Spring & Summer Seasonal Maintenance GuideCertain home maintenance tasks should be completed each season to prevent structural damage, save energy, and keep all your home’s systems running properly. What maintenance tasks are most important for the Midwest in spring and summer? Here are the major issues you should be aware of and critical tasks you should complete. For a comprehensive list of tasks by season, refer to the to-do lists to the right of this article.
When spring arrives in the Midwest, it’s time to clean up your home and yard from the ravages of winter. As the weather warms, you can also accomplish some routine maintenance tasks that are much more agreeable when the sun is shining. Key maintenance tasks to perform • Check your gutters and downspouts. “Stuff accumulates even after your fall gutter cleaning,” says Frank Lesh, president of Home Sweet Home Inspection Co. in Indian Head Park, Ill. “Pine needles especially, which fall all year long and are difficult to remove.” Children’s toys, he says, also find their way into gutters between cleanings, as well as nails and other debris from the roof. Look for any signs of wind or ice damage—has the gutter pulled away from the house, or bent so that there are depressions where water can stand? You can usually repair damage yourself for under $50 by adjusting or reattaching brackets and gently hammering out bent areas. Lesh also recommends examining your downspouts for blockages. “You can’t see inside them,” he says, “so tap them with a screwdriver handle to see if they sound hollow.” If the ends run underground, where animals can build nests or winter debris can become trapped, your best bet is to put a garden hose in the gutter and see where the water discharges. If you have a blockage, you’ll have to disassemble or dig up part of the downspout until you locate it. • Inspect your roof for winter damage. This is best done from a ladder, but if you’re allergic to ladders, use a pair of binoculars to check your roof from your yard. Look for loose and missing shingles. If anything looks unusual, investigate further yourself or call a roofing contractor. • Take a close look at your chimney. “Do this even if the winter was mild,” Lesh says. “High winds, rain, and snow can damage a chimney. Look for cracks, missing mortar, loose bricks or boards, and signs of rot.” If any of those things are present, call a chimney sweep certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America for a repair estimate. If the metal flashing and the cap on a chimney are galvanized, Lesh says, check to see if they look brownish, which means they’re rusting and should be replaced. Also, make sure the cap is still present but hasn’t collapsed and covered the flue opening, which could cause a dangerous carbon monoxide buildup inside the house. Expect chimney repairs to start around $200. • Examine your drainage. Make sure soil slopes away from your foundation at least 6 vertical inches in the first 10 feet on all sides of the house and that there are no areas of standing water. If you have properly sloped foundation drainage but still have areas of standing water, consider a landscaping solution, such as a swales (contoured drainage depressions), berms (raised banks of earth), terraces, or French drains (a shallow, gravel-filled trench that diverts water away from the house). • Take a look at your siding. Has any of it come loose or begun to rot? Repair any damaged sections before moisture has a chance to set in. No matter what your siding is made of (wood, vinyl, brick), it may need a spring cleaning. The best DIY method for any kind of siding is a bucket of soapy water and a long-handled brush. A power washer is not recommended and should only be handled by a professional cleaning contractor. If you choose to have your siding professionally cleaned, expect to pay $300–$500 depending on the size of your home. • Schedule your biannual HVAC appointment. Get ready for the air conditioning season with your spring tune-up. If your system wasn’t running well last season, be sure to tell your contractor, and make sure he performs actual repairs if necessary rather than simply adding refrigerant. “He shouldn’t just charge it up,” Lesh says. “That will work for a while, but it won’t last. Freon lasts forever—if your system is low, there’s a leak somewhere, and he should tell you specifically what he’s going to check to fix it.” Expect to pay $50–$100. Your contractor’s maintenance checklist should include checking thermostats and controls, checking the refrigerant level, tightening connections, lubricating any moving parts, checking the condensate drain, and cleaning the coils and blower. Duct cleaning, while it probably won’t hurt anything, is not necessary; be wary of contractors who want to coat the inside of the ducts with antimicrobial agents, as research has not proven the effectiveness of this method and any chemicals used in your ducts will likely become airborne. On your own, make sure your filters are changed and vacuum out all your floor registers. • Check your GFCIs. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that you do this once a month, and it’s a good idea to incorporate it into your spring maintenance routine. GFCIs (ground fault circuit interrupters) are electrical outlets that protect you from deadly electrical shocks by shutting off the power anytime even a minimal disturbance in current is detected. They feature two buttons (“test” and “reset”), and should be present anywhere water and electricity can mix: kitchens, bathrooms, basements, garages, and the exterior of the house. To test your GFCIs, plug a small appliance (a nightlight, for example) into each GFCI. Press the test button, which should click and shut off the nightlight. The reset button should also pop out when you press the test button; when you press reset, the nightlight should come back on. If the nightlight doesn’t go off when you press the test button, either the GFCI has failed and should be replaced, or the wiring is faulty should be inspected. If the reset button doesn’t pop out, or if pressing it doesn’t restore power to the nightlight, the GFCI has failed and should be replaced. These distinctions can help you tell an electrician what the problem is—neither job is one you should attempt yourself if you don’t have ample experience with electrical repair. Spending a weekend or two on maintenance can prevent expensive repairs and alert you to developing problems before they become serious. Be sure to check out the comprehensive seasonal to-do list following this article, and visit the links below for more detailed information on completing tasks or repairs yourself. Courtesy of houselogic |
Painting? What does the color mean.....As soon as we're old enough to know our colors, we start to have favorites. Ask any 4-year-old what color they like and they'll tell you in a nanosecond. And just as there are individual color preferences, there also are strong associations with each of the basic colors that are shared by almost everyone.
