The Big Thaw: A Home Maintenance List
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Nothing batters your home like a heavy-snow winter. If your area took a snowy beating, here are some tips to help undo winter’s damage!
With many areas in the Northeast suffering a hard-hitting, cold, windy, and snowy winter, the spring thaw is certainly welcomed. However, with spring on its way, Preferred Mutual encourages you to take serious stock of the damaging nature has wrought.
Gutters
Dead leaves and winter debris can be clogging your gutters. All drainage needs to be secured so that when the spring showers come, you’re properly draining the rain away from your home and prevent moisture damage and potential flooding. With any
luck, you’ll need some good, old-fashioned elbow grease, a ladder, and hand tools but that could change quickly if you choose to ignore your gutters or put it off until next year.
Decks and Patios
Heavy snowfalls give outdoor decks and patios a good beating. If you’ve been shoveling them often, that’s, even more, wear and tear. The surface can get a lot of scraping damage, preventing sealants from doing their jobs in the coming months.
It’s also worth assessing to see if you should get a new coat of paint or sealant on the deck to protect the wood as long as you can.
Your beautiful stone patio has the potential to crack during the freeze/thaw cycle, too. From your stones heaving from settling joint sand underneath to the kind of bulk salt you use, you could potentially impact the integrity of the stones. To prevent
damage, preventative measures such as environmentally friendly salts and leveling stones before winter will help to prolong the life of your patio.
Roofs
This is an obvious one, and nothing is more important in the battle between protection and nature than a secured roof.
Inspecting your roof after the snow has melted is such an important task during the spring thaw. Check to ensure all shingles are still in place, inspect the areas with sealant around vents, chimneys, skylights, etc. If winter left its mark, spring is
a great time to replace your roof, and protect your investment.
Drains
Wherever water runs nearby, whether, on your property or adjacent to your curb, you’ll want to inspect to make sure drains are allowing any run-off or melt-water to go where it needs to go. Water pooling can lead to structural damage and serious
underground erosion, but it’s also where you’ll find bugs like mosquitos breeding.
Standing water is a huge breeding ground for spring and summertime insects, and those insects can carry illnesses. Protect your structure and loved ones by preventing ground erosion and enjoy your home the way you intended to!
Maintenance is good homeownership. Each change in the season requires responsibility to ensure the integrity of your home. Don’t wait until these fixes “need” doing, because, by that time, it could be too late. Protect your home now and save yourself the headache later.
Your home may be the biggest investment you ever make. Get protection that covers your property and possessions, provides living expenses in case of an emergency, and keeps you and your family safe from personal liability. Every one of our homeowner's policies is customized to meet your needs and your budget. Contact a Preferred Mutual agent today and discover how you can Live Assured.
This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not legal advice and/or an authoritative guide. This content does not represent any contractual agreement. Coverages are subject to change.