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Spring Has Sprung

Yes, my friends, spring has sprung and it’s time for you to spring into action. Winter is gone and you can step outside and see what you’ve been missing for the past few months. As the days grow longer and warmer, it’s time to attack the outside of your home and bring it to life once again.

First, be sure to check a few items:

Starting on the exterior of your home, look at your:

●     EXTERIOR WALLS – No matter what type of material you have, look for trouble spots, especially under eaves and near gutter downspouts. Water stains normally indicate that your gutters are not adequately containing roof runoff. Keep an eye out for damaged areas around the outside of your home.

●     FOUNDATION – Check for cracks all the way around. If you do find any, it’s best to call in a specialist, as this is not a DIY fix with regular caulking.

●     DRIVEWAY & WALKWAYS – Another area to look for cracks due to freezing and thawing. While some materials may be patched, others, like concrete, may have to be totally replaced.

●     ROOF – Take a look for missing, cracked or shifted shingles where the fasteners may have come apart and need to be replaced. A good street level visual observation should keep you from climbing up onto the roof.

●     CHIMNEY – Once again, look for cracks and for missing joints between the brick or stones. Missing pieces indicates moisture penetration, and just like your driveway and walkways, freezing and thawing have taken their toll. If you notice any white calcium-like deposits on your chimney materials, once again water has caused its damage and the masonry joints are now absorbing it.

●     WINDOWS – Check that the caulking and weather stripping is all intact. Any “leakage areas” that can let the cool air out and the warm air in will not make for a pleasurable summer, or electric bill.

●     AIR CONDITIONING – Remove any covering you have placed over it for protection from the winter weather. If left uncovered, check for leaves, twigs and other debris that may have gotten onto it. Call a reputable HVAC company to do a pre-season check up on your system.

●     SPRINKLER SYSTEM – Hopefully you “blew out” the lines last fall to remove any water left in the system. If not, the freezing and thawing of that water may have cracked your pipes. Check your system zone by zone, for pressure, broken or non working sprinkler heads and adjust all the heads to make sure of proper coverage of your property.

●     GUTTERS & DOWNSPOUTS – Here’s where it just gets down to work, rather than just inspecting. Clean your gutters and downspouts, so rainwater can easily flow off of the roof and away from your home and not pour over the eaves creating possible wood rot.

Once you have completed all of the above, it’s time to spruce up your exterior with a fresh coat of paint, seal the blacktop on your driveway, plant new bushes, fertilize the lawn, open the pool and firing up the grill for the first time to enjoying your summer knowing that you have taken care of your home in the best way possible.

Feel free to call Executive Craftsman for a free estimate on painting and/or exterior repairs to your home this spring.

You can call us at 203-324-6383 or email us at [email protected].

www.ExecutiveCraftsman.com

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