Spring and summer exterior maintenance tips:

For a large number of us our home is our greatest personal asset.   This is why it is so important to do yearly exterior home maintenance.  If maintenance and repairs are done on a regular basis, then these tasks won’t seem so overwhelming.   What I have listed below are some of what I feel are the most important exterior maintenance chores you should do around the home on a regular basis.    As you get a handle on these you can then add more.  Probably the most important exterior maintenance chore is cleaning rain gutters.    A frozen bed of leaves left to sit in clogged gutters can help to develop a condition called ice damming.   Ice damming allows water to damage roof decking, the fascia board, the attic, and interior ceilings.  It is also important to reattach downspouts and extensions.  A detached downspout can allow water to pour down along your foundation wall which could then infiltrate into the basement or crawl space.   Tree branches should not be allowed to lay against the roof or overly shade the roof.   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.  Tree branches and shrubs should be cut back approximately four feet from the roof and approximately one foot from the house.  Caulking the exterior of the home is also important.     Since there are paintable and non paintable caulks you will need to determine now whether you will ever need to paint that caulked surface.  If you use a 100% silicone caulk you most likely will not be able to paint over it.   This could be a real problem especially if you want to paint around doors and window trim.  If you want to use an acrylic latex caulk, which is paintable, make sure it is "mildew resistant".    It’s important to caulk cracks especially where two different building materials meet.  Exterior decks made of pressure treated wood, cedar or redwood,  do need general maintenance to preserve the wood.   Clear sealer finishes, when applied to decks, will require reapplication every one to two years.   Its important however that the deck is power washed or scrubbed using a mild detergent or deck wash.   It’s not recommended that cedar deck be power washed.  Another area of maintenance is repairing cracks in concrete driveways and sidewalks.  These 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 creates 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.    A way to properly fill these cracks is to use a elastomeric polymer joint filler.     Using a screwdriver or chisel rake out all the loose debris such as pieces of concrete, After these areas are cleaned  apply joint filler.    Its also important to check the condition of brick mortar especially around the front porch and garage where exposure to ice, snow and salt can allow the mortar over time to become soft and fall out.   Make sure that when you do repoint the brick that you do it during the warmest part of the day.   Cold temperatures retard the hydration of the cement in the mortar mix.    The spring is also a good time to Inspect all exterior lighting, photocell and motion light fixtures to make sure they are operational.   Replace light bulbs and even the fixtures if required.