Your home’s exterior is a major highlight of your home’s overall outlook. As such, it requires constant care and maintenance to bring out the best.
Unfortunately, the ever-changing seasons make maintaining your home’s exterior hard. Winter is an especially trying time. Snow, ice, and wind are very cruel to your home’s exterior.
With winter around the corner, most homeowners are dreading the winter experience. Thankfully, there are a few measures you can take to maintain the exterior of your home
You don’t have to have to spend a lot to protect your home. In fact, protecting your home’s exterior is among the simplest and cheapest home maintenance practices. Read on to find out how you can protect your home’s exterior from seasonal damage.
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What to Do to Protect Your Home’s Exterior from Damage
For most homeowners, their home’s exterior is a great complement to the home’s interior. Together, both the home’s interior and exterior are what make the neighbors jealous.
Compromising on any aspect of your home’s exterior doesn’t always end well. While ushering in the winter season, you should also brace yourself for some exterior damage.
So how do you protect your home from exterior damage? Here are a couple of correct answers to the question.
Trim Trees Before Winter
Trimming trees is not fun, but you have no other option in this case. Most folks have trees surrounding their homes for aesthetic effect. If you’re one of them, then you’ll have to trim them before winter.
Trimming these trees prevents the branches from scraping the exterior of your house. Remember, ice makes the branches brittle and prickly. The branches may leave scratch and scuff marks on your home’s exterior.
As a rule of thumb, when planting trees, consider leaving enough space between the trees and your home. In doing so, it makes it impossible for the branches to reach your house’s exterior.
Ensure Your Gutters are Clean
This point goes without saying, but cleaning your gutters is always a good idea. Plant debris, dust, wind, and other things may clog your gutters. Once your gutter clogs, water may not drain effectively from the roof.
When water accumulates on your roof, it may seep into cracks on the roof. It will then compromise the roof’s structural integrity because of water damage.
Water seepage in the roof leads to a heap of problems. You’ll have to deal with mold, sheathing, rotted frames, and even damaged ceilings.
So next time you want to skip cleaning gutters, you might want to reconsider.
Get a Fresh Paint Coat
Do your whole home a favor and get a new paint coat for your house’s exterior. A fresh paint coat is your house’s armor against harsh weather conditions.
A fresh coat is also a huge boost to the visual appeal of your home. Another coat of paint is an extra protection layer for your house’s exterior. Typical exterior paints are waterproof, resistant to cold temperatures and wind.
You can always settle for impact-resistant coatings for even more protection. These coatings prevent any scraping, denting, or bruising from wind debris or tree branches.
So get yourself a fresh paint coat before winter, it is worth the expense.
Tightly Close All Your Doors and Windows
Pay keen attention to your doors and windows, especially during the winter. Close your doors and windows tightly and make sure the locks secure properly.
Ensure that all the seals close tightly. Look for any cracks in between your window sash and frame. Next, clean and lubricate any moving parts for easier closing and opening.
Check for any indication of moisture accumulation around windows or doors. In case of any accumulation, use a fan to get rid of the excess moisture. Moisture can rot wooden panels and can also lead to the proliferation of fungi.
Check and maintain your window’s weather stripping. Window stripping is prone to wearing out with time. Replace any worn-out stripping and do the same to any window flashing too.
Have Your Drainage on Lock
Always have your drainage away from the foundation. Have your drainage spout at least five feet away from the foundation wall.
For drainage extension, consider using flexible plastic downspouts. They are easy to install, reliable, and inexpensive.
The area around your home shouldn’t slope towards the foundation but away from it. Hire a cut and fill expert to set things right, if your slope is incorrect.
Protect Your Exterior Plumbing
Many houses have exterior plumbing pipes. These pipes are very vulnerable to the winter cold. As such, it is important to take the right measures to protect them.
For exterior pipes, use weather-resistant insulation. Otherwise, the pipes might burst due to the rapid temperature changes. Burst pipes are never good for your home’s exterior look. So save yourself a bundle in repair costs by getting weather-resistant insulation for your pipes.
Also, disconnect any exterior hoses from their faucets. Instead, settle on frost-free hose bibs. Turn off the water immediately if you suspect a frozen pipe. Failure to do so could worsen the situation.
Lastly, at a minimum, your thermostat should be set at 55 degrees during winter. In doing so, you’ll prevent any freezing from occurring in your pipes.
Dealing With Snow Build-Up on the Roof
Snow build-up in the roof is a menace during winter. Have a professional shovel all the snow away during winter.
Also, check on your attic’s insulation. The attic should remain cool while the rest of the house is warm. This insulation ensures the snow on the roof doesn’t melt, thus prevents home water damage.
Let Experts Help You Protect Your Home
Hopefully, you now know how to protect your home from exterior damage. You don’t have to do all the work by yourself. If necessary, you can always hire experts to do the dirty work for you.
Do some of these practices year-round and you’ll have a beautiful exterior throughout. Remember a great looking exterior is essential for a beautiful home.
You must check out our other pieces on home improvements and incredible design ideas for your home.
