Preparing Your Home for Spring in the PNW...
Although Portland, Oregon doesn’t often get as much snow as other parts of the Northern United States, the advent of spring and reprieve from the cold is still a very special time of year. Spring in the Pacific Northwest brings an unparalleled beauty and the world outside begins buzzing with the promises of abundant sunshine. However, we can’t forget the home maintenance that comes at the beginning of the warm season when the cold fades. Being prudent about this work not only ensures you’ll spot any repairs that have become necessary during the winter, it will make sure your house is ready for the hot summer months as well. This blog isn’t an exhaustive list and each home will have unique post-winter needs, but here are a few things to think about:
Spring Home Maintenance Items:
Check for damage that occurred during the winter. There may be damage from snow, ice, and debris on the roof, gutters, siding, and/or windows. Finding and repairing or re-sealing these places showing damage will mitigate water intrusion and pest and wild animal issues that can become especially prevalent during the hotter months. Another important area to inspect for damage is the crawlspace, where an animal could potentially have made a home over the winter. Check for signs of damage or occupancy and call a professional to ethically remove the animal as well as repair any damages.
Check for loose nails or damage on your wooden deck and/or fence. Do these areas need to be freshly stained and sealed? Regular staining and sealing can not only keep your deck looking great, it can prolong the life of the wood. Keep in mind, staining and sealing these items needs to wait until the weather has gotten hotter and drier. Now is the time to inspect the damage and make a plan.
Inspect your concrete or masonry patios for damage as well. These surfaces are porous and are capable of incurring water damage just like wood is. To avoid the growth of moss and lichen, make a plan to seal these areas when the weather gets warmer, too. This will prevent cracks and extend the lifetime of these materials.
Walk around your home and check out the condition the exterior paint is in. If it’s blistering or cracking, now is the time to make a plan to consult an exterior contractor. It’s important to note that for jobs like exterior painting and other outside work mentioned in this blog, summer is by far the busiest season to book. To secure the work in time for this summer, now is the time to call your contractor.
It’s also a great time to clean debris from the roof and the gutters that’s collected throughout the cool seasons. Although it costs money to hire a professional to do this, if you’re even the slightest bit uncomfortable up on a ladder or don’t have a friend that can stay at the bottom for safety, the potential risk could make it worth leaving it to the pros. For roof cleaning, we don’t recommend going further than you can reach from your ladder without a professional. Without correct training, serious damage can be done from walking around on certain types of roofing. Hiring a professional can ensure your roof is treated with care and methods are utilized that don’t lessen the life of the materials. A clean roof and clean gutters ensure that your home is adequately prepared to handle the inevitable upcoming rain in the Pacific Northwest. It also illuminates any problem areas that may have previously been covered up.
Change your furnace air filters regularly. Your air filter should ideally be changed at least once per season, so now is a great time to replace them. If you live in a part of the country that experiences wildfires in the summer, now is a good idea to buy extra filters that fit your home’s specifications. When wildfires strike, air filters often become a hard-to-find item, so don’t hoard them, but keep a few on hand to make sure you have enough to keep your home’s air clean in a poor air quality event like a fire.
This task isn’t restricted to any time of year, but “spring cleaning” time is a great opportunity to ensure that your smoke and CO (Carbon Monoxide) detectors are in working order. This is imperative in making sure your home is the safest place it can be. Just a reminder: while this is an extremely important safety measure for your own home, it’s required that you have working smoke and CO detectors in any properties you’re renting.
Store outdoor items responsibly. There are certain weather events in the Pacific Northwest that can cause extreme winds with little notice. This can cause outdoor items that aren’t properly weighed down to become airborne and cause significant damage to your home, your neighbor’s home, and the outdoor items themselves. Make sure things that are easy to tip over are protected or weighed down, and it’s not a bad idea to store small items like chair cushions and camping chairs in an outdoor storage until you’re ready to use them.
Have an arborist assess trees around the home. Make sure there aren’t any trees the professional sees becoming a potential issue in the event of a fire or a loose branch becoming dislodged and potentially causing harm to the people, structures, or power lines around them.
We’re giving you this article at the end of the winter because we still have a few rainy days left in the PNW. This is a crucial time to check out the landscaping around your home. Your downspouts should either lead water 6 ft. away from the home or into a downspout. If you do have downspouts, make sure no water is bubbling up from them as this could mean there’s an obstruction. It’s important to note any areas of water pooling in the yard during a storm, as these will need to be re-graded to keep water moving away from the house.
Now that you have your checklist, it’s time to get to work so when the sun is out for good, you can kick back, pour yourself a glass of Oregon wine, sit on your freshly stained deck, and enjoy.
How can Olson & Jones Construction help make your home the best place for you to spend the summer? Contact us.
