The house exterior:

Repairing grade conditions next to the house:

 Only a slight irregularity in the ground around your house exterior can cause your foundation to leak from improper water run off. There should be no areas where water can pond up next to the foundation. Holes or uneven ground can allow water to accumulate near the foundation wall causing water to run down the foundation wall and into your basement or crawl space. You may be surprised at what you may find by just walking around your yard looking at your house. You may find a downspout extension missing or crushed, holes near the foundation, or a rain gutter coming away from the house. Early discovery can save you time and money in repairing basement leaks. If your dog has been digging alongside the house, creating large holes, now's the time to make the correction not when water starts to pour into your basement or crawl space. Water is the enemy. Like air, water takes the path of least resistance's through your basement walls! If these conditions exist, they should be repaired.

Tools: Shovel, rake, leather work gloves, fill dirt or top soil.

Fill in holes and uneven ground alongside the house foundation with fill dirt or topsoil. Level the ground so water now moves away from the house. Pay special attention to areas at corners or walls where downspouts dump water.

Trim trees and shrubs back from the house and roof:

Trees and shrubs laying against the house or touching the roof is one of the main causes of insect intrusion and water damage to a house. Tree branches laying on the roof or against the house can trap water, ice, or snow in these areas allowing water infiltration into the house or creating areas where insects can breed and enter the house. Trees branches and shrubs that lay against or grow up against the house or are touching the roof should be trimmed back. This condition can cause insect intrusion, and water damage to the house. When tree branches lay against the roof or overly shade the roof it allows for premature shingle and roof wear. When these branches become laden with ice and snow, the movement during windy conditions can damage the roof. Overly shady conditions from trees doesn't allow the roof to dry out properly. This allows for the growth of moss and limits the life of the roof shingles and decking.

Tools: Ladder (5 or 6 foot step ladder or extension ladder), work gloves, safety glasses, Hedge shears, lopping shears, 12 to 14 foot pole trees pruner (that extends)

Using hedge and/or lopping shears trim all shrubs and tree branches back approximately 6 to 12 inches from the house. Trim back all tree branches approximately 3 to 4 feet from the roof. No tree branches or shrubs should ever be allowed to touch the house or roof. You may have to use an extended tree pruner. This type of pruner allows you to extend a pole for cutting high branches you can't reach with a ladder (tree pruners can be rented).

Gutters and downspouts:

By simply cleaning your rain gutters you can easily eliminate a number of water leaks and damage to the bottom of your roof, fasia board and overhangs. Check your gutters and downspouts, Are they clean, secured to the building and properly pitched? Do all the downspouts have the proper extensions (to take the water away from the house foundation)? The bottom line is that you want the rainwater from the roof to flow down the roof, into the gutters, down the downspout, out through the extension, away from the house as fast and efficiently as possible. Water that sits in clogged gutters, especially during the winter, will overflow causing damage to overhangs and roof decking. Ice damming can develop causing further water damage to the roof shingles, attic, and inside ceilings. Gutters should be cleaned twice a year. If you are not able to do this, then at least clean them every autumn after the leaves have fallen from the trees and before the snow and freezing rains develop.

Cleaning gutters and downspouts:

Tools: Ladder (5 or 6 foot step ladder or extension ladder), rubber work gloves, Garden  hose with sprayer nozzle, old rags, metal coat hanger (The best kind of sprayer nozzle is the straight style that can be shoved down the downspout).

Cleaning your gutters should be handed with care. Your work will require you to work from a ladder or from the roof. If you are inclined to do the work yourself, then use care in using a ladder. A 5 or 6 foot step ladder or extension ladder will work in most cases. You may be able to clean the first floor gutters yourself. However a two or three story house is a different story. If this is the case and you have a problem with heights have someone else clean these gutters for you, a contractor from your contractor list.

