At Holmes Custom Renovations we have noticed that with the warmer spring weather and the delightfully blue sky, neighborhoods are looking more lively: kids are playing outside, homeowners have stocked up at the local nursery and are out working on their yards, and lawnmowers can be heard once again.
But along with the greener grass, soft spring breezes, and ample sunshine comes the realization that it’s time to do important repairs on the exterior of your home. The next time you spend some time in the yard, look for some of these common areas that often need attention after a long winter.
Windows
Take a look at all of your windows and see if there are gaps or cracks. Be sure to survey the sides of the house, and other places you don’t go often. Windows that need repair can leak heat during the winter and cold air during the summer (which is an unnecessary burden on your heating and cooling bill) or even worse, cause safety hazards if they are badly damaged or improperly installed.
Siding
While you’re surveying your windows, take note of the condition of your siding. Are there spots where it appears damaged, or do you notice holes made by small critters or especially persistent birds? Critters and birds can be an annoying problem because once a single critter moves in, you’re likely to have more and more until the problem is addressed. Birds living in your walls may seem harmless (although they’re not) but surely no one would argue about other critters that have moved in. Mice, squirrels, or even raccoons can invade holes originally made by birds and then do terrible damage to the interior of your walls. You may find yourself with electrical problems, critters that eventually find their way into your house, or the pungent problem of small animals who die inside your walls. Yuck.
Decking
How has your deck held up during the winter months? You don’t want to invite the neighbors to your first spring or early summer cookout and then find out that your deck needs repair. Do a careful inspection of your deck and look for places that feel “soft” or rotten. How are the stairs and the railing holding up? Does anything appear to be loose or unsafe?
Roof
During the winter months, if you noticed that snow on your roof melted faster in some places than others, heat is leaking through your roof—not good! (Or, if you saw something like this on your neighbor’s roof, let them know.) This isn’t only a problem during the cold season; now that the weather is warming up, the hotter temperatures will bake the shingles on your roof without proper insulation, causing more problems. You may also have places on your roof where ice dams in the gutters have pushed shingles out of place, leaving gaps where water can collect, leading to trouble.
Not sure if it’s time to replace your siding, windows, decking or roof? Let Holmes Custom Renovations provide you with a free estimate for maintenance-free materials that will last for years to come.
- James Hardie Fiber Cement Siding offers a 30-year non-pro-rated warranty when installed by Holmes Custom Renovations, a James Hardie Elite Preferred Partner (www.jameshardie.com)
- Marvin Infinity All-Fiberglass Replacement Windows – provides a Lifetime warranty for frames installed by our Residential/Light Commercial (RLC1) Certified Installation Crew
- Trex Decking – We are a long-time partner with superior Trex Decking, which provides a 25 year Ltd Residential Warranty
- Certainteed Superior Roofing Products – When our Shingle Master Roofers install Certainteed Superior Roofing Products, you get the SureStart 50 Year Protection Plan
Holmes Custom Renovations has an A+ Rating with the BBB – ZERO complaints! With back-to-back Angie’s List Super Service Awards, you know that you can trust your home to Holmes!
Check out our superior reviews and see what customers are saying about us at: http://www.guildquality.com/HolmesCustomRenovations