12 tips for home maintenance during the summer
“When it arrives to property upkeep, the adage ‘An ounce of prevention is worthy of a pound of cure’ is significantly suitable,” wrote John Campitell in an electronic mail. Campitell is production manager for InSite Builders & Transforming in Bethesda, Md. “In the summertime, it is primarily significant for a dwelling upkeep prepare to emphasize exterior products. With friendlier temperature and warmer temperatures, a good deal can be noticed, and a great deal can be achieved that will set up your residence properly for the rest of the 12 months,” he said.
We asked Campitell and George Noble for summer season servicing ideas. Noble is effective in organization progress for WilderWorks, a property renovation division of Anthony Wilder Architecture in Cabin John, Md. Equally responded via electronic mail. The subsequent was edited for duration and clarity.
Summer time maintenance checklist:
1. Cleanse or exchange filters and grills. Swap furnace filters, thoroughly clean return air grills, kitchen hood vents, and so forth. Items these types of as these ought to be accomplished on a quarterly basis. Replacing and/or cleaning filters retains machines working at optimum performance and move although stopping stress to the place of failure, Campitell wrote.
2. Have your roof inspected. If your roof is additional than 10 decades old, it’s time to have it checked for destruction, Noble wrote.
3. Change doorways and tighten free handles. Temperatures and humidity impact the operation of doors and handles, Campitell wrote. In the summer time, moisture and humidity can induce doors and handles to increase and adhere, and, in the winter, drier and colder circumstances result in doors and handles to shrink and loosen.
4. Look at your home windows, screens, storm home windows and doors. Make certain they near and seal appropriately, Noble wrote.
5. Examine showers and tubs, and substitute caulking if needed. Inspecting showers and tubs and replacing broken or missing caulk helps prevent water from seeping into walls the place it remains hidden right up until h2o harm has taken maintain. A $6.95 caulk substitution is preferable to a $695 mend for dampness hurt at the rear of walls, Campitell wrote.
6. Examine your landscape. Make certain trees and shrubbery are not rubbing or touching the roof or sides of your household, for the reason that they could cause problems for the duration of a storm, Noble wrote.
7. Do an exterior visual inspection. Seem for any challenges necessary to be corrected just before slide year, Campitell wrote. “When weather conditions ailments are favorable, it is easier to examine for challenges with decks, roofs, gutters, mortar or basis cracks, and the hotter temperatures are also favorable for making the repairs,” he wrote. “In chilly weather conditions elements like roof shingles can become brittle.”
8. Inspect gutters and downspouts. Make guaranteed they are distinct of particles and are secure and drain effectively include gutter guards or screens to help keep particles out, Noble wrote.
9. Check the quality all-around your residence. Make certain the ground is sloped absent from your property and downspouts move absent from your foundation to avoid drinking water from seeping into your residence, Noble wrote.
10. Do a safety inspection. Clean out your dryer vent, look at your washing device hoses, check out fire extinguishers and your bathroom source line, which are crucial checklist goods from a protection issue of watch. “Washing device hoses are beneath considerable tension all the time,” Campitell wrote. “If they are previous and need to have to be changed, a basic inspection can stop a main h2o/home flooding circumstance.”
11. Verify out your attic. Inspect and increase attic insulation, Noble wrote. “It must be R-38 or improved in this location,” he wrote. “Make absolutely sure your attic is effectively ventilated it will prolong the existence of your shingles and lower attic warmth and moisture.”
12. Take into consideration stress washing. Pollen, grime and environmental components take a toll on the exterior of a property, Campitell wrote. Strain washing siding, windows, masonry, walkways, brick and flagstone patios stops environmental substances from breaking down mortar, paint, seals, joints, which protect a home from moisture leaks.