Due to the design of gutters, leaves and branches can accumulate. This debris needs to be removed. First, from a ladder remove as much of the leaves and branches as you can. Then at the high end of the gutter (the end farthest from the downspout) spray the debris towards the downspout. Gutters are pitched as part of installation so all water runs down towards the downspout. You may have to unclog the downspout hole from time to time. If you unfortunately waited until winter to do this task never use a sharp object such as an ice pick to break up ice in the gutter. This will dent and punch holes in the gutter. When spring comes you will wish you hadn't!

If the downspout becomes clogged try to use the full force spray of the garden hose to  break up the block. You may need to insert the hose with a high-pressure straight nozzle from the bottom and feed it upwards. If this does not work use a coat hanger. Bend it straight and insert it from the top or bottom of the downspout.

Reattaching downspouts:

Tools and Materials: Ladder (5 or 6 foot step ladder or extension ladder), Leather work gloves, rivet gun (pop rivet tool kit). (rivet guns are fairly inexpensive and easy to operate. Hardware personnel can help you with purchase and show you how they operate.

At times the downspout may become detached or even fall off from the gutters. This will allow the water to pour down along your foundation which could allow water to enter the house along the foundation walls. You should at different times of the year, go out and reattach these downspouts. The extension pipes should take the water 2 to 3 feet away from the house. Sometimes the elbow and extension may need to be reattached using a rivet gun.

Installing splash blocks:

Materials: Splash blocks come in concrete, plastic or fiberglass. They can be purchased from a hardware store or landscape nursery.

You should place the splash block at the end of the extension pipe where it comes in contact with the ground. The splash block should allow the water (during a hard rain) to splash onto the ground. Without these splash blocks water can come out of the extension pipe at such a force it could cut holes damaging the lawn or flower beds.

Maintaining wood decks:

Exterior decks made of pressure treated wood, cedar, redwood, and mahogany do need general maintenance to preserve the decks finish. Clear sealer finishes, when applied to decks, will require reapplication every one to two years. Pigmented finishes will require reapplication every two to four years.

Washing the Deck and Applying Sealer finish: Tools and Materials: Latex gloves or rubber gloves, wear old clothing, garden spray (canister style), brush or roller and roller pan Possible tools and Materials: Deck wash, power washer

Using water and detergent scrub the deck surface, rails and steps. There are also commercial deck washes on the market you can also use. However, some of these deck washes contain bleach and are not meant for painted or pigmented finished surfaces. Using detergent and water is the best way to clean a painted or pigmented finished deck. After the washing is complete then rinse the deck areas thoroughly. You could also, as an alternative rent a power washer and power wash the deck. Use caution when using a power washer. The spray is powerful and could damage the deck or injure you. It’s advisable if you are using a power washer, that you are fully dressed with covered shoes. The power of the spray can cut skin and cause major injury. Do not allow the washer too spray to long in one spot this could damage the wood. The power washer should be set to approximately 1200 to 1500 psi. Also make sure you rent the proper sprayer nozzle for washing wood decks. It is recommended that cedar decks not be power washed. The spray could damage the wood. After the deck is washed, allow the deck to thoroughly dry 24 to 48 hours before applying any sealer finish. The sealer can be applied either with a garden style spray, brush or roller.

Maintaining the garage vehicle door:

If you have a garage you will need to periodically lubricate the overhead vehicle door or doors. Basically, there are three types of garage doors. The side hinged door, swing-up door, and roll-up door. If you have a swing-up or roll-up door you could also have a remote controlled automatic garage door opener. No matter what type of door you have these door need to lubricated. The daily opening and closing puts stress on door hardware. Maintenance throughout the year will help reduces failure and repairs.

Lubricating the garage door: Tools and Materials: Latex gloves, old rags, ladder, wear old clothing, a can or tube of multi-purpose grease, popsicle stick and light weight lubricating oil (WD-40 spray).

All rollers, springs and hinges should be lubricated. If you have side hinged doors you should lubricate the hinges using a light weight oil like WD-40 spray. Spray the hinges at least twice a year. If you have a swing-up or roll-up door you should lubricate the side rail rollers individually with multi-purpose grease. Using a popsicle stick spread small amounts of multi-purpose grease on each roller in the side track. This should be done at least twice a year. If you have a roll-up sectional door you will have a spring counterbalances above the door on the inside. These springs should be lubricated with a light weight oil like WD-40 at least four times a year. This can be done by spraying WD-40 directly on the spring. If your garage door has an automatic door opener you should also lubricate the chain or cable track that pulls the door open and closed. Using a popsicle stick spread small amounts of multi-purpose grease in the track. You may need to use a ladder to get to some of this hardware.

