06/01/2022
Seasonal Home Maintenance Tips
Get Ready for Summer
Home maintenance: Summer
These are the best months to be outside and it’s a great time to concentrate on projects that address the exterior condition of your home as well as the property itself. Let’s take a look at a few tasks that any weekender can accomplish without too much trouble:
- Look for loose or rotted siding: Walk around your property and examine the house itself. How does it look? Loose or rotting siding will need to be replaced. But more often than not, it's a question of stubborn grime—dirt, tree sap, bird droppings, etc. This is an opportunity to have it power washed and keep things clean and mildew free.
- Be prepared to do a little painting: If you didn’t realize it when you were a renter, you will surely know it now: Summertime is paint time. Walk around your house, get on a ladder and inspect, inspect, inspect. A chipped, cracking or faded exterior is a call to action. Head to your local paint store and prepare to prime and sand as well as paint. While this potentially could be a larger project you might want to farm out to a pro, the main thing is to get on it now before it’s a much bigger job. Note: You should also examine shutters and repaint them, if necessary.
- Check tuckpointing and foundation: If you have a brick house it’s essential to examine the mortar work for signs of deterioration. Also take time to get down on your hands and knees and stringently look for foundation cracks. These can be a gateway for moisture, mold, leaks, insect invasions and an entry point for toxic radon gas. For more information on radon, check with the EPA and familiarize yourself with the risks and how to address them.
- Check fences: Go around back and walk the property. How does the fence look? Depending on upkeep, it may be time to reseal, restrain or repaint. You certainly don’t want a rotten fence post. If it’s already rotting, you’ll have to take measurements and go to the local fencing company and find a beam that matches in size. Depending on the fence post in question, this could be a big job or a little job. Ask a professional how to proceed but be prepared to use a shovel, a hammer and a circular saw.
- Wash patio/deck: With the warm weather emerging, you’ll probably be having friends and neighbors over at some point for cookouts and cocktails, and you don’t want to leave them with the wrong impression. One of the best ways to aesthetically enhance your property is to have a sparkling clean deck and patio. Remember that power washer that you obtained to wash your house? Dig it out, because you’ll be needing it. For the patio, it can help you get rid of algae and other microbial growths. For the deck, the power wash can prevent wood from splitting, graying or rotting. Resealing is also important to protect it from the ravages of the sun and rain.
- Inspect walkways: Cracks in cement and asphalt are pretty much inevitable. If it’s the first year in your new house and the previous owner left things in good condition, you may be fortunate enough to skip this activity in year one. But soon enough, you’ll have to refill cracks in the cement and patch up imperfections in your asphalt driveway. Take note of the problem and then head to your local hardware store for the appropriate fillers, patches and sealants.
As you might imagine, this is only a partial list of home maintenance things that you can do around the house in the summer months. This is really the best season for robust projects like exterior house painting and fixing the roof. But you should also walk your property and see what else can be done. Everything from installing outdoor lights, cutting down trees, trimming branches and cleaning out your entire garage (and organizing it) should potentially be on your list.
If you're not up for the DIY side of things, please take a look to any HBA Dayton member who can provide those services. Remember, when working with a HBA Dayton member you can rest assured you are dealing with the residential construction experts in the Dayton region who provide value, professionalism, and most importantly, trust!