Time to Create Your Spring Home Maintenance Checklist
This year it felt like winter was never going to end, but we are finally seeing signs of spring, which means there is work to be done around the house. It’s certainly not everyone’s favorite chore, but if you’re a homeowner, you’ll want to create a checklist of things to assess on the outside of your home so you can check for damage caused by the ice, snow, and wind. The following five things should be added to your spring home maintenance checklist to keep your home in the best shape possible.
1. Inspect Your Roof
The harsh weather conditions of winter can have severe adverse effects on its integrity. Once the fairer, warmer days arrive for the spring season, you should perform a thorough inspection of your roof and all of its components such as flashes, vents, and chimneys. For more signs of roof damage, read our recent article on the topic.
Your best bet for having a thorough inspection and staying safe throughout the process is to hire a professional home inspector to inspect your roof for you. If your roof is high, steep, and hard to access, hire an inspector who uses aerial drone technology. An aerial drone inspection will provide clear and specific photos of the elements of your roof, even if they cannot be accessed.
2. Clean Your Gutters
The winter winds can blow untold amounts of branches, leaves, and debris across your roof to be trapped in your gutters. As the spring rains begin to move in, clogged gutters could prove to be an issue for your home as the spring rains overflow from all sections of the gutters or even back up onto your roof. As soon as the weather forecast calls for a sunny, clear day, you should consider grabbing a ladder, some maintenance gloves, and a bucket to spend an afternoon cleaning out the gutters on your home.
3. Examine Outside Windows
The caulking that insulates the outside of your windows has been exposed to the frigid temperatures and excess moisture of the winter season. While caulking is designed to withstand most adverse weather conditions, prolonged exposure to such conditions will eventually compromise the integrity of any caulking. Perform a thorough inspection of the caulking along the edges of your windows for any cracks, shrinking, or rigidity. If any of these issues are present, it’s time for you to grab a caulking gun and replace the faulty window caulking. Be sure to remove the damaged caulking first by using a putty knife, a caulking scraper, or other similar tools.
4. Check Your Foundation
The constant freezing and melting of snow during the winter months can cause damage to the concrete foundation of your home. Over time, a small hairline fracture can become a serious issue for the foundation of your home. If you can slide a nickel into a crack in your basement or foundation, you need to call a foundation professional immediately. A professional should also be called if you notice that there are chunks of mortar missing from the bricks that construct your home.
5. Landscape Upkeep
Don’t forget about your yard when writing your spring home maintenance checklist. While frigid winter temperatures slowed the new growth of your yard, it wasn’t ceased completely. Once the ground thaws and plants begin to grow, you may notice that your lawn vegetation has become unruly. Even a modest home garden may be overgrown with weeds or littered with fallen leaves from the previous autumn season.
Once a bright, clear day approaches, gather your gardening and landscaping tools from the garage and begin marking things off of your spring home maintenance checklist. Mow your lawn, use a weed eater to trim around fixtures, pull weeds from your garden, prune decorative bushes, and trim tree branches that reach too close to your home.
American Home Inspections has been serving Middle Tennesse with home inspection services for nearly three decades. For an experienced and professional home inspector, contact us today!