1-Check Your Gutters
We are in Pacific North West–Seattle!!! Crazy rain, some win, minor snow this year, but Lots of Trees around as always… It is great for the fresh air, and Washington State is rated #1 for the most fresh environment and nature,,, but it comes with a price 🙂 Clocked Gutters, and Maybe Loose Gutter! This is what happened to our Rental in Auburn 🙁
We bought this house in Auburn and rehabbed about 3 years ago. We had new roof and new gutter on, but still couldn’t match the mother nature. We found out after tenant called, after a major rain storm. We had loose gutters in most places. If you experience loose gutter at your house or your Rental, I would recommend have it fixed ASAP. Also, check yours to see that they are secure and clean out the debris.
2-Check Your Roof
Examine your roof (with binoculars if it is steep or you can’t get on it) or hire a roofing company to inspect it. Check your ceilings for leaks and water stains around the house and in the garage. If you can check the attic, it is a great way to detect issue as early as possible. Some houses that we bought did have any sign of leaking or stain, but the water were starting leaking through the nail from the area of failing shingle.
Check if there are missing or damaged shingles and repair/replace as soon as possible. Get your roof cleaned, use moss killer and a brush to loosen the moss, then clean off with a low pressure hose (but never pressure wash your roof as it takes off the granules and shortens the life of your roof). Or you can hire a company to do the roof and gutter clean.
3-Chimney Issue
Inspect the Chimney. Check the flashing around vent pipes and the chimney Check for cracks. If you do use your fireplace, it is a great time to hire a chimney sweep to clean your fireplace as well.
4-Prevent Rodent from the TOP
Trim overgrowth. You’ll want to trim tree branches, shrubs, plants, etc. at least 12″ away from your home. Any home inspector will tell you that trees and plants should not be touching your home. Tree branches overhanging over your roof can be a way that rodents and critters get into your attic. You’ll want to cut them back 5-7 feet. Check the mesh on your soffit vents and bird blocks to see if there is any damage.
5-Exterior Paint
Repair peeling and chipping paint and paint over any exposed areas to prevent wood rot and to keep your siding in good shape. Especially if you have LP siding or Louisiana-Pacific Siding, it is prone to be rotted because of the material and process use. Many homes in PNW were built with LP siding, but LP siding is not designed for this wet climate unfortunately!
6- Foundation
Check Foundation and Crawlspace Vents. Check towards the bottom of your home and make sure the screens are not damaged. A rodent can get through a hole the size of a dime! Yikes! You wouldn’t want them to start building home under yours!
7- Yard
Inspect for yard damage. The low spots in your yard should be filled with compact soil. Check for areas where water is not draining to prevent future foundation issues. If you do have a drainage issue, I recommend my friend from Andy Construction. Fast service and lifetime warranty on drain system. He helped us on our Crawl Space drainage system in one of our rental project. We buy the house in Federal way, where the soil topography is in a low area, thus the water pressure is negative and causing it to collect in the crawl space.
8- Concrete Slab
Check your concrete slab for cracks. Fill cracks with concrete caulk. If weather permits, pressure wash your concrete and seal.
9- Exterior Faucets
Check your exterior faucets for freeze damage. Turn the water on and put your thumb over the hole. If you can stop the water, it may be a sign that the pipe inside the home is damaged and will need to be replaced.
10-AC and Furnace
Get your air conditioner or Furnace serviced so it is ready for the spring and summer. You can hire an HVAC contractor to clean the coils to get it running smoothly.