How to Prepare Your Driveway and Property for Snow Plowing Season

A little preparation before the first snowfall goes a long way toward a smooth winter. When your property is ready for the plow, service is faster, safer, and easier on your driveway and landscaping. Here are simple steps homeowners and businesses across Western New York can take now to get set for snow plowing season.

Clear the clutter before the snow flies

Once snow covers everything, anything left in the driveway or along its edges becomes invisible — and a hazard for both your property and the plow. Before the season starts, move items like planters, hoses, decorative objects, sports equipment, and anything else out of the plow's path and off the edges of your driveway and walkways.

Mark the edges and obstacles

Snow hides the boundaries of your driveway, the edges of your lawn, and low obstacles like garden borders, sprinkler heads, and short retaining walls. Marking these with driveway stakes or reflective markers helps ensure clean plowing without damage to your turf or hardscaping. This one step prevents a lot of the "why is there a rut in my lawn" complaints come spring.

Handle drainage and fall cleanup first

This is where fall cleanup and snow season connect. If your leaves and debris are cleared and your drainage is flowing before winter, plowing goes more smoothly and you avoid the frozen debris and blocked drains that cause ice problems. A property that had a proper fall cleanup is a property that's already halfway ready for the plow.

Think about where the snow will go

Every plowed property needs somewhere to put the snow. Take a look at your driveway and lot and think about the best spots to pile snow — away from walkways, entrances, drainage areas, and sightlines at the end of the driveway. Talking this through with your snow removal company before the season helps them service your property the way you want.

Set up service early

The most important preparation of all: arrange your snow removal before the snow arrives. Companies build their routes in the fall, and getting on the schedule early means you're covered from the very first storm.

Your pre-season checklist

• Clear objects out of the plow's path
• Mark driveway edges and low obstacles
• Finish fall cleanup and clear drainage
• Decide where snow should be piled
• Book your snow removal service early

Get ready for winter with Hauser's

Hauser's Complete Care Inc. handles both fall cleanup and winter snow removal for properties across Lancaster, Depew, Cheektowaga, West Seneca, Williamsville, Amherst, Clarence, and Buffalo — so your property transitions smoothly from one season to the next. We'll help you get set up right, before the first flake falls.

Let's get your property winter-ready. Call or text Hauser's at (716) 354-1454 to prepare for the season.