Home inspections in Utah; Salt Lake City, Murray, Midvale, Sandy, Draper, Herriman, Riverton, South Jordan, West Jordan, Magna, Bountiful -Spring-Tuneup
April 14, 2011
Your home’s spring tuneup essentials
While you’re washing windows and organizing closets, don’t forget to give your home a maintenance walk-through and take a few steps to keep it running smoothly and efficiently.
By Leah L. Culler of MSN Real Estate
Click to enlarge pictureAs the weather warms and flowers start blooming, some homeowners are prepping their spring-cleaning checklists. And even if you don’t plan to scrub every nook and cranny in your home, there are some springtime tasks you shouldn’t skip.
”Houses don’t last when people don’t take care of the obvious, and a small problem becomes a big problem,” says David Lupberger, home-improvement expert for ServiceMagic and past president of the Master Builder Group, a design/build remodeling company. (ServiceMagic is an MSN Real Estate partner.)
There is always plenty of work to do, but you don’t want to dedicate every beautiful spring weekend to working around the house. We’ve put together a list of what home-maintenance experts deem the essentials for spring. It will only take a couple of hours to evaluate your home with this checklist and determine what you’ll need to do. If maintenance is needed, dedicate a few hours each weekend and you’ll be done in no time.
As Lupberger suggests, let’s “start high and work our way down.”
Video: EPA rule to impact home improvements
Roof
Your first stop is the roof. If you want to tackle this task yourself, make sure you know what you’re doing and are comfortable using a ladder and walking on an often-steep incline. You’ll want to check the shingles for any curling, warping or cupping, and for any granule loss or cracking, says Joan Crowe of the National Roofing Contractors Association. Also check the flashing, those metal pieces that serve as a transition from the roof to a vertical surface like a chimney.
”Do a visual inspection and see if anything is loose,” Crowe says. “Make sure everything is secure. Circle around the house and take a looksee.”
But Crowe strongly recommends that homeowners don’t climb up there themselves.
”Hiring a professional is always the best way to go,” she says.
When hiring a contractor to inspect your roof or make repairs, make sure you check their credentials and references. Ask for proof of insurance and get information about the materials they’ll be using and any warranty that comes with them. You can find more information on finding a reliable contractor on the consumer section of the NRCA site.
- MSN Lifestyle: Spring-cleaning basics
Attic
You often can find a problem with your roof by hunting around in the attic for leaks and moisture. If there is a moisture problem, Lupberger says you’ll typically be able to smell it. Keep an eye out for any black mold or green algae, which can be killed using a mild solution of bleach and water. Crowe recommends hiring someone to handle this task, since full eradication can be difficult.
While you’re up in your attic, look around for potential animal nests. Sometimes there are small openings that critters can creep through.
Another attic task: Check your insulation. Make sure it’s not covering intake vents, Crowe says. And be sure you have enough. Lupberger says the recommendation for homes is R-38, which is 12 inches of blown-in insulation; if you have any less than that, your home isn’t running efficiently. Unless a homeowner is experienced in installing insulation, Lupberger would recommend hiring a pro to handle any augmentation.
”As you move into summer, it’ll keep your home cooler and you’ll use less electricity for your air conditioner,” Lupberger says.
Gutters
You may have dutifully cleaned your gutters in the fall, but a spring check is even more important. Many homeowners would be surprised to learn that more water damage happens to gutters in the spring.
Slide show: Gutter cleaning and care
The freeze-and-thaw cycles of winter, and the snow loads, may shorten the life of your gutters and downspouts,” rendering them inadequate to handle heavy spring rains, , says Tony Cobb, president of the National Rain Gutter Contractors Association.
As you’re clearing debris from the gutters, be sure to check a few other things:
- Make sure the back of the gutter is secured and that no water is leaking behind the gutter.
- Make sure your downspouts are secured to your home and that there is no blockage. You can check for blockage with a leaf blower (listen for the sound of resistance inside) or by tapping on the downspout and listening for a hollow sound.
