With the warmer weather in Kansas City, it’s a perfect time to preparing your home for spring. You can prepare your home for spring and enjoy the weather at the same time. The following recommendations are easy for a home owner to do themselves. If you don’t feel comfortable checking or cleaning the following items, call a licensed and insured contractor to have them check and repair your home.
Outside
I recommend starting with checking the roof’s condition. Check for loose shingles or any damage to the roof. If you find damage, it may be possible to make an insurance claim to help in the repair cost. Secondly, look at the gutter’s stability and clean the gutters out. You want to eliminate any chance for loose gutters to damage the home in the spring storms. Lastly, inspect the chimney and have it cleaned and ready for next winter.
Speaking of the chimney, remember to move all firewood away from the home. Firewood should be stored at least 18 inches off the ground at least 2 feet from the structure. Check the outside faucets for any leaks. Walk around the home and look at the siding. Replace any damaged or rotting siding. You may consider having the siding painted. If you have vinyl siding, this would be a good time to power wash the siding. Also, check your foundation for cracks. If you check this annually, you can seal the foundation and prevent a larger cost later in major foundation repair.
If you have a deck look for loose boards, nails or screws that need replacing and damaged decking material. You may consider power washing your deck and re-stain it at this time. This would be a good time to give your deck a facelift and replace the decking material or add a covered porch.
Let’s not forget to look at the windows and doors of your home. The caulking should not be cracked, loose or worn. This can lead to water rot around those areas. This is a simple fix to insure the health of your home. It will also help with your heating and cooling cost.
Inside
Technically the air condition unit is outside, but it would be beneficial to check the inside vents as well. Have a qualified heating and cooling contractor clean and service the outside unit. Clean coils operate more efficiently. An annual service call will keep the system working economically, as will change interior filters on a regular basis.
Clean and vacuum out all air vents in the home to insure clean air and less dust in the home. Change the batteries on your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detectors.
If you are considering painting interior walls, spring is the perfect time to do this. You can open the windows while letting fresh air in the home.
Annual home inspections can save you from costly repairs in the future. We recommend bi annual checks of the interior and exterior of the home. If you would like CH Construction to help you with any handyman services or home improvements please contact Brandt, the owner, to schedule an appointment.
