Feeling winter drafts already? Before your heating bill spikes, Jackson Exteriors can help you seal leaks, improve insulation, and restore comfort throughout your home. From Crystal Lake to Barrington and across McHenry County, we diagnose cold-weather problems fast and offer practical, immediate fixes that keep your home warm without major seasonal delays.
- Early-season inspections reveal leaks when they’re easiest to find in cold weather.
- Professional-grade weatherstripping replacements outperform hardware-store materials.
- Expert caulking restores the home envelope where siding, trim, and frames have separated.
- Interior storm windows add instant insulation without waiting for a full window project.
- Air-sealing pros identify leak points homeowners often miss around utilities and framing.
- Attic insulation upgrades provide one of the highest returns in winter energy savings.
- Threshold and door-sweep repairs eliminate major heat loss under exterior doors.
- Rim-joist sealing in basements prevents cold air from sinking into living spaces.
- Targeted repairs can be completed even in freezing temperatures with proper materials.
- Family-run crews offer personalized solutions instead of one-size-fits-all fixes.
- Winter assessments capture real-time leak behavior that’s harder to detect in spring.
- Immediate weatherization reduces furnace strain, lowering monthly and long-term costs.
Well, that happened faster than expected.
This past holiday weekend brought the Northwest suburbs our first significant snowfall of the season; and if you’re like most homeowners from Barrington to Crystal Lake and throughout McHenry County, you probably weren’t quite ready for it. Here at Jackson Exteriors, we’ve been fielding calls all week from neighbors who suddenly realized that Old Man Winter isn’t playing around this year. When that cold wind started howling and the snow began piling up, a lot of folks got their first uncomfortable reminder that their homes might not be as buttoned-up as they thought.
We’re a family-run business (a father and his two sons who manage the day-to-day operations), who’ve been helping local homeowners weather every season for years. We know exactly what happens when that first big snow hits early. You’re sitting in your living room, maybe enjoying a cup of coffee or watching a movie with the family, and you feel it: that telltale cold draft sneaking in around a window, or that chill creeping across the floor near your back door. Suddenly, you’re reaching for a blanket, and then you’re thinking about what your gas bill is going to look like when it arrives next month.
If that scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And here’s the good news: even though it might be too late in the season to tackle major projects like full window replacements, there’s still plenty we can do to help you stay comfortable and keep your heating costs under control.
Why Do Drafts Happen in the First Place?
Before we talk about solutions, let’s talk about what’s actually happening when you feel those cold drafts in your home. Understanding the problem is the first step toward fixing it.
Your home is essentially a protective envelope designed to keep the outside elements…well, outside. But over time, that envelope can develop weak spots. The temperature swings we experience in the Northwest suburbs, from summer heat to bitter winter cold, cause materials to expand and contract. Settling foundations can create tiny gaps. Weather exposure breaks down caulking and weatherstripping. Even the best construction eventually shows its age.
Drafts typically occur in a few predictable places:
- Around windows and doors. These are the most common culprits. The seals around your windows and doors take a beating from daily use and seasonal temperature swings. That weatherstripping that was perfect five years ago? It’s probably compressed, cracked, or missing entirely in spots. The caulking around window frames can shrink and pull away from the siding, creating channels for cold air to infiltrate.
- At the intersection of different materials. Anywhere your siding meets trim, where your foundation meets your walls, or where different types of materials come together—these are natural weak points. Different materials expand and contract at different rates, and over time, gaps appear.
- In your attic and basement. Warm air rises, and if your attic isn’t properly insulated and sealed, you’re essentially heating the outdoors. Meanwhile, cold air sinks, and basement rim joists are notorious for allowing cold air to seep into your home’s lower levels.
- Around utility penetrations. Every place where pipes, wires, or vents pass through your home’s exterior is a potential draft source. These openings are often sealed with materials that deteriorate over time.
The Real Cost of Those Drafts
Let’s talk numbers for a moment, because the discomfort of a drafty home is only part of the problem. The financial impact can be substantial.
According to the Department of Energy, air leaks can waste 25-40% of the energy used for heating and cooling your home. Think about that for a second. If your heating bill this winter is going to be $200 a month, you could be throwing away $50-$80 of that (every single month) just because cold air is sneaking in and warm air is sneaking out.
Over a typical winter season in McHenry County, those drafts could easily cost you several hundred dollars. And that’s just the direct energy cost. There are indirect costs too: your heating system has to work harder and run longer, which means more wear and tear and potentially shorter equipment life. Your furnace or boiler is cycling on more frequently, trying to keep up with the heat loss, which increases the likelihood of breakdowns and the need for repairs.
