The smell of spring is in the air, when even the newest of homeowners feel a familiar urge to move the furniture, scrub the windows and dust the woodwork, ritual offerings to the return of sunshine and warmer weather. Spring, besides being a harbinger of cleaning frenzy, should provide a reminder that the exterior of your home needs routine maintenance.
Follow this spring maintenance checklist to make sure your home is in the best condition possible for coming year:
- Inspect exterior foundation.
· Springtime and rain go together which can lead to water in your basement. Most water leakage can be traced to exterior conditions around the foundation.
· Check for loose or leaky gutters. Improper drainage can lead to water in the basement or crawl space.
· Make sure downspouts drain away from the foundation. Downspouts should discharge on sloping surfaces at least 10 feet from the foundation.
· Clean leaves and debris from gutters and downspouts.
· Reattach gutters that have pulled away from the house.
· Check the ground around exterior foundation, Soil should slope away from the home, making sure there are no low spots where water can pool against the home. A good slope to aim for when grading ground extending from the foundation is 6 inches for the first 10 feet.
· Make sure your sump pump is working properly.
· In areas where flooded basements are common, a battery backup system for the sump pump ensures that the system will work when the power goes out.
· Make sure the water from the sump pump discharges far enough away from the foundation.
· Check your landscaping. Cut back and trim all vegetation and overgrown bushes close to your house or garage. Not only will trees and bushes to close to the foundation cause water to enter your home, limbs and shrubs can provide a pathway for carpenter ants and other insects, scrape the paint from your siding and ultimately cause excess moisture to rot your exterior wood surfaces.
- Inspect your home's exterior.
· Check siding, window trim, soffit and other painted surfaces for rot, loose, peeling or flaking paint. Repair, prime and paint as needed. Failing paint on exterior wood surfaces leads to more extensive damage, find and repair while it is still small
· Inspect the caulking around doors, windows, corner boards, any place there is a joint where two or more different materials meet. Replace caulk if deteriorating or missing. Caulking these joints properly prevents unwanted water intrusion, AC/Heat loss, drafts and bugs from entering your home.
· Caulking the bottom joint of lap siding will cause moisture to become trapped. If interior moisture doesn’t have a way to vent it causes interior and exterior damage leading to paint failure.
· Inspect your roof for damaged shingles. Shingles that are cracked, buckled, loose or missing granules need replaced.
· Check flashing around chimneys, vents and skylights. This is something you may want to do from the ground or hire a professional.
· Check decks, patios, porches, stairs, and railings for loose boards, screws or nails and deterioration. Decks need treated every 4-6 years, depending on how much exposure they get to sun and rain.
· Check foundation walls, floors, concrete, and masonry for cracking, heaving, or deterioration. If a significant number of bricks are losing their mortar they need tuck pointing to prevent further damage.
- Check furnace and air conditioner
· Change the filters in your furnace and make sure your outside air-conditioner condenser is free from debris
· This is the best time for a professional checkup on your heating and air conditioning system. As it gets hotter the HVAC contractor gets busier and harder to schedule.
· Annual service keeps your heating/cooling system working at peak performance, saving money and resources.
- Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
· Remember to test detectors monthly, keep detectors clean and change batteries in the spring and fall.
- Inspect garage doors
· Visually inspect garage door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys and mounting hardware, such as hinges, for signs of wear or damage. If the torsion spring or extension springs need adjusted or repaired it might be best to call a professional.
· Apply a small amount of spray lubricant to the door's hinges, rollers and tracks.
· Check that the safety sensors and reversing mechanism are operating properly.
A seasonal home maintenance and inspection schedule can keep your home looking its best, while saving more expensive repairs that can happen when routine repair is neglected.