- Make sure water is diverting at least 3 feet away from your home’s foundation. Check for any low spots next to the foundation. Keeping water away from your foundation is the most important job of gutters and downspouts.
Cobb reminds homeowners that cleaning the gutters is a dangerous job that kills and seriously injures hundreds of people every year. Hiring a seasoned professional who is comfortable climbing a ladder is the best way to ensure safety. The organization has a contractor locator on its site at nrgca.org.
Air conditioning
After a chilly winter, you may not be thinking about the hot summer ahead. But acting early to service your air conditioner may get you a discount on service costs and will ensure that you have a cool place to go during that first heat wave while your neighbors are scrambling.
Donald Prather with the Air Conditioning Contractors of America recommends getting an air-conditioning system checked twice a year: before winter and before summer.
“That way you know entering seasonal changes that the equipment has been serviced for the specific season you are entering,” he says.
Regular maintenance by homeowners and professionals can save money by lowering energy bills and repair costs, Prather says.
Homeowners should change air filters as needed and keep vegetation and debris well away from the outdoor unit of the system. Any blockage to air flow forces the system to work harder to produce the same level of comfort.
“You’ll spend more now, and in a few years when the equipment fails,” Prather says.
Another simple way to save money is to keep your thermostat at the highest comfortable level in the summer and the lowest in winter. A one-degree change in temperature changes energy consumption by about 4%.
You can find tips and checklists, as well as help finding a reliable contractor, on the ACCA Web site.
Do a complete circle of your house’s exterior, checking for peeling paint or siding. Recaulk as needed and touch up any paint.
“The only purpose of paint is to seal wood surfaces and protect the wood from the elements,” Lupberger says.
He says touch-ups can extend the life of your home’s paint job by two or three years, which translates into huge savings.
“Fix it now and you’re not repainting next year,” he says.
If you have a deck, check for loose boards and see if you need to do any resealing. You should also get your deck cleaned thoroughly at least every other year with a pressure washer. Homeowners can do this themselves, but only if they are experienced in the proper use of a pressure washer, Lupberger says.
“With several hundred pounds of water pressure, you don’t want to spray yourself or any other living thing by accident,” he says.
And, because the force of the water takes everything off the deck, the power-washing should be followed up with application of a deck sealant. This washing and sealing process will extend the life of the deck.
Do some general cleanup in your yard, too. Trim any bushes and trees so they’re several feet away from your home. If you have a sprinkler system, you can get it checked by a professional, who will make sure there aren’t any leaks before you turn it on for the season. Rake up any excess leaves, which can suffocate your lawn and keep it from growing.
Start small
Pick an easy task to start. Checking one thing off your list will give you a sense of accomplishment – and the momentum you need to keep going.
“Your house lets you know when something is wrong,” Lupberger says. “If you handle these things regularly, it doesn’t turn into a huge project; it’s just a variety of small ones.”
April Home Maintenance Checklist – Utah Home Inspections, Bountiful, Layton, North Salt Lake, Cottonwood Hieghts, Talorsville, Tooele, Layton, Sandy, Orem, Provo, Lehi
April 14, 2011
April home-maintenance checklist
Fix fences, tighten your home’s energy efficiency, repair a screen door and make 8 cheap, fun improvements to give your home’s entrance some spring sparkle.
By Marilyn Lewis of MSN Real Estate
Finally, it’s spring. To celebrate, do a few improvements indoors — tweaking your home’s energy efficiency and getting doors to operate smoothly — and then get outdoors to do some work that shows off your home’s exterior. Install a new screen door or repair an old one. Maintain fireplaces and gas appliances while avoiding the scammers who pop out of the woodwork like bugs this season. Repair fences. Remove stubborn stains from concrete garage floors, patios and sidewalks. And try one or all of our eight cheap and fun ways to give your home’s entrance some exciting spring sparkle.
