Time To Check Your Home For Winter Damage

Wow, what a winter, huh?  Are we in the home stretch?  I certainly hope so.  I can’t wait for all of the snow to melt so I can get out and assess the damage this brutal winter did to my house.  Maybe you need to do the same?  I know you are looking forward to it as much as I am.  Here are some things to look at after your residence has been primarily encased in ice and snow for the past few months. 

How are your plants?  Are there broken tree limbs in your trees?  Now would be the best time to get them clipped out of the tree or shrub so you can ensure proper regrowth in the spring, and to make sure it doesn’t fall on the house or car after a good gust of wind. 

How are your gutters?  Did the weight of the ice cause them to fall?  Make sure your gutters are functional because come spring, when the rain comes in, a broken gutter can end up giving you a leaky roof.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that melting snow needs to go somewhere.  Ideally not in your basement or yard.  There are some ways that you can keep the water from damaging your home and yard. 

Most of your home improvement stores carry sealant paint.  Get some and apply two coats of it to your foundation walls, that is if you’re basement is unfinished.  If you have a finished basement and you are taking in water, you may need to eventually tear out the walls where the water is coming in and apply sealant to the affected walls.  Waterproof masonry paint does well at about $25 per gallon, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of damage that could occur.

Already have water in the basement?  Use a portable pump to help get it out of there.  Otherwise, you run a pretty good risk of mold or other damage forming in your home.  A sump pump is great for immediate needs, but they are not a solution for repeated water issues.

Moving to the yard…put down topsoil to fill the puddles that form as snow melts.  This allows fresh grass to grow through soil.  Puddles are not good to have around because they are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.  Yeah, gotta love those little guys.

The sooner you get this stuff done, the sooner you can relax and enjoy the warmer temperatures to come.