Every home will need a little tender loving care from time to time. It doesn’t matter how old or young the house is, or how well made it was during the construction - you’ll need to repaint, sand down, and put up new shelving at some point!
The exterior of your home is going to need the most attention. Sure, this is the strongest part of the house and beats back the weather every single day, but you’ll need to maintain it on a regular basis all year round.
However, if it’s been a little while since you last considered the state the roof was in, now’s the time to get outside and investigate the signs it has to show you! While you’re out there, make sure you keep an eye out for all of the signs below, as they’ll be the first to show up and let you know something might be going wrong.
Weeds Between the Pavement
If weeds have erupted out from the pavement, growing up between the space between the slabs or through the gravel that covers your drive, it’s a sign there’s something going wrong with your ground prep. Of course, one or two weeds is OK, and all you need to do is pull them out. However, if it seems there’s a bit of a weed epidemic going on outside your house, take some time to investigate.
There could be gaps in the tarp you’ve laid down, there could be a soil issue beneath any paving slabs, and you could need a bit more mulch out there to keep the soil in a healthy stasis. If you have a tarmac drive and weeds have sprouted out of that, pull the weeds out and then buy a tarmac restoration product to seal the material off again.
Cracked Siding
Most houses have a siding of some kind, whether it’s brick, stone, wood, or vinyl. Siding is the main bulk of your home’s defense against the weather, and fixing it onto a house also improves the appearance of the messy, more structural underlayers. Affixing it kills two birds with one stone!
That’s why, if you notice cracks in the siding, or there’s missing parts that have broken off, you need to call in the experts! Refined Exteriors and other such exterior contractors can have new siding cut, prepared, and fitted in a matter of hours, and your house will be all the better for it. You might even notice that the interior temperature doesn’t fluctuate as much with the new siding in place!
Mold on the Window Panes
Mold is never a nice thing to see. It’s certainly not nice to have signs of it on the outside of the house, as this is where all of your curb appeal is.
Window panes are most likely to fall prey to mold, as they tend to be made of wood, or be the one part of the house that experiences both warm and cold temperature in rapid succession. When you open a window, the interior temp has to mingle with the exterior temp in that one place, and that can lead to a moisture build up!
Fading or Flaking Paint
Most houses get painted, whether this is just in some areas or across the entire exterior. Head outside right now and do a little inspection of this paint job. Is it fading and/or flaking in any areas? Then it’s time to get the paintbrush and can back out and top up the coloring!
Fading paint is standard, thanks to elements like sun exposure and the wind throwing grainy debris at the house and essentially sanding the paint off. If the paint is flaking, it could be a sign that water has gotten into the structure and is starting to cause trouble.
Combine this with clear signs of water stains and you might need to get your home resealed or better insulated!
Water Stains
Speaking of water stains, make sure there’s no visible water damage around the exterior of your home. Water stains tend to be quite noticeable; they’re dark, often misshapen, and come with related issues like mold growth and rot. If you see signs of dampness, there could be a lot of work ahead of you, as there are quite a few issues potentially at the root of it!
The first thing to check is the structural integrity of the whole house. Are there any cracks anywhere, whether in the exterior siding, the roof, or in interior walls? This could be where the water is getting in and causing trouble.
However, you should also check out how robust your exterior drainage is - if the guttering isn’t drawing the rain away, it could be getting stuck and forcing its way into your home.
The Front Door Sticks
A sticking front door could be a sign the frame needs tightening up, or that the hinges on the door need replacing. It could even be a sign that there’s something wrong with the foundation. That’s information you need to know ASAP!
Indeed, the whole house could have shifted and now the door and its frame doesn’t quite fit anymore - but don’t worry, that’s a worst case scenario! Only consider this if fixes for the other problems we mentioned don’t work and the issue comes back.
Similarly, if you live in an area that’s prone to freezing temperatures, your front door might expand after beating back cold and rainy weather. Taking on water and then freezing causes expansion, and could even lead to parts of the door breaking off if the issue isn’t addressed.
A home’s exterior needs the most TLC out of any area in the house. Head out there once a month and take stock of the cracks that are showing. If you see something, take care of it! When the signs above start to show, and you leave the work until later, you could end up dealing with a huge and expensive repair project!
