How to Prepare Your Home for Spring & Summer with Factor Design Build

Though it seemed like it would never come, spring has finally arrived in Denver and the Front Range. With the arrival of spring comes the desire to get a fresh start. A great way to achieve that goal is by preparing your home for the coming spring and summer months. We’ve put together five tasks to get you started.

Clean Your Gutters

Gutters and downspouts are an essential part of controlling how snowmelt and rainfall drain from the roof of your home. Cleaning out your gutters is an important part of home maintenance because it prevents a number of home maintenance issues, including:

• roof leaks
• soffit damage
• structural decay
• water damage to exterior walls
• prevents proper drainage.

Hire a professional to make certain your gutters and downspouts are clear and ready to handle spring and summer drainage or do it yourself. We can help you find the right professional for this type of project.

Tip: Be sure to follow proper safety guidelines when using a ladder to prevent accidents.

man on ladder cleaning house gutter from leaves and dirt

Sump Pump Maintenance

Proper maintenance of sump pumps and French drains is another item to add to your spring and summer to do list if your home includes a basement. Your health and that of your family are a major reason to make sure that these systems are working properly. Removing excess moisture and humidity prevents mold growth and other possible health hazards. Ask a professional to perform maintenance on these systems or follow the annual maintenance guidelines yourself.

Tip: Proper drainage away from the foundation of your home prevents these systems from overloading and the risk of system failure.

Ensure Positive Drainage

While facilitating water drainage away from your roof, it is also a good time to make sure it moves away from your home entirely, especially as snowmelt and heavy spring storms dump extra water in and around your property. Improper drainage of your property can cause issues with your foundation and encourage the growth of undesirable mold, mildew, and fungus, inside and outside. It is especially important to ensure positive drainage away from your home if you have a basement or partial basement. You can overcome most simple drainage issues yourself, but for more serious problems, it is best to contact a professional.

Tip: Make sure to slope your flowerbeds away from the foundation and add mulch for moisture control.

Prepare Your Cooling System

There is an old adage that says, “Don’t wait until you are thirsty to dig a well.” In a similar tone, don’t wait until it gets hot to service your cooling systems. This is important because annual maintenance ensures proper efficiency, which helps keep operational costs down. In addition, spring maintenance is a good time to catch any leaks that might have developed and to add new refrigerant if necessary. You can give these systems a quick check and be sure that they are clean and operational, but you might want to consider a professional to test its cooling efficiency. We can help you find the right professional for this type of project.

Tip: Replace evaporative cooler pads and pump filters annually to help prevent the growth of mold and mildew.

Seal Holes in Siding and Soffits

To round out our list of tasks, we suggest checking your siding and soffits for holes. Holes in your siding and soffits provide an open invitation to unwelcome guests like:

• bees and wasps
• mice and rats
• squirrels
• sparrows and other birds.

Though these animals are an integral part of the Front Range and Rocky Mountain ecosystem, they can do serious damage to your home and contribute to negative health conditions. Animal removal and repairs might require a professional, but plenty of do-it-yourselfers can handle this task as well. We can help you find the right professional for this type of project.

Tip: Get to these issues early and seal up holes before your unwanted guests move in.

With the arrival of spring, the motivation to start fresh causes most people to dive into spring-cleaning. In addition to deep cleaning, doing windows, and airing things out, be sure to keep up with these annual maintenance tasks as well. Contact us to learn how Factor Design Build can provide professional assistance with any of your springtime tasks or updating your home.