Prepare your home for the spring rains

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 will guide you step by step through the process of inspecting the exterior of your home in preparation for the spring showers.

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.

For starters, 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. With 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 gutter level, near the downspouts, making sure the gutters are clear. You should take a hose with you and place it in the downspout making sure that the water flows out the bottom of the downspout. If your downspouts are connected to an underground drainage pipe, this can use up 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 house and start walking slowly clockwise around your house looking at each window and door frame, and each point where different materials meet, including the ceiling and the fascia. Make sure all caulking joints are completely sealed. If you have wood window frames and you see paint peeling 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 decompose and will no longer hold the paint. If you apply paint, the moisture in the wood will not allow the paint to adhere and when the moisture drains it will push the paint in. Your only option is to call a coatings specialist and wrap the wood in foil to prevent further degradation.

Be sure to stop to look inside each window and remove anything that could clog the drain at the bottom of the pit. Make sure the grid covering the drain tube is intact. If you find one is missing, pull out the garden hose and run a lot of water through it to make sure it’s not clogged. A sure way to tell if it’s 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 lead into the well. If the water does not enter the well, it has a blockage and sooner or later it will accumulate.

You’ll also want to look for land that has settled over the winter and is sloping toward the house. You will have to move away from the house to do this. If you take a short straight ruler or board and hold it at arm’s length in front of the house. Focus on the ruler first to make sure you’re 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 do this walk 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 walking through 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 loss of value when it comes time to resell.