Inside
Install a programmable thermostat
Energy is wasted when you push up the temperature when the room feels cold or turn down the heat manually when it’s too warm. You can save about $180 a year with one of these devices.
A programmable thermostat lets you set the temperature in your home, then leave it. The most useful products give you options for establishing different temperatures for day and night (62 at night, for example, and 65 during the day), weekdays and weekends (keep the house cooler while you’re away at work and warmer when you’re home) and also let you turn the heat way down during vacations without changing your daily settings. (Learn more and find out how to get a federal tax credit and possible rebates in this Energy Star article on programmable thermostats)
Cut energy expenses further
While you are in the mood to reduce energy consumption, call your electric utility and/or your heating-fuel company to ask about financial incentives for installing energy-efficient appliances or improvements. Some utilities subsidize the cost of improvements: adding insulation or weather stripping, or installing that programmable thermostat, for example. Others give rebates for purchasing Energy Star appliances such as water heaters, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, heat pumps and fans. Also, remember to take the federal tax credit for such purchases. See the entire list at the Energy Star site. Senior citizens may qualify for additional subsidies.
Look for additional savings: Many states offer additional incentives. Find programs in your state on this map, at the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.
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Bing: Search and decide |
Straighten out problem doors
Walk around the house with a can of silicone lubricant and a rag, trying each door. If a door is sticky, open it partway and pull the hinge pin out. The pin is found in the center of the hinge, in the joint between the plate on the wall and the one on the door. Lightly oil the pin and the hole into which it will fit, using the rag to stop drips. Drop the pin back in place. (Find inspiration and tips at “Door repair 101: How to fix a squeaky door hinge, gaps and more.”) If a pin is stuck in a hinge, use a hammer and small screwdriver to knock it all the way out. Sand off accumulated oil, dust and rust from pin and lightly lubricate it before reinstalling. You may have to do this with both pins.
Outside
Repair or replace screen doors
Get ready for bug season by hanging screen doors. You can repair torn screens yourself:
- Measure the screen opening. You’ll need overage, so add at least an inch to each side. Bring the measurements to a hardware store and purchase a new length of screen.
- The screen is held in place by a flexible cord fitted into a channel that runs around the screen frame. Lift out the cord. If it is old and brittle, measure it and buy new cord at the hardware store.
- Place the new screen over the opening, fit it snugly in place by settling the cord in its channel around the entire opening (poke it in place with a screwdriver). Trim the excess screen with scissors or a box cutter.
If the door sags, see if you can tighten it by replacing missing or corroded hinge screws. If that doesn’t work, or if the door is bent or battered, purchase and install a new aluminum screen door.
Install a chimney cap
You could send out an invitation to birds and squirrels to come nest in the warmth of your chimney, or you could install a cap to protect the stack from dripping rain and uninvited critters. A cap, sometimes called a “crown,” shelters the opening while it lets smoke escape. A cap prevents wind from entering your home and helps create a good draft that feeds your fireplace or stove with oxygen. Metal chimneys usually come with caps, but if yours doesn’t have one, ask the manufacture for advice. Caps are not appropriate for all chimneys. Ask your chimney sweep to inspect the chimney each year for damage and to advise you on whether to install a cap.
Beware chimney-sweep scams
Yes, you should have your chimney swept by a professional to remove flammable creosote that builds up inside the flue from wood smoke. (If you don’t use the stove or fireplace much, you can wait two to three years between cleanings.) But not every chimney sweep is right out of “Mary Poppins.” Door-to-door scammers prey on homeowners, dangling deliciously low prices, then pressuring owners into “repairing” expensive but fictitious problems. Protect yourself by using a chimney sweep with an established business in your town. Check a company’s track record through the Better Business Bureau and locate certified sweeps at the National Chimney Sweep Guild or the Chimney Safety Institute of America.