Repairing cracks in sidewalks and driveways:

Concrete driveways and sidewalks are hard surfaces exposed to all types of adverse conditions such as the weight of heavy vehicles, ground water, extreme heat from the sun, and freezing and frost conditions. The result of these conditions over time can create movement in the form of cracks. Either cracks along control joints or cracks running in all directions. As water enters these cracks during the winter and early spring months the action of freezing and thawing can work away at the edges of the cracks causing the cracks to widen and the concrete to crumble. These conditions have to be repaired to maintain the life of the drive or walkway. A way to do this is to properly fill the cracks using an elastomeric polymer. Tools and Materials: Rubber gloves, old rags, wear old clothing (especially long pants), flat head screw driver or chisel, broom, putty knife, self leveling concrete joint fillers (10 oz cartridge) or joint filler in the bottle and a caulking gun. (I prefer the cartridge joint filler used with a caulking gun). Make sure the joint filler is the self leveling polymer type. Also make sure to clean all tools when finished. Always read the manufactures instructions on the side panel of the cartridge or bottle before using. Using a screwdriver or chisel rake out all the loose debris such as pieces of concrete, dirt, grass and stones before applying sealer. After these areas are cleaned out use the broom and sweep away all debris. Put the joint filler cartridge in the caulking gun. Remember this is the same size cartridge as is the exterior house caulk. The caulking tubes are the same size. Clip the nozzle of the cartridge about 1/2 inch to 1 inch from the tip. Now fill the crack using a even flow of pressure on the caulking gun trigger. If you over fill cracks you will have to smooth out these areas using a putty knife. If the cracks are large you may need to purchase joint filler in a bottle and pour it in the cracks. As the filler cures it will self level however you may need to smooth out high areas and wipe away excess filler from some surfaces. Inspect your driveway and sidewalks every year and do these repairs as needed. Most manufacturers suggest that joint fillers be applied only between the temperatures of 40 degrees and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roof: How is your roof holding up?

If your house sits in the woods, the roof could have a shorter life than if it was located in an open area because of the lack of air circulation. You don’t need to get up on a roof to inspect it. You can easily inspect your roof visually from the ground. All you need is a good pair of binoculars. The standard asphalt and fiberglass shingled roof lasts approximately 15 to 25 years. Signs of age and fatigue are "curling" of the shingles, small hairline cracks, corners broken off, missing pieces and patched areas. Keep in mind that the bottom two feet of the roof (the area near the overhangs) is the area that usually shows most wear and is the easiest to observe. Be sure to look up in your attic to see if there is any evidence of recent leaking around the roof penetrations (chimneys, plumbing stacks, vents, etc.) These penetrations are usually the first areas to fail. If you start noticing "curling", small hairline cracks, broken corners you are probably in need of a roof replacement. call a contractor from your contractor list. Below I have listed some considerations if you are about to have your roof replaced. 1. Try to avoid having a roof installed during the winter months. The roof surface temperature, from the suns heat, needs to be high enough to seal the shingle tabs. The longer it takes for these tabs to seal the more vulnerable the roof is to high wind and storm damage. 2. If you have two layers of shingles on your house never allow a contractor to install a third layer. Even though some community codes allow it I do not recommend it. Three shingles adds to much weight to the roof structure. 3. If you have two or three layers on your roof and you are due for a roof replacement a complete tear off down to the decking will be required. This is approximately twice the cost of a simple re-roof. 4. Make sure the contractor replaces all the flashing, drip edge and vents with new on a complete tear off installation. 4. If you have a flat roof that needs replacing make sure you have an architect or independent builder design the roof for you. A professional will know the best design for proper water movement off the flat areas.