Are you ready for winter?  Before the weather gets rough and the rainy season comes to The Bay Area, take a few hours and do an exterior inspection of your home.  We live in the Oakland area and use the same renovation contractor in Oakland each year to perform a fall inspection and to make improvements to our home.

At times the weather can greatly affect the state of your home. During winter seasons, you can carry out several things to protect your home’s exterior from the worst that winter can throw at you. You should inspect roofing, rain gutters and exterior siding before winter’s rage arrives. This will ensure that your house is in good condition after the winter.

During harsh winters, rain gutters will get damaged if not properly maintained. Cleaning out the downspouts and gutters will let melting ice and snow to egress your gutter efficiently preventing overflows that can damage wood siding and decks or cause undue water to accumulate around foundations. You should water test the downspouts to ensure that they are efficiently draining. Unclear downspouts will cause your clean gutters to clog up quickly. If you own a metal roof, ensure its gutter is fastened properly to protect against ice sheets and snow that may secede from the roof to tear the gutter away from the portico board. Leaf protections including Gutter Rx or Leaf-X can shield your gutter against snow damage, since they keep the gutters clean.

Cement, Wood fibre, and composite sidings are susceptible to warping or flouring due to excessive build up of water. In case you have any of these sidings, inspect the lower siding pieces on sections above doors and windows, and walls, looking for warping or softness in the material. If you notice softness or warping, replace the boards instantly and liberally. Do not let the problem spread to other regions as this can cause a disastrous failure of the material. Lastly ensure that any material replaced is painted and sealed properly before winter strikes.

Taking a number of precautions with your roof will stop the looming danger during winter. It is very difficult to repair a leaking roof during harsh winter weather. It is recommended that you inspect the flashing around the chimneys, older skylights, and walling and roofing contact areas. These are potential areas prone to problems. Old roofs that appear to be in better shape should be resealed in some parts to extend its life. Besides, the fall is a better opportunity to clean debris from valleys and pine needles that can avert proper drainage and cause leaks.

The fall is the best time to perform an exterior inspection of your home before winter comes.  Do it while the weather is nice and before a heavy rainy season causes issues with your home.…