Spring Maintenance
Springtime means it’s time to check out everything that was neglected over the winter.
Here are some simple tips to keep your home operating in tip-top condition:
Outside – Up High
Make sure you are properly hydrated, wearing appropriate sun and bug protection, and listening to motivational music.
- Inspect the roof for damaged, loose or blistered shingles. Have damaged shingles replaced if they’re on less than 20% of the roof. Reroof if damaged shingles cover more than 20% of the roof.
- Examine flashing around chimneys, vents, and roof edges.
- Remove debris from gutters and downspouts and patch any holes. Make sure the downspouts direct water at least three to six feet away from your foundation walls.
- Examine fascia or soffit boards. Replace if they are soft or rotting because they may allow rain into your attic.
- Trim branches and shrubs that are touching your home which can provide a pathway for bugs or excess moisture to enter your home.
- Remove dead branches that may fall on your home.
 | Outside – Down Low
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- Inspect/replace caulk on windows, doors, and other penetrations, such as dryer vents and cable wire holes. Inspect the condition of the caulking where two different materials meet, for example where wood siding joins the foundation’s wall or at inside corners. Improper caulking provides an avenue for moisture to get inside your walls and cause mold.
- Check the condition of the exterior surfaces. Touch up any areas that need paint before they deteriorate further. Inspect bricks and concrete blocks for cracked mortar or loose joints.
- Inspect grading around the house to be sure water drains away from the foundation on all sides. If water pools near the house, you could be in for a very wet basement and difficult spring removing water and even mold from the basement.
- Make sure that your lawn sprinkler heads do not spray the walls of the house. Water = bad.