Exterior Home Maintenance for Northeast Ohio Homeowners - Gutters and Downspouts
How often do you look at the exterior of your home? (I mean REALLY look)
If you’re like many midwestern home owners, the primary view you have of your home is from your car as you drive into your garage at the end of the work day. During the Northeast Ohio winters, the sun has set before many people return from work. Bottom line is, we don’t always look very closely at the exteriors of our homes.
From the front seat of your car, everything looks pretty good though, right? Maybe, maybe not. But don’t worry. Periodic inspection of your home’s exterior is simple, and the only tools you need are your eyes. This “closer look” is very important if you want to avoid potentially costly problems like rotten wood, pest infestation, water penetration, and mold damage, not to mention just keeping your home looking sharp going into the spring! This is article the first in a series aimed informing Northeast Ohio Homeowners about some key considerations regarding exterior home maintenance.
Let’s start at the top: Gutters, Downspouts and Fascia Boards
Your gutters and downspouts serve an important purpose - collecting rain water and melting snow and draining it away from your home’s foundation. If your gutters are functioning properly, you should have minimal issues with water causing damage to your home during the rainy months in the spring here in the Midwest. However, you should always pay close attention to your gutters (especially if you live in a more heavily wooded area).
Flashing and fascia boards
If you notice that your gutters sagging or otherwise pulling away from the roofline of your home, there are a couple of potential causes. First, water or ice may be pooling in your gutters because of improper installation, clogged downspouts, or other damage. This can put added weight on the fasteners, eventually pulling the gutter away from the fascia boards. Second, missing, damaged or improperly installed roof flashing can cause water to drip behind the gutters - eventually rotting the fascia boards (or worse), which leads to the fasteners loosening or falling out. If you notice the gutters falling away from your house, you can always try to refasten them. However, this is a sign that you need someone to come take a look at replacing your gutters. This is another (relatively) inexpensive fix that can save you thousands of dollars in potential damage down the road.
Inspect and Clean!
Your best bet is to inspect and clean your gutters late in the fall (before it freezes), and again in the spring. For you DIY types, this is a fairly simple (though somewhat gross) task. Simply run a ladder up to your gutters and take a look. If there are leaves and debris, remove them. Pay particularly close attention to the downspout drains. This is a very important preventative maintenance step that could save you thousands of dollars in future maintenance costs. For those less interested in climbing up to remove rotting leave litter from the gutters, there are many excellent service providers that offer gutter cleaning. Depending on how difficult your gutters are to reach, the cost can vary. But on average, this is a fairly inexpensive endeavor!
Pay attention to your gutters and downspouts!
Failure to pay attention to the “health” of your gutters and downspouts can lead to deterioration of the fascia boards (the gutters are usually attached to these), premature peeling of exterior paint, rotten wood in areas that are consistently exposed to water, water in the basement and many other potential problems. So inspect those gutters (or hire someone to do so) at least once a year, maybe twice if you live in the woods. Clean them out yourself or hire a pro. Do not skip this simple and cost effective maintenance project. Doing so could cost you hours of headaches and thousands of dollars!
