Home Maintenance Items Not To Forget

What are the most important home maintenance items for the exterior of your home? While Winter in Missouri is not the most fun time to be outside, there are some important upkeep items that you should pay attention to during these cold and sometimes rainy months.

Home Maintenance Items in January

January and February can be some of the coldest months for those in Central Missouri. While most people are not looking to do major repairs, they should be keeping an eye on things that can cause damage now or down the road. During these first two months of the year it is important to ensure your gutters are clogged. Ice and snow that accumulates on your roof and then starts to melt needs to get into your gutters, down the downspouts, and away from your home. When those gutters are clogged though, that melting ice and snow can refreeze and begin to back up under the shingles and find their way into your home. For those who have a flatter roof, the “ice damming” can be even worse – so it is important to make sure your gutters are clear of debris.

Another important maintenance item that many people overlook is simple – remove all hoses from your outside faucets. While this won’t create a problem on the exterior of your home, it may for the inside if you forget. Hoses left attached and that are capped at the end with a sprayer, have trapped water that can freeze and cause the pipe inside the wall to crack.

Other Basic Home Maintenance Items

Other things to watch for during these cold months include some of the following. Many of these are not hard, it just takes remembering and checking. Here’s a quick list of suggestions:

• Visually inspect your roof for missing/damaged shingles, leaks, any other anomalies.
• Check your windows and doors for any drafts entering the home. Winter is a good time to really “feel” how efficient your windows are.
• Ensure your downspouts have elbows at the bottom that are directing water away from the home.
• Plug your garage door openers into a surge protector and then plug the surge protector into the electrical outlet. In an energy surge this can keep you from the cost of replacing an opener.
• If you place ice melt on your deck or patio, be sure to wash it off during the warmer days to keep it from degrading the wood.

What If Something Needs Replacing?

While exterior work does slow down some in January and February, it by no means stops. The shorter days of sunlight may extend a project by a slight amount, but as long as the temperature remains in the upper 30’s, most exterior work continues as normal. And, as most Missourians know, the weather in Missouri is fickle and can yield many above average days of warmer weather that make exterior projects that much easier. So you do notice a problem with your roof, siding, windows, doors, or deck – don’t hesitate to contact us. Our representatives always use good common sense and will only do inspections if it is safe.

Plan Ahead, Get on the Schedule!

January and February tend to be slower months in terms of installation but that is the perfect time to get your estimates and select the most qualified installer. All good installers in Mid-Missouri are several months out due to demand, the availability of good labor, and the availability of certain materials. By making your decisions in the Winter you are more likely to be enjoying that exterior renovation work by Spring.

Finally, the trick to getting excellent service on work like this is to hire a trustworthy company for the job. You should check out this previous article about 5 tips on how to pick the right contractor. After researching a good installation crew, we think you’ll conclude that we’re the area’s best for a variety of home improvement tasks.

Get Reliable Repair and Installation with CoMo Home Exteriors

CoMo Home Exteriors operates in Columbia, Missouri, but we serve home and business owners all throughout the middle of the state. This includes places like Jefferson City, Ashland, Fulton, Mexico, and many other service areas.

So, if you’ve reached a point where basic upkeep is no longer cutting it, then you can call us for an inspection, free estimate, and any applicable repair/installation work. This covers all the major stuff, so if you have a leaky roof or warped siding boards, then we’re the ones who can help. We have the backing of numerous material manufacturers as expert installers for roof shingles, James Hardie Siding, and almost any type of windows or doors.

Contact CoMo Premium Exteriors anytime for help with all these essential home maintenance items.