Maintaining Your Beautiful Custom Home – Spring Chores

March 20, 2019, is the first day of spring and summer starts this year on June 21st. Spring maintenance on your home is the best way to prepare for both spring and summer.

Wisconsin Winters and Your Home

Wisconsin winters — and 2018’s especially — are hard on a home. The deep cold, the driving rain, the ice, the snow, the atmospheric rivers and all of those storms with names wreak havoc on homes. Thankfully, your custom home is built to handle the worst of winter, but it will always need a little help. This list of spring chores helps to keep your beautiful custom home — well — beautiful.

  1. Gutter Care and Upkeep

Snow and ice can damage gutters, and the spring rains are not over. The first sunny days should be used to inspect gutters for damage and cleaning. The last of the leaves, twigs, and debris will be amplified as the trees begin to leaf out and pollinate. Gutters that are in good repair not only look nice, but they help to protect your roof and keep water from seeping into the under-roof and down the interior walls.

  1. Inspect the Exterior of Your Home

Take an hour or two and walk around the house. Look for visible signs of damage. Driving winds and falling limbs can cause considerable damage as will ice and snow that pile up next to the home or water that works its way into cracks and crevices. Physical weathering is a powerful force, and when water gets into a crack and then freezes, it expands causing more damage.

Look for:

  • Loose boards or siding
  • Damage to window screening
  • Loose or damage sills on doors and windows
  • Be sure to give the roof a visual inspection
  • Check decks and outbuildings too
  • Check the walkways also. Frozen water, snow, and cold weather can damage brickwork, patios, poolside surfaces, etc
  • Give landscaping an inspection too for things that have died. Spring is an excellent time to replace those plants and trees

Pest Inspections

Carpenter Bees, ants and other pests are very active in the fall months, and all are looking for a place to overwinter. Be sure to check posts, decking, and trim along windows, the roof, and porches for signs of carpenter bee damage.

Termites — Spring is also the time when termites swarm and being proactive now means less chance of having to deal with termites later. Look for swarms of insects around your home. Termites fly, but only when they are dispersing. Keep your eye out for little wings around your foundation or on window sills. They shed their wings as soon as they find a home.

Rodents — We might not always notice that rats, mice, and squirrels have moved in, especially in outbuildings. Squirrels are very damaging, and if they get into a building, they will chew and damage the place.

Test the HVAC

It might still be cold, but now is the time to test the HVAC unit to make sure the AC still works and that the unit does not need service. Also, plan on changing out filters too or scheduling a service call for both the HVAC and furnace.

Check the Finishes

After winter has receded, check the finishes on outdoor wood. This means the finish and stain on decks, doors, and garden or yard features such as pergola and gazebos. The best time to reseal wood is before summer gets here. Summer’s heat and sun cause a lot of wood damage.

Yard Chores

Mid-spring is an excellent time to re-mulch landscaping and add fertilizers to plants. Test hose bibs and faucets for leaks and damage. All that cold can damage pipes and hoses. Look for pooling water which can indicate a broken pipe or a landscaping issue that needs addressing. Pooling water can destroy your home’s foundation.

Test Your Outdoor Kitchen and Grille

Spring is the start of outdoor living so go ahead and give the outdoor cooking area a test. Nobody wants to discover that there is an issue after guests are arriving.

Reach out to the Design Custom Home team for quick, efficient, and quality repairs or for suggestions about how to address a repair. If you are planning to add new features to your yard or home, we are often your best resource for getting that project started.

 

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