Red, for example, is viewed as an exciting, dramatic and rich color. Think of the associations with the words "red carpet treatment." Red also is passionate; think of "The Lady in Red." And it stimulates the appetite; think of your favorite Italian restaurant. The darker shades of red such as burgundy and maroon have a rich and stately feeling about them; think of the Victorian era. A front door painted burgundy is dramatic and inviting. Here are some of the other colors and their associations: *Orange gives off a cheerful aura. It is bold and exciting, friendly and informal. The dark, muted version if orange is rust. Rust colors in the living room or family room are inviting and give a feeling of casualness. *Yellow is the most visible color. That's why you see so many street signs in yellow. Pastel yellows are happy without being overpowering and make for a nice, cheerful backdrop when the room's walls are painted in this hue. Gold tones create an atmosphere of richness or can be construed as antique such as in Colonial days where every room had a touch of gold. *Blue is America's favorite color. It has a universal appeal because it reminds us of blue skies and deep blue oceans. There's a feeling of serenity and openness with blue. There is also a feeling of power with blue; think of a navy suit on an executive. Blue works well in bedrooms and on the exterior of a house and comes across crisp and clean if trimmed with white. *Green is nature's favorite color. Green is very soothing to many people, perhaps because of its association with nature. Hunter green is associated with country life. Jade greens remind us of jewels and precious stones. Green works well in a dining room and can actually be used in any room in the house. It is easy on the eyes. *Brown also is a color associated with nature. It is relaxing and easy to live with. Red-browns are more formal and work well in great rooms or living rooms. The lighter hues such as tan and beige work well with most color schemes to bring about a base that unifies. *White symbolizes freshness, purity and cleanliness. It happens to be a favorite color for walls. Off white and tinted white walls afford a great canvas for any other color combination motif. from HGTV GET THE HOUSE READYMaximizing exterior
and curb appeal Before putting your house on the market, take as much time as necessary (and as little money as possible) to maximize its exterior and interior appeal. Tips to enhance your home’s exterior and curb appeal: *Keep the lawn edged, cut and watered regularly. *Trim hedges, weed lawns and flowerbeds, and prune trees regularly. * Check the foundation, steps, walkways, walls and patios for cracks and crumbling. *Inspect doors and windows for peeling paint. *Clean and align gutters. *Inspect and clean the chimney. *Repair and replace loose or damaged roof shingles. *Repair and repaint loose siding and caulking. *In Northern winters, keep walks neatly cleared of snow and ice. *During spring and summer months consider adding a few showy annuals, perhaps in pots, near your front entrance. *Re-seal an asphalt driveway. *Keep your garage door closed. *Store RVs or old and beaten up cars elsewhere while the house is on the market. *Apply a fresh coat of paint to the front door. Maximizing interior appeal
Enhance your home’s interior by:
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Smith Realty Group of Effingham, LLC
906 W. Jefferson Avenue Effingham, IL 62401 Ph. (217) 994-9024 Fax (217) 994-9022 Send An Email Maintenance Checklist For Your HVAC
It’s a good idea to hire a HVAC company to inspect and do maintenance on your system every fall and spring. They’ll do things like inspect and clean the wiring and mechanisms of the unit, which is bit more challenging for the average homeowner. But you can prolong the life and increase the efficiency of your system if you follow this simple maintenance plan: Some things you should do immediately; other tasks only need to be done seasonally or once a year. Here are the steps to a healthy HVAC system:
Courtesy of HouseLogic Getting Ready
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