Don’t put off those summer projects
It’s not always possible to get the right contractor for the job right away, so now is a great time to start planning jobs and repairs that should be addressed before temperatures start to drop, especially when it comes to your home’s exterior.
If there are exterior paint or staining jobs you still haven’t checked off your to-do list — such as your windows, doors, siding, decks, fences, etc. — you should get those done before outdoor temperatures fall below 10 C, day and night. Anything cooler can affect the finish and adhesion. Morning dew can also affect an exterior paint job.
The good news is there are specific paints that can cure at lower temperatures, but in most cases, you should finish the job while it’s above that 10 C mark.
If your roof needs to be reshingled, you should look for a good roofer now. How do you know if your roof needs reshingling? There will be plenty of asphalt granules in your eavestroughs/gutters; torn or missing shingles; shingles that are curling or buckling, also bare spots on the shingles themselves. These are all signs you need to reshingle.
Any exterior recaulking should be done sooner rather than later. You can hire a pro or do it yourself, but make sure to use a rubberized caulking that is made specifically for outdoor applications. Personally, I recommend hiring a pro. Not only are they experts when it comes to application and product — you can spot a bad caulking job when you see one — but they’ll also check around every termination point, venting and all your windows and doors to make sure there is a proper seal.
If your house needs any masonry repairs, such as tuck-pointing or brick repairs, a contractor who specializes in that kind of work can be booked two to three months in advance. Also, if you’re planning to do any kind of interlock work outside, you need dry weather to install the polymeric sand that goes in between the interlock.
If your windowsills are cracked, you’ll want to get those replaced by fall. On some homes the windowsills are brick, which I don’t like because they’re prone to cracking, crumbling and spalling, and any cracks are an entry point for water and moisture. I’ve seen cracks so bad they run across the entire windowsill.
Brick and mortar are porous, so they absorb moisture. It doesn’t make much sense for a windowsill — which is meant to divert water away from your house — to be made of a material that absorbs water. I would replace brick windowsills with a solid piece of precast concrete. I prefer one solid piece rather than two shorter pieces joined together because the mortar joint is where problems tend to start.
If you have a foundation crack or basement leak, that is definitely something you will want to fix as soon as possible, especially before winter. Any crack that you can fit a dime in needs to be looked at by a professional, such as a structural engineer or foundation specialist. Again, the best foundation repair pros are booked in advance, so I would start calling the right people now.
You should also get any pool work or repairs done before the end of fall, such as replacing the liner, which is a two- to threeweek job — or three to four weeks during peak season, which is spring and summer.
And it isn’t too late for landscaping projects. If your property needs any landscape work that requires a contractor, such as regrading or interlock, you can still get it done. Most landscaping projects can go all the way through until the end of fall, so you still have some time to book the right pro.
Most homeowners think they can wait until fall to get their home’s exterior ready for winter, but they forget about all the work and planning that goes into doing a job right. What about your research on products, materials, what needs to be done and why, and of course, hiring the right pro to do it when it you need it done?
Don’t put it off. Do it now and you’ll be in a better position to get it done right.