After a long, cold Northeastern winter, spring is an excellent time to get
outside and perform a fresh inspection of the whole house, says Steve Gladstone
of Stonehollow Home Inspections in Stamford, Conn. Give all your major exterior
systems—roof, siding, gutters, drainage—a close examination to make sure they’re
working properly and are in good shape.
•
Monitor your gutters and
drainage. If debris has accumulated over the winter, you’ll find out
when the snow melts and spring rains arrive. Remove any blockages and look for
signs of bending, damage, and areas where water has been diverted onto the roof
or siding. You can usually make minor gutter repairs yourself for under $50 by
adjusting or reattaching brackets, gently hammering out bent areas, and
replacing damaged sections of gutter if necessary.
This is also a good
time to walk around the house and make sure the soil slopes away from the
foundation at a rate of at least 6 vertical inches over the first 10 feet. If
you have standing water or mushy areas, consider re-grading, adding berms
(raised areas), swales (contoured drainage ditches), or installing a
French
drain (a shallow trench that diverts water away from the house). Try to
identify whether your problem is improper sloping or gutter overflow. A home
inspector can help you if you’re stumped; inspection services run about $80–$100
per hour.
•
Inspect your roof and chimney for winter
damage. Shingles may need repair after a rough winter. Look for loose
chimney bricks and mortar, rotting boards if you have a wooden chimney box, or
rust if you have a chimney with metal parts and flashing. Inside the house,
check your skylights to make sure there are no stains that indicate water
leakage. If you suspect a problem, call a roofing contractor or a chimney sweep
certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America for an estimate for
repairs. Minor roof repairs run from $100 to $350.
•
Examine
siding for signs of winter damage. Check for loose or rotting boards
and replace; inspect the areas where siding meets windows and doors and caulk
any gaps. Give your
siding
an annual cleaning using soap and water, a brush, and a garden hose. Also,
make sure your house number hasn’t been damaged or obscured by dirt and is
easily visible to emergency personnel.
•
Schedule your spring air
conditioning service. Get ready for the air conditioning season with
your spring tune-up. If your system wasn’t running well last season, be sure to
tell your contractor, and make sure he performs actual repairs if necessary
rather than simply adding refrigerant. Follow your contractor as he works to get
an idea of the maintenance checklist he uses and ask questions about what he’s
doing. Your contractor’s checklist should include inspecting thermostats and
controls, checking the refrigerant level, tightening connections, lubricating
moving parts, checking the condensate drain, and cleaning the coils and blower.
Expect to pay $50–$100 for a tune-up. Meanwhile, make sure your air filters are
changed and vacuum out your floor registers.
If duct cleaning is part of
your scheduled service, make sure you aren’t charged extra for it. Some
contractors may try to convince you to let them apply antifungal/antibacterial
chemicals to the interior surfaces of the ducts; this isn’t usually necessary
and the
U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency says research has not yet confirmed its
effectiveness or potential to be harmful. Any chemicals you add to your ducts
will likely become airborne, so exercise caution.
•
Check kids’
outdoor play areas. “Swingsets tend to get funky over the winter,”
Gladstone says. “Tighten bolts and make sure things are still properly put
together and safe to use.” Make sure no sharp edges or splinters are sticking
up, and clean off any mold growth with a household-strength 1:9 solution of
bleach and water.
•
Check your GFCIs. A ground fault
circuit interrupter (GFCI) protects you from deadly electrical shocks by
shutting off the power anytime even a minimal disturbance in current is
detected. They’re the electrical outlets with two buttons in the middle (“test”
and “reset”) that should be present anywhere water and electricity can mix:
kitchens, bathrooms, basements, garages, and the exterior of the house. The
U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission recommends monthly testing, which you’re likely to
remember if you incorporate it into your spring routine.
To test a GFCI,
plug a small appliance (a radio, for example) into each of your GFCIs. Press the
test button, which should click and shut off the radio. The reset button should
pop out; when you press reset, the radio should come back on.
If the
radio doesn’t go off when you press the test button, either the GFCI itself has
failed and should be replaced, or the outlet is wired incorrectly and should be
repaired. If the reset button doesn’t pop out, or if pressing it doesn’t restore
power to the radio, the GFCI has failed and should be replaced. These
distinctions can help you tell an electrician what the problem is—neither job is
one you should attempt yourself if you don’t have ample experience with
electrical repair.
•
Pay a visit to the attic. During a
spring rain, check for visible leaks, water stains, discolored insulation, and
rotting or moldy joists and roof decking. If detected, call a handyman or
roofing contractor for an estimate for repairs. If you have areas of rot or mold
exceeding 10 sq. ft., call an indoor air quality inspector or mold remediation
company for advice. If you have an attic fan, make sure it’s running properly
and that the protective screen hasn’t been blocked by bird nests or debris.
•
Clean dirty windows. This is a good task for the end
of summer, when it’s still nice outside. Clean windows allow more solar energy
into the house in the cooler months to come, which will help you save on your
heating bill. For streak-free glass, use an eco-friendly solution of one part
vinegar to eight parts water, with a few squirts of dish soap; apply to window
with a sponge or soft mitt, scrubbing any tough spots. Rinse with clean water
and then squeegee the surface dry.
Along with these important maintenance
tasks, be sure to check out the others cited in the to-do lists following this
article. Spending a weekend or two on maintenance can prevent costly repairs and
alert you to developing problems. Visit the links listed below for more detailed
information on completing tasks or repairs.
Children's swingsets can get manipulated by winter cold, so before kids
return to playing outside, make sure it's safe. Image: Geostock/Photodisc/Getty
Images
Karin Beuerlein
Karin Beuerlein has covered home improvement and green living topics for
HGTV.com, FineLiving.com, and FrontDoor.com. She has also written for dozens of
national and regional publications in more than a decade of
freelancing.
Shade sails are made of high-strength nylon that you suspend over your patio.
Image: John Riha for HouseLogic
Jan Soults
Walker
Nationally published home improvement writer Jan Soults Walker and her
husband, Dave, once built a window seat with flanking bookcases into a kitchen.
It remains one of their favorite storage projects to date.
