With winter on its way out, we are making room for beautiful weather, spring cleaning, and more. But with the snow melting and giving way to rain and warmer weather, now is the best time to inspect your home and make sure everything is in tip-top shape.
As you go through your home inspection—which we recommend doing once or twice a year—here are 5 problems you definitely shouldn’t ignore:
Leaky windows/rotting frames. Leaky windows can be a disaster if not taken care of right away. With leaky windows, water makes its way into the sill and then slowly travels into the framing and walls of your home, potentially causing mold and/or damaging the electrical wiring of your home.
Generally, the sill rots before other parts of the window. Feeling from the outside for soft wood on the first floor, and opening the window and inspecting the sill on the second floor, will tell you if anything needs to be repaired or replaced.
Rotting or worn siding. Aside from looking awful, rotting or worn siding can be a very serious issue if ignored. Take a look at the nails: if they are flush with the wood, that’s a good sign. If they’re pushing in or out, that’s a sign your siding is rotting and needs to be fixed.
Siding is meant to insulate your home and protect it from the elements. Rotting siding can allow moisture into your home, causing serious problems. It may seem like just an aesthetic thing, but siding is important to keep an eye on as it can cause expensive repairs if left alone.
Gutter issues. Most people will only check their gutters during the fall, but we advise to you to check your gutters several times throughout the year. Whether it is leaves or ice, a clogged gutter can end up causing damage to the roof of your home since the water has nowhere else to go.
The same goes for leaky or improperly draining gutters. Sure, it may look like your gutters are draining properly, but all of that water should be flowing away from your home and not into it.
Backed up drains. Not only are backed up drains unpleasant to deal with in regards or smell and clean up, but they can be a serious sign that there is something going wrong with your home.
Standing water can wreak havoc on your floors, causing warped floorboards or mold, which can spread to the walls and even your ceilings. In turn you end up having to deal with more than just the unfortunate smell. Major drain backups can be a real problem you should pay attention to.
Plants too close to/on your home. Plants and trees can up the value of your home, but landscaping requires more thought than just planting a tree wherever you please. Adult-sized trees near or around your home can cause quite a bit of damage if not properly taken care of. For example, branches hanging too close to the home can fall during a thunderstorm and seriously damage your home.
On top of that, you also need to worry about the roots as they can grow into the side of your home or walkways, cracking the concrete and ruining these areas. Ivy and shrubs may look nice, but you need to pay attention to them as well and ensure they aren’t trapping moisture or creating other problems for your foundation or siding.
It’s amazing how much you can catch just by doing a twice-yearly inspection of your home. These problems may not seem like a big deal at first, but ignored for too long, they can cause expensive damage to your home.
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