Do April showers bring May flowers? April storms and downpours can wreak havoc on your home if you’re not prepared. In this article, we’ll take you step-by-step through the process of inspecting your home’s exterior in preparation for spring rains.
Grab a notepad, a small regular-blade screwdriver, and a pair of binoculars and let’s take a walk around the outside of your house.
To start, if you’re comfortable climbing onto the roof, you can inspect the roof and gutters at the same time; otherwise, walk to a spot where you can see one side of the roof. Using your binoculars, scan the roof for missing or loose shingles, loose flashing around skylights and chimneys, etc. Write your observations on your notepad along with the date. Continue around the house until you have covered all sides.
You will need your ladder to climb up to the gutter level, near the downspouts, making sure the gutters are clear. You should take a hose with you and attach it to the downspout making sure the water flows out the bottom of the downspout. If your downspouts are connected to an underground drainage pipe, this can consume a considerable amount of water. Continue around the house until you have inspected each downspout.
Starting at the front door, stand about 10 feet from your home and begin to slowly walk clockwise around your home looking at each window and door frame, and at each point where different materials meet, including the flat ceiling and the impost. Make sure all caulking joints are completely sealed. If you have wooden window frames and you see the paint coming off them, take your screwdriver and push the blade into the wood. If it penetrates more than 1/16″ with medium pressure, you have lost the battle. The wood has absorbed enough water and is beginning to decay that it will no longer hold paint. If you apply paint, the moisture in the wood will not allow the paint to adhere and when the moisture runs off it will push the paint in. Your only option is to call a siding specialist and wrap the wood with aluminum to prevent further degradation.
Be sure to stop to look inside each window to remove anything that could clog the drain at the bottom of the pit. Make sure the screen covering the drain tube is intact. If you find one is missing, pull on the garden hose and run plenty of water through it to make sure it isn’t clogged. A sure way to tell if it is draining properly is, with the hose attached to the window well drain pipe, walk down to the basement and look at the sump pump well. There you should see water running into the well from one of the pipes that run into the well. If the water doesn’t go into the well, you have a blockage and sooner or later it will back up.
You’ll also want to look for ground that has settled over the winter and slopes toward the house. You will need to get away from the house to do this. If you take a straight short ruler or board and hold it at arm’s length in front of the house. Focus on the ruler first to make sure you are keeping it level. Now focus further on the ground that you can see below the ruler. You will be able to easily tell in which direction the ground slopes. You want a positive slope away from the house, to ensure proper drainage.
Take detailed notes of everything you see. When you take this run in the fall, look at your notes from the spring. This will help you see problem areas that may require more attention. Each and every house is different, so take your time to walk around your house. Talk to your neighbors to see what problems they have and what remedies have and have not worked. Remember that a few hours and a couple of dollars spent on preventative maintenance now will save you thousands in repairs or lost value when it comes time to resale.