After-Winter Home Maintenance

Leaving Winter Behind: Maintenance Checklist to Help Ensure your Home is in Shape for the Spring

After-Winter Home Maintenance

Make sure to add these to your maintenance to-do list as we leave winter behind!

Gutter, downspout, and drainage
Foundation
Outdoor Plumbing
Landscaping
Chimney
Exhaust vents

As we slowly transition from the frigid winter into the blooming spring season in Tri-Cities, an important thing to add to your To-do list is the Spring Maintenance of your home. The winter weather might have caused various outdoor damages to your home, so naturally, the best thing to do first is to check out both the interior and exterior of your home for structural defects that may have been caused by the winter.

Gutter, downspout, and drainage –

Observe your gutter for any damages due to the winter season’s ice dams and icicles. Clean the gutter, downspout, and drainage to remove any leaves and debris.

Foundation –

Be observant of cracks in your foundation. Cracks may have formed due to the changes in ground temperature. Inspecting it for cracks can prevent any major damage to your home. Also make sure that there isn’t any root growth near the foundation since it can cause indirect damage to it due to the shrinking of soil, which can lead to the forming of cracks in a home’s foundation [1].

Outdoor Plumbing –

Go through your automatic lawn sprinklers, outdoor faucets, and pool equipment, to examine if they are functioning properly. If you hear a humming sound from your water pipes, it might mean that there is water leakage [2]. Consult with a plumbing expert if repairs are needed.

Landscaping –

Reseed bare patches in your lawn, remove dead plants, and add fertilizer or mulch to your garden to help increase your home’s curb appeal.

Chimney –

Contact a chimney inspection professional to search for any impairment to the chimney’s structure because intense heat and cold can cause it to get cracks. It’s always better to know if your chimney poses some serious hazards. Also, don’t forget to clean the remaining debris and soot from your chimney.

Exhaust vents –

Clean the exhaust system for your laundry room’s dryer and kitchen’s range [3] to prevent them being a fire hazard. Aside from fire prevention, a clean exhaust vent will keep your appliances working efficiently and require less maintenance [4 and 5]

Community Real Estate Group Ultimate Real Estate Guide

If you’re considering doing some intense home maintenance to prepare your Tri-Cities home for selling, our seller specialists can help you identify what improvements will add value and which ones may not. You might also want to check out our Ultimate Real Estate Guide consisting of Seller and Buyer Tips, as well as Home Features that might be helpful for you! Community Real Estate Group is your trusted local team for guidance on real estate and home equity in Tri-Cities WA so don’t hesitate to reach out!