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GAZETTE Newspapers
By: Arthur S. Lazerow
Question: Susan and Philip
emailed: “We emailed you in April asking for yours thoughts on
Spring maintenance for our home. We recently settled and had
not lived in it during spring or summer months. We did the
spring work list. How about a summer list of do’s and don’ts?”
Answer: I checked my files and found your earlier email. You
must be a glutton for punishment, so here is my summer
checklist. I usually get to about half these items.
1.
Burglarproof Your House. Inspect the operation of
automatic-light timers and motion-detector systems, especially
since summer is vacation time. Break-ins can be thwarted with
security measures that prolong the burglar's time and effort.
Prune shrubbery to eliminate hiding areas. Check all site
lighting for nighttime visibility. Install security pins or
window locks on all windows. Replace Charlie bars with deadbolt
type locks on sliding glass doors. If there is no alarm system
in your home, consider installing one.
2. Clean and seal wood
decks. Ideally, you will need three consecutive warm, sunny
days. On day one, pressure wash and let