Plus, let’s not forget the comfort factor. You can’t really put a price on being able to walk around your own home in comfort during the winter months, or not having to pile on extra blankets just to watch TV in your living room.
It’s Not Too Late to Make a Difference
Now, we’ll be honest with you; and this is something we pride ourselves on at Jackson Exteriors. If you’re hoping for new replacement windows before the heart of winter sets in, we’re probably looking at a spring project. Major exterior work requires specific temperature conditions, and rushing those jobs in freezing weather doesn’t serve anyone well. We’d rather wait and do it right than hurry and compromise the quality.
But here’s what people often don’t realize: there are numerous effective weatherization and air-sealing measures we can implement even in cold weather. And many of these solutions deliver immediate results. Our crews are equipped to handle a wide range of weatherization projects, from smaller targeted repairs to comprehensive home envelope improvements.
Solutions That Work Right Now
We can tackle your draft problems from multiple angles:
- Professional air sealing. This goes way beyond what most homeowners can do with a tube of caulk from the hardware store. Our crews have the tools and expertise to identify every air leak in your home’s envelope and seal them properly with the right materials for each specific application.
- Weatherstripping replacement. If your doors and windows are fundamentally sound but the seals are shot, new weatherstripping can make a dramatic difference. We use commercial-grade materials that are designed to withstand the harsh winters we experience from Barrington to Crystal Lake.
- Interior storm windows. These can be installed quickly and provide an extra layer of insulation for your existing windows. They’re not as pretty as new replacement windows, but they’re remarkably effective at reducing heat loss and can be a smart temporary or even long-term solution depending on your situation.
- Attic insulation assessment and improvement. If we can safely access your attic, boosting insulation levels can have an immediate impact on your comfort and energy bills. This is often one of the most cost-effective weatherization measures available.
- Door sweeps and threshold replacements. The gap under your exterior doors is often one of the worst offenders when it comes to drafts. These fixes are quick, affordable, and make a noticeable difference right away.
Every Home Is Different—And We Treat It That Way
Here’s where the family business approach really matters. We’re not a huge corporation trying to sell you a one-size-fits-all solution. When you call Jackson Exteriors, you’re talking to people who’ve built their reputation throughout the Northwest suburbs by treating every client’s home with individual attention and care.
Your 1920s bungalow in Crystal Lake has different challenges than your neighbor’s 1980s split-level in Barrington. Your budget and priorities might be completely different from the house down the street, even if you’re experiencing similar problems. Maybe you’re planning to sell in two years and need cost-effective solutions that will make your home more comfortable and appealing without breaking the bank. Or maybe this is your forever home and you want to invest in comprehensive weatherization that will pay dividends for decades.
We get it. And we want to understand your particular situation before we start proposing solutions.
That’s why we offer to come out and do a thorough assessment of your specific challenges. We’ll look at where you’re losing the most energy, what’s causing your drafts, and what makes the most sense for your home and your budget. Then we’ll give you honest recommendations; including what can wait until spring and what should be addressed right away.
Whether you need a targeted fix for a particularly drafty room or a comprehensive weatherization project for your entire home, we have the crew capacity and expertise to handle jobs of all sizes.
The Advantage of Acting Now
While it’s true that some major projects need to wait for warmer weather, there’s actually an advantage to addressing your draft problems now, while you’re experiencing them. When our team comes out on a cold day, those air leaks are obvious. We can feel them, and so can you. That makes it much easier to identify every problem spot and prioritize our solutions.
Plus, every week you wait is another week of uncomfortable living and higher utility bills. Even if we can’t do everything you ultimately need, the improvements we can make now will start paying for themselves immediately.
A Call from a Family That Cares
At the end of the day, Jackson Exteriors is a family business that cares about the communities we serve throughout McHenry County and the Northwest suburbs. When you call us, you’re not getting a high-pressure sales pitch or a cookie-cutter solution. You’re getting experienced professionals (backed by skilled crews who know their craft) who will listen to your concerns, assess your specific situation, and recommend practical solutions that make sense for you.
We handle everything from targeted weatherization repairs to large-scale exterior renovation projects. Whether your home is in Crystal Lake, Barrington, or anywhere in between, we have the resources and expertise to solve your draft problems and prepare your home for winter.
We know that first big snow was a wake-up call. We know you’re worried about that heating bill. And we know you want to be comfortable in your own home without having to wear a parka indoors.
Give us a call. Let’s talk about your specific challenges and what we can do to help. Even though it might be too late for those new windows this year, it’s definitely not too late to make your home more comfortable and efficient for the winter ahead.
After all, winter’s just getting started; and we’re here to help you weather it comfortably.