How to prepare your house for snow – a winter checklist for Stockholm

When should the house be ready for snow?

The house should be ready for snow by mid-November at the latest. In Stockholm the first snow that settles usually falls between 20 November and 10 December, but a single snowfall in late October happens most years. Once the snow is on the ground the soil is frozen, sticks cannot be pushed in and the shops run out of grit.

Do the work together with the autumn cleanup in October. By then the leaves are off the paths and out of the gutters, and you can see where the edges, drains and flower beds are.

What should be marked and where can the snow go?

Mark everything that disappears under 20 centimetres of snow. Plastic or wooden snow sticks with reflectors go in every 3–5 metres along the driveway, paths and flower-bed edges before the ground freezes, usually in early November. They save kerbstones, lawn edges and shrubs from the shovel and the snow blower.

Decide at the same time where the snow will be piled. A driveway of 40–60 square metres produces several cubic metres of snow per winter and the pile needs a spot where it does no damage.

• Put sticks at drains, gullies, low walls, lighting and kerbstones.
• Choose a snow pile on the lawn or a gravel area, never against the facade, a fence or a hedge.
• Do not push snow onto the street or the neighbour's plot; this is not permitted in Stockholm's municipalities.
• Keep a clear area in front of the bins, the letterbox and the garage door so they can be opened.

Which tools and materials do you need?

Buy the tools in September–October, when the full range is in stock and before the first snowfall empties the shelves. Stone chippings of 2–5 millimetres are the best anti-slip material for a house in Stockholm: they grip ice down to minus 20 degrees, do not damage paving and can be swept up and reused in April. Salt only works down to about minus 7 degrees and damages concrete, plants and dogs' paws.

• A wide-bladed plastic shovel for loose snow, a narrow aluminium shovel for packed snow and a scraper for ice.
• A bucket or bin with a lid for the chippings, placed by the entrance so it can be reached even when it is icy.
• Two to four 20-kilo bags of stone chippings are enough for a normal house plot for a whole winter.

How do you protect the roof, gutters and plants?

Clear the gutters and downpipes in October and check that the roof's snow guards are firmly attached. Blocked gutters freeze into plugs of ice, and when the sun warms the roof in February–March icicles form and fall over the entrance and paths. Also check that no roof tiles are missing and no sheet metal is loose.

Hedges and young trees are damaged by snow that is piled or thrown against them. Thuja, box and cypress are bent down permanently by heavy piles. Tie up young column-shaped shrubs with string, put a simple frame of boards or netting in front of the hedge where the snow will be piled, and stake trees younger than five years.

What needs doing about water, travel and contracts?

Shut off the outdoor taps from the inside and drain the pipe, disconnect the hoses and store them indoors. A frozen outdoor tap cracks in the first real cold in December and then leaks inside the wall during a thaw. Empty and put away water butts and garden furniture that cannot take ice.

Decide before November who shovels when you are away over Christmas or the February half-term. In several Stockholm municipalities you as the property owner are responsible for keeping the pavement outside the plot cleared and gritted, and always for the path to your front door. A winter contract with snow removal per call-out or per season is best booked in October, before the first snow when everyone calls at once.

• Shut off and drain outdoor taps, disconnect hoses and turn off the water to any irrigation system.
• Give a neighbour or a company a key and instructions on where the snow can be piled.
• Write down which areas are to be cleared: entrance, driveway, bins, letterbox and pavement.
• Snow shovelling, gritting and salting on your own plot qualify for the RUT deduction of up to 50% of the labour cost.

Snow removal for homeowners with Service Plus

Service Plus Stockholm AB clears and grits driveways, entrances and paths for homeowners throughout Greater Stockholm, per call-out or on a seasonal contract from November to April. Our snow specialist Skottis follows the forecast, turns out when the snow depth passes the limit you have agreed and sweeps up the grit in spring. The work qualifies for the RUT deduction, which is deducted directly on the invoice. Describe the plot and the areas to be cleared and Service Plus will assess the job on site and provide a free quote, with a reply within 24 hours.