A good question I've been thinking about too since we've had regular rains.
If not on GW, there must be some sites that answer the how-to questions of winterizing permanent rain barrel installations.
Mine are just on the ground, collecting from the waterfall off the porch roof.
The plastic ones with the hose valve set on the side an inch or so above bottom leaves an inch of yucky algae water to freeze and split the barrel and spring the valve.
Cleaning dried on algae and sediment in a valve is difficult
so thanks for reminding me with your question. Preventative maintainance saves $$$.

When can we see some new photos of the house and yard? Did you have the pool installed yet?

Oddly, I didn't find a GW site but on google, 'full service aquatics' has a good site with simple basic instructions on the winterizing of rain barrels.

Thanks Dottie!! I'm going to check that search out. I'll try to get some pictures up this weekend. I've got really busy the last few months with work so I've not been around on line as much lately. I've got the basic beds in, fabric down and mulch in. I've got all my original plants in, I was lucky and only lost a few, 2 Hisbiscus, and my 2 big Gardinias and a couple of my white pines. However, I experimented with the gardinia, and cut them to the bone, tossed it over in the edge of the woods in a shallow hole, and the blasted things are coming back. I've even got a bud on one of them! Both have green leaves now. The Banana's love their new yard and my Jack's Giants are truly giant like they never were at my old house. I seem to have a great yard for gardening!! I've still got to put in the borders around my basic beds in the front, and plants to put in them LOL. I also had grass this year, Nothing fantastic but it's amazing what a good fertilizer and cheap contractors grass seed will do. I had to have something to cut the mud in the yard. A afternoon shower would turn it into the pig pit mud fest. I'll worry later about getting the quality stuff going. But at least the mud is dealt with, and I had green!!! Overall, I'm really pleased with my first year here!! :-) I'll post up some pictures and give you guys a 'online tour' over the weekend.

Looking forward to it , nannerbelle. You HAVE been busy !