Ready to get your hands dirty? Now that winter is behind us and summer is on the horizon, it’s time to get your home and exterior ready for the winter months. Whether it’s doing a little spring cleaning, home maintenance or landscaping, follow this handy guide to spruce up your property before temperatures really start to go up.
1. Take care of your lawn
Prepare your lawn and landscaping by cleaning up the lawn, flower and garden beds. Take care to get rid of all debris and prune any dead hedges, plants or branches. Consider hiring a pro to aerate your lawn, which allows plants room to breathe and roots to grow deeper.
2. Check your roof
Maintaining your roof throughout the year can help prevent damage or expensive repairs, but spring can still cause significant water damage. Ice damming during winter can cause water to back up under shingles, and this will only increase during spring showers. If you see or suspect damage to your roof, contact a reputable roofing company to perform an inspection as soon as possible. If you have problems, contact your insurance company to learn what and how much they’ll cover.
3. Inspect your deck
If you have a deck, this is the time to inspect it for safety issues. Composite decks will last for decades, but wooden decks can deteriorate over time. Inspect all the fasteners, railing, banisters and boards for any points of weakness, and repair any damages before you use it. It’s also a good time to stain and seal wooden decks to enhance their appearance and extend longevity.
4. Make sure your garage is great
Garage doors have many moving parts that can fail over time, and winter snow plus spring weather take a toll. Have a professional inspect your garage for problems. Many companies offer a tune-up service which includes a full inspection and lubricating all moving parts.
5. Clean your gutters
Gutters are a vital part of home maintenance. Leaves and muck that build up in gutters and downspouts can block water flow and damage your roof, foundation, basement and even yard soil! A gutter and downspout cleaning costs $160 on average but is well worth the cost.
6. Repaint your interior
Painting is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to dramatically change the look of a room, and spring is the opportune time to freshen up any space. Painting is also one of the more accessible DIY projects for the homeowner, though a pro can offer advice on what paints to use for the humidity, light and use of the room, ensuring it lasts as long as possible.
7. Prepare for pests
Ants, rodents and other pests will arrive in spring and stick around through the summer. To keep them away, empty trash bins regularly, seal openings around doors and windows, and keep food supplies (including pet food!) in airtight containers. If you already have an insect infestation, call in a professional extermination service. A good pro will both eliminate the pests and take care of the home flaws that originally allowed them in.
8. Get your HVAC serviced
Heating and air conditioning should be serviced twice a year — once before you start A/C and once before you start heating. A twice-annual servicing will lubricate moving parts, ensure smooth usage, improve efficiency and catch small problems before they become big ones.
Tweet your home care questions with #AskAngi and we’ll try to answer them in a future column.
