Spring Home Maintenance Checklist

When spring comes to your home, it’s not just spring cleaning time. There is a good chance that more than just dust has accumulated over the winter.

Checks these areas of your home during the spring to ensure that winter didn’t cause any serious issues to your home.

1. Check Roof and Foundation

Visually inspect how your roof and foundation are looking after the winter stress. If you see shingles that are cracked, missing, shifting, or if there is debris caught between them, you may need professionals like Minnesota Home Improvements to replace shingles or inspect for larger problems. If you see any cracks in the foundation, you will need torepair them and check for underlying problems.

1. Clean Out and Inspect Gutters and Downspouts

You may feel like you were just here in the fall, but yes, cleaning out spring debris from your gutters is important. It gives you a chance to inspect for any drainage problems. You can run water through a hose to make sure there are no leaks (or wait for a rain). Orconsider a gutter guard system that keeps the debris out year-round. Also, make sure your downspouts are free of debris and draining well away from the home and foundation.

1. Trim Branches and Overgrowth

Before the leaves fill in and before the summer storms start racing through, trim back tree branches so that they’re 5 to 7 feet away from the home and make sure any dead branches are removed before a hard wind takes it down on its own.

1. In the Basement

Check for dampness in your basement, mold, cracks in the walls, and evidence of pests like mice, ants, or termites. If you don’t spend a lot of time in your basement, take a good look with a flashlight so that any small issues don’t grow into bigger, costlier problems.

1. Window Screens

It’s a happy day when the window and door screens come back out because it means nice weather and fresh air in your home. Before enjoying the warm breezes of spring, take a moment to not only clean them off, butinspect for rips, holes, or warping.

1. Decks and Porches

Now that the snow is melting, how did your wood decking take the beating? You’re looking for chipping paint, warping wood, mold, loose nails, or wood deterioration.Decking should be power washed every year andtreated every 4-6 years.

1. Lawn Furniture

Could the day the lawn chairs get uncovered be even better than the day the screens come back on the windows? While you’re cleaning off patio furniture, check for rust, chipping paint, and make sure all pieces are intact.

For any remodeling or structural home repair jobs, contact Minnesota Home Improvements to get on our spring schedule and plan on enjoying your home with peace of mind!