Essential Spring Home Exterior Maintenance Tasks
Spring is upon us! Now that the weather is nicer, what projects do you have in mind for your home? This is the time of year to start looking at the exterior of your home to make sure it is in the best condition to protect you from the summer heat and the next season's snow!
Clean your gutters! Twice a year you should thoroughly clean your gutters of leaves, asphalt from your roof and other debris. If your gutters are blocked up, they are going to fill with rain water and pull on your roofing until they eventually fall, potentially causing some costly replacement projects. If you have more than one story, you might want to consider a professional to do this. If your downspouts are clogged, you can use your garden hose to easily clear it. Take off your hose nozzle and shove the hose into the downspout, and have a helper turn the hose on while you hold it secure to power out the gunk.
Inspect your roof! If you are comfortable with ladders and being on your roof, a walk across is the most thorough way to check for broken shingles and other damage. If not, you can stand from the ground and use binoculars to search for curling shingles, rusted flashing, cracked caulk and skylight damage.
Trim your foliage! We know you love shade and those big bushy plants you patiently waited to grow, but vegetation is a huge cause of many home exterior issue such as molding, branches falling, and discoloration. Spring is a good time to trim branches and shrubs. Branches should be at least 5 feet from your house. Shingles are designed to dry quickly, but that makes it hard to do if it’s shaded, causing that green mold to grow. This also prevents animals from finding their way into your attic. Discoloration happens when you have too much vegetation in front of your siding causing shaded areas that won’t naturally color with the rest of your home from the sun.
Repair trim painting. Keep painted surfaces looking nice by scraping off chipped and peeling spots. Paint acts as a protective coating for the wooden parts of your home. Having a nice coat of paint is going to be one of your best prevention tactics for mold and rotting of your home’s exterior. A good way to start is by pressure washing your home’s exterior to reveal a clean surface. This will make it easy to see where paint has started to chip and ware.
Clean your screens. This goes for doors, windows, and vents. Home’s with a basement or crawl space have vents along the foundation of the home. The vent screens become a catching spot for leaves, twigs, and sometimes nests. These vents provide air flow and prevent moisture, mold and stench. It’s important to keep these free of objects. Use a thick safety work glove to clean out large objects then take a vacuum to your screens. If your screens are damaged, you can use screen patches, but for a long term solution, get them replaced.
Ensure Good drainage. It’s going to rain, and you might even have snow left in your yard. To prevent mold, mildew, and basement leaks, check to make sure your soil is sloping away from your home, at least six inches over a 10 foot distance.
Weather stripping. The Department of Energy states that installing and upkeep on weather stripping around the windows on your home is an easy way to save money on your energy bill. Before you have to turn on your air conditioner is the best time to install this. It keeps the cool air inside your home an the warm air out.
Replace rotting home exterior parts like siding and trim. Make sure your home’s siding and trim aren’t damaged from wind or ice. If your home is made from brick or stucco, look for crumbled areas. If you find an issue, the best way to go about it is to contact a siding professional.
Z Double B can help with all your windows, siding, and door repairs and replacements this spring. Contact us at 303-997-8168 for any questions you have about your home’s exterior. Our quotes are free and there’s no pushy sales people behind Z Double B.
