consumption going up because it's winter time, but also the rates may have been adjusted. So now is the time to think about energy saving ideas. So here you can look at installing, for instance, solar based systems. Now, it's not as simple as just throwing some solar panels on the roof and, you know, running a cable. It can get quite complex. And obviously the initial upfront cost depends on what kind of system you're investing in. What we would usually get the best reliability and is also a great option for when there's large shedding is if you have the solar panels connected to an inverter and a battery backup system. That is quite a high initial upfront cost, but ultimately you can save quite a bit on your on your energy bill and you pulling that energy from a renewable resource, which is great, great for the environment. So that's definitely one option that you you can look at. Then there are other eco-friendly things that you can do. And some of them might not be as obvious. So it brings your energy costs down. So, you know, good insulation in your home, putting a bit of throwing down a few extra rugs, thicker curtains that helps to keep the heat in. So you don't have to crank up all kinds of different heaters. That these are also things that help to reduce your overall footprint as a household on the environment. And you spoke a little bit more about what you spoke about the startup costs. And I want to know if there are specific funds or financial aids that banks give to home owners or people who would like to set these green energies up in their homes. Do you know if there is anything that could help in that way? I think there are some banks that do do offer incentives and do help you to invest in energy saving systems in your homes. I think this is something you should look at whoever your bank is. We go and check that out and see if that's a smart financing option that they offer. Often also with some of the companies that install solar systems or install heat pump systems, for instance, they have a way that you can pay off that system through the savings on your energy bill. So they set up some financing solutions for you when you've installed the system. You don't pay up front for it, but you really pay it off over time. But it's only a little bit of extra money that you put in or not not even any at all because they reap it from the savings that you get on your on your normal electricity bill. So there are some options that you can look at there. But yes, definitely check with your bank if they have some financing options available. And then also check with the pro who is the expert in the systems that are available and may also know some other things that I don't. Sure. And I'm sure a very burning question in any home owner's mind right now is that does me winter proofing my home increase the value of my house? What value do I get? Do I understand that we're saving money short term, but long term does this increase the value of the house? Does it make it more lucrative when you want to sell it? Or is this the case? So some upgrades definitely increase the value of your home and you you can be quite smart about it. Now, one upgrade that I personally quite love a lot that may very well increase the value of your home is a fireplace. So a fireplace is not just something that is functional. So, you know, create some heat in the room, but it also creates a bit of atmosphere. It, you know, a lot of people if they, you know, if they imagine themselves in your in the home, you know, when you walk into a house that you're about to buy, you picture yourself living there and when you picture yourself sitting in front of the fireplace, that that creates warm fuzzy feelings may sway the decision just a little bit. So fireplace is a great upgrade. You don't also, you know, and sometimes you'll think of a fireplace and think, oh, the mess, you know, and Ash have to clean out and, you know, the wood that I have to keep on putting in. You can also look at a gas fireplace. So gas fireplace is a lot easier to to operate and it's a lot cleaner. There's no mess to clean up afterwards. So that's also a great option and it's a bit more versatile than your standard wood burning fireplace. So a fireplace is a fantastic upgrade. Overall, when it comes to investing your home with the intent to recoup that investment, the first place to start is your kitchen. The second place to start is your bathroom. So those are two rooms of the house that really a lot of people pay attention to. And if you invest money there, you often will make it back. The one caveat to that, though, is if you are investing in a change and investing in a renovation, if you have very, very unique quirky taste, not everybody might share that taste. And instead of them coming into the house with the renovated kitchen and going, wow, they may come into the house of the renovated kitchen and go, wow, this is the first thing we need to change. So just keep that in mind and, you know, stick with contemporary or classic styles and things that have a wider appeal if your intent is to recoup your investment. The final thing I'll say on, you know, investing in your home and getting money back. If you are going to live in your home and you plan to live there for another five, ten years, then invest in the space that you want to live in. And that is what makes it worth it. If you want to go over the top with a deck on the back, do it because it's you that's going to spend the time there and you're going to make the memories there. So it really is a personal choice that these are some some things that you can keep in mind. I want to throw a spin in the works for you here because we've really been talking about home owners and people who already own these homes rather. What about people who who are renting and people who are leasing these apartments or these homes from other people? Are they are they I don't want to say semi-permanent things that they can do that by the time the person leaves, they can they can leave with it instead of them having to now essentially waste money by doing this and then leaving it when the lease expires. Yeah, so I think and that's the reality for a lot of people, right? Like you you're in a space that you're not going to be in impermanently and you don't want to spend a fortune customizing it and just to leave and stays behind. So furnishings is a great place to start. Right. So start with, you know, put in put in some really thick curtains, throw down some extra rugs that create some softness and some craziness in the space and actually really helps to to keep keep the heat in. And then you can look at at portable appliances and things like that if you want to look at, you know, climate controlling and and changing the the temperature and the comfort of the space. You do get, you know, freestanding air conditioning units. Those exist that maybe you want to look at or obviously looking at buying a really good, very efficient space heater. So freestanding heater, that is that is quite efficient. That's also something that can that you take with you when you go. The other thing then is just to have a conversation with your with your landlord if you have a particularly glaring issue, right? So maybe you have a very drafty, you know, front door and and and that's really affecting your comfort in the home. It means you have to spend a lot on electricity and, you know, and discuss with your landlord and say, look, if you make some of these improvements, you know, can can we split the cost or make a convincing argument for for why this is a good investment in the property for them ultimately in the long run? So, you know, sometimes your your landlords, you know, if you have a good landlord, they are constantly looking at the maintenance and keep up the property and may also be looking at improvements. And so having that conversation with them, you know, if you're if you're landlords, love great tenants who who pay on time and, you know, who who work with them and care for the homes. And so have a conversation with your landlord as well. Thank you so much for that. It's such a robust conversation around how to winter proof your home and also save money that is really that's really timely because it's getting nippy up by the minute in Johannesburg. Thank you so much, John, for taking our time to talk to us and really just give us these great insights. And the love is coming in on our Facebook page and everybody is commenting that really it is great insight. And they are really learning a lot from the conversation tonight. So thank you so much for joining us and have a good evening. It's only been a pleasure. And if you are inspired now and you want to go winter proof your home, go to can do it.com. We've got thousands of guys who can help you with everything from putting up a curtain to redoing your whole roof. So thank you so much for the opportunity. It's always great to be with the private property community. We love you guys a lot. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us. So that was about it in terms of the conversation. And we are looking forward to hearing your stories on how you have winter proofed your home and how your home has become a better place to be this winter because nobody wants to be left out in the cold. Thank you so much for joining us tonight for this conversation. And also do share this conversation with anybody you believe needs to hear this information. Until we see you next time, same time, same place, right here on the Private Property Podcast. Have a good evening.