Winter in New Hampshire is hard on the outside of a house. Water gets into small gaps, freezes, expands and makes the gap bigger. Then it thaws and does it again. A small problem in October can be a rotted board or a leaking window by March.
The good news is that most of the useful work is a walk around the house with a notepad. Do it on a dry day in the fall, before the ground freezes and before it snows.
Siding and trim
Walk the whole house slowly and look closely at the siding and the trim around it.
- Look for boards that are loose, cracked, warped or pulling away from the wall.
- Check the caulk at corners, window and door trim and where pipes or wires pass through the wall. Dried, cracked or missing caulk lets water in.
- Press on the bottom course of siding and the trim near the ground with a screwdriver tip. Soft wood usually means rot.
- Look for bare or peeling paint on wood. Paint is what protects it from moisture.
Caulk and paint products have minimum temperatures for application, so read the label and do this early in the fall, not on the first cold weekend.
Windows and doors
Drafts waste heat, and failed seals let moisture into the wall. On a windy day, hold your hand near the edges of windows and doors and feel for moving air. Check the weatherstripping for gaps or flattened spots, and look at the caulk on the outside trim. Make sure storm windows and screens are in the right place and that sashes close and lock tightly. If a window is stuck, swollen or rotted at the sill, that is worth getting looked at before winter rather than after.
Decks, steps and railings
Sweep leaves and debris out from between the deck boards, because trapped wet material holds moisture against the wood. Check that railings are solid, since they take real weight and often loosen over time. Look for popped or rusted fasteners, cracked boards and wobbly steps. Think ahead about shoveling: a plastic shovel is gentler on the surface than metal, and some de-icing products can stain or damage wood and concrete, so check the product label.
Gutters and downspouts
Clogged gutters hold water that freezes at the edge of the roof and can lead to ice dams. Clear out leaves, make sure water flows to the downspouts, and point downspouts so water drains away from the foundation. Do this after most of the leaves have come down, which in this area is often well into November. If you are not comfortable on a tall ladder, hire someone for this job. A fall from a ladder is not worth the savings.
A few quick extras
- Disconnect garden hoses and shut off and drain outdoor faucets, if your house is set up for that, so pipes do not freeze.
- From the ground, look at the roof for missing or lifted shingles. Do not climb up there in cold weather.
- Check that trees with limbs hanging over the roof are not overdue for trimming.
- Walk the foundation and look for cracks or places where soil has settled toward the house.
Fix small things before they get big
Make a list as you go, and sort it into what you can handle yourself and what needs a carpenter. Siding and trim repair, window work and deck repairs are all things we do at CRC Home Improvement. If your walk-around turns up a problem you are not sure about, we are glad to take a look and give you an honest read on whether it needs fixing now or can wait. Our repairs and carpentry work covers these jobs, and you can see where we work.