Exterior Maintenance Checklist - Tips On Inspecting Your Home
Are you a homeowner that just experienced a season filled with freezing weather or damaging storms? Chances are, if you live anywhere in the northeast United States, you have. Let’s get started! Understanding the necessary maintenance and professional tips on inspecting the exterior of your home is crucial.
Exterior Home Maintenance - The Roof
Roofing can pose the most significant problem when it comes to leaks and damages – especially at the seams and valleys of the roofing structure. Here is a list of what to look for on and around your roof.
- Roofing Shingles – Make sure the shingles align with one another, and no shingles are missing or damaged.
- Flashing – typically located around the chimney and other protruding objects from the roof. This flashing seals all seams.
- Valleys – The connecting point where two roofs, slopped at different angles, meet. It is the collection point for snow, leaves, water, pine needles, and pine combs.
Tip: Once you have inspected the exterior of the roofing system, if accessible, scan the attic’s interior. Furthermore, you will be looking for sagging or black lines on the plywood. These signs would tell if the roof is leaking and where the water path takes as it travels down your roof.
Exterior Home Maintenance - The Wall Sections
The most significant part of maintenance is prevention. Moreover, you always want to make sure water is staying out of the interior of your home. As time goes on, you will begin to see which sides of the structure are favored more by the damaging wind, rain, and sunlight. Lastly, Observing these areas over time will allow you to dedicate more resources to ensure maximum protection.
Roofline Section Of Your Home
- Fascia boards and Soffits – Both located just under the roofline, fascia boards are fixed directly to the lower ends of the roof trusses. Soffits protect the underside of eaves and porch ceilings and provide a vent-like system for the open space to breathe. Additionally, when installed correctly, you can prevent the exposed wood from rotting and water from getting up underneath the shingles.
- Gutters & Downspouts – Most homeowners overlook Gutters and downspouts until it’s too late and damage has already set in. It is essential to perform regular inspections of all parts of the drainage systems. Cleaning out debris from the gutters and getting any obstructions away from the bottom of the downspouts can help with the direction of the water flow.
Lower Wall Section Of Your Home
- Siding and Trim – Whatever siding you have, whether vinyl, wood, fiber cement, or synthetic stone siding, you want to ensure the pieces are secured. Furthermore, it is crucial to fix any loose siding panels, or siding that has exposed seems. By improving these areas, it will prevent interior water damage.
- Windows & Doors – Windows and doors are, for the most part, maintenance-free. Sometimes though, it is good to do a check upon them. Wood windows and doors need painting to protect against rotting and moisture build-up. Also, it’s essential to apply caulking on all your windows and doors to avoid any water infiltration. Lastly, ensure you have inspected the window sills, door thresholds, and the vertical kick plate below the door.
- Decks & Porches – Depending on the materials used to build the patio or porch, maintenance will differ between the two. Wood materials need the most routine care to reach their estimated lifespan of 20 years. To retain the structure’s lifespan, replace any boards, railing, or support beams that seem warped or damaged.
Staying on top of all exterior home inspections can save you thousands of dollars in repairs and guarantee that your investment is protected. Contact Reliable Window and Siding for any questions or concerns you may have relating to your home. Call us today at 781-821-2220 or email us at sales@Reliablewindow.net.
Reliable Financing
We want to offer our customers the best possible service from start to finish. One way we do this is by offering financing options for your roofing, siding, windows, doors and other exterior renovations. We will assist you in picking out and choosing the best financing option that makes sense for you. Give us a call today and learn more about how we can help you protect your investment.