Have gas-burning furnaces and appliances inspected
Every year a licensed gas technician should clean out dust and debris and examine the appliance for safety, efficiency and repairs. Find a repair pro through your gas company or utility or search the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association’s site.
Spiff up the front entry
Few things say “spring” like freshening up the front entrance of your home. Try any or all of these improvements:
- Remove the doormat and sweep and dust the entry and all the way around the door. Clean the threshold with soapy water and a rag and gently wipe down the door.
- Take a hard look at the flower pots, furniture, plant hangers, toys, boots, shovels, brooms and tools cluttering the entrance; remove and store or throw away all but the most essential items. Wipe down porch and patio furniture.
- Stand back from the entry and decide what simple steps will most improve its appearance. A fresh coat of paint for the front door? Installing new house numbers? Adding two tall pots to flank the entrance (in colors that match or contrast nicely with the door)? Also consider painting the porch ceiling — a traditional color is blue, for the sky — or floor.
- Replace the doormat with a new one. Use mats inside and outside each door. They’re not just decorative; they protect your floors from damaging grit.
- Replace rusted or ugly exterior light fixtures. Get inspiration from this slide show: “Fix up your front entry in one weekend.”
- As soon as the weather permits and the wood has dried, repaint front steps with deck paint or other surfacing made for heavy traffic. Ask paint store professionals for recommendations. Take care to choose a color for the steps that works well with the house color and front door.
- Wipe down railings; sand, prime and repaint flaked, chipped or bubbled paint.
- Add another note of color by planting spring annuals in pots at the door, at the top of the steps or marching down the steps.
Check the fence line, cowboy
Take a tour of your back forty to see how the fence is holding up. Wiggle supporting posts to make sure they’re solidly in the ground. Use a mallet to drive them in deeper if necessary. Look for holes made by animals burrowing under the fence. You can fill these holes with big stones or install a wire mesh barrier as deep as necessary, then fill the hole with dirt. Repair or replace broken fence posts, and sand down potentially dangerous splinters. Check wood fences for rot (soft, spongy or crumbling wood) and insect damage, holes, sawdust and weakness in boards. Repaint or restain every couple of years or when you find chips and flakes in the paint. Use a durable product intended for use on fences. Ask paint store experts for recommendations.
Rake up
Take a leaf rake and a big tarp with you as you circle the house, gathering leaves, wind-blown debris and tree branches onto the tarp. When the tarp has a pile of leaves a couple of feet high, gather the corners and empty the contents into a yard-waste bin or a compost pile. With a broom, sweep off paths, sidewalks, steps and flagstones with an eye to removing obstacles on which people could trip.
Clean stains from concrete
For patios and sidewalks stained by fallen leaves and dirt, rent a pressure washer and clean the concrete. Auto oil stains on the garage floor or driveway are tougher to remove and call for some imagination. Fresh oil is easiest to get up. Tackle it as quickly as possible, soaking up the liquid with paper towels and sprinkling cat litter on the stain, crushing the litter in with your shoe, then sweeping it up. (Call your garbage company or city waste department to ask where to take oil-soaked rags, paper and litter. Don’t put them in the garbage can.)
Next, scrub the stain with soap, warm water and a nylon (not wire) scrub brush. This may do the trick, although you might need to scrub, rinse, check your progress and scrub again several times.
For really stubborn stains, get creative. You’ve heard that there are a million crazy ways to use Coca-Cola (see “20 Crazy Uses for Coke,” for example, at Gomestic). James and Morris Carey, at OnTheHouse.com, have one more cola trick: They soak stained concrete with cola, brushing it in with a stiff broom while the pop fizzes, keeping the concrete wet. Flood the stain with clean water once the fizzing stops, then bleach the area with this mixture: one cup of liquid chlorine bleach, one cup of powdered laundry soap and a gallon of really hot water. Rinse.
Inspectors, Richard Belt and John Bracket, bring to you over 46 years experience from the construction and engineering fields.