10 Home Maintenance Tips for Spring

10 Home Maintenance Tips for Spring

When was the last time you checked your foundation vents (weepholes)?

The sun is peeking out and the plants are starting to blossom, so it must be about time for spring chores again. Here's my annual spring checklist of important issues to tend to around the house.

1. Roofing repairs: If you suspect winter storms may have damaged your roof, it needs to be inspected. (If you're not comfortable with the height or steepness of your roof, hire a licensed roofing contractor for the inspection.) Look for missing or loose shingles, including ridge-cap shingles. Examine the condition of the flashings around chimneys, flue pipes, vent caps, and anyplace where the roof and walls intersect. Look for overhanging trees that could damage the roof in a wind storm, as well as buildups of leaves and other debris. If you have roof damage in a number of areas, or if older shingles makes patching impractical, consider having the entire roof redone. Also, remember that if the shingles have been damaged by wind or by impact from falling tree limbs, the damage may be covered by your homeowners insurance.

2. Check gutters and downspouts: Look for areas where the fasteners may have pulled loose, and for any sags in the gutter run. Also, check for water stains that may indicate joints that have worked loose and are leaking. Clean leaves and debris to be ready for spring and summer rains.

3. Fences and gates: Fence posts are especially susceptible to groundwater saturation, and will loosen up and tilt if the soil around them gets soaked too deeply. Check fence posts in various areas by wiggling them to see how solidly embedded they are.

If any are loose, wait until the surrounding soil has dried out, then excavate around the bottom of the posts and pour additional concrete to stabilize them. Replace any posts that have rotted.

4. Clear yard debris: Inspect landscaping for damage, especially trees. If you see any cracked, leaning or otherwise dangerous conditions with any of your trees, have a licensed, insured tree company inspect and trim or remove them as needed.

Clean up leaves, needles, small limbs and other material that has accumulated. Do any spring pruning that's necessary. Remove and dispose of all dead plant material so it won't become a fire hazard as it dries. 

5. Air conditioners: Check outdoor central air conditioning units for damage or debris buildup, and clean or replace any filters.  A before- season tune up is money well spent. You’ll save on electricity costs and lengthen the life of your AC units. Keep shrubs trimmed away from the AC units.

6. Check and adjust sprinklers: Run each set of in-ground sprinklers through a cycle, and watch how and where the water is hitting. Adjust or replace any sprinklers that are hitting your siding, washing out loose soil areas, spraying over foundation vents, or in any other way wetting areas on and around your house that shouldn't be getting wet. If you’re not savvy on sprinklers, call your sprinkler guy – again it’s money well spent. You’ll save on water bills.

7. Remove faucet covers: Remove outdoor faucet covers once the danger of freezes are past. Turn on the water supply to outdoor faucets if it's been shut off.

8. Prepare yard tools: Replace broken or damaged handles, and clean and condition metal parts. Tighten fittings and fasteners, sharpen cutting tools and mower blades, and service engines and belts in lawn mowers and other power equipment.

9. Check weepholes.  Mulch is great for plants and can actually help your foundation by keeping the soil more evenly moist; however this is where “more is not necessarily better”.  Keep mulch at least 3-4” lower than the weepholes to your home to prevent termites from having an easy access into your home. While pine bark mulch is great for acid loving plants like azaleas, keep it farther from your foundation.  I like to use ‘bullrock’ as a border around my foundation.  It keeps the soil moist, yet keeps a clean view to your homes foundation.

10. Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors: Daylight Savings Time snuck up early again this year, and that's usually the semi-annual reminder to check your smoke alarms. So if you haven't already done it, now's the time. Replace the batteries, clean the covers, and test the detector's operation before it's too late.

If you have gas-fired appliances in the house, add a carbon monoxide detector as well (or check the operation of your existing one). CO2 detectors are inexpensive and simply plug in to a wall outlet with a battery backup. They available at most home centers and other retailers of electrical parts and supplies for about $25.  Since carbon monoxide is odorless, you may not realize your family is in danger.  Let’s be safe, rather than sorry.  Install one in bedrooms and one in the kitchen.  Your family is too precious to risk. 

If you don’t do any of the other 10 maintenance tips – do this one for your family's safety!