Time to get your house ready for play
Warmer weather means it’s time for chores to make summertime more enjoyable. Here’s a checklist of a few things to check around the house.
• Clear yard debris: Start by inspecting your yard and landscaping for damage. Pay particular attention to your trees. If any trees appear to have suffered serious winter damage, have a licensed, insured tree company inspect and deal with them. Take care of any spring pruning. Clean up leaves, needles and other winter accumulation, and dispose of all dead plant material so it won’t become a fire hazard as it dries.
• Do some exterior cleaning: Use a broom or water spray to remove cobwebs and dirt from under eaves, as well as on siding and exterior doors. Pressure wash patios and walkways.
• Check and repair wood decks: Make a thorough examination of deck boards, railings, posts, stairs and other structural members. Look for loose fasteners, cracks, dry rot or other damage. Tighten or replace the bolts that hold the railings in place. Remove loose nails from decking boards.
• Check siding: After cleaning siding, check for areas that are loose, sagging, cracked or have loose or missing fasteners. With plywood siding, look for areas where the layers of plywood are delaminating. Also, check the condition of your exterior paint.
• Check fences and gates: Fence posts will loosen up and tilt if the soil around them gets soaked too deeply. Check fence posts in various areas by wiggling them to see how solidly embedded they are. If any are loose, wait until the surrounding soil has dried out, then excavate around the bottom of the posts and pour additional concrete to stabilize them. Replace any posts that have rotted.
• Reset exterior light timers: With the longer days, your exterior lights don’t need to be on as long. Reset any light timers in order save a little energy.
• Prep fans and air conditioners: Make certain that cooling fans, air conditioners, and whole-house fans are clean and working correctly. Shut off the power to the fan, remove the cover and wash with mild soapy water, then clean out dust from inside the fan with a shop vacuum. Check outdoor central air-conditioning units for damage or debris buildup, and clean or replace any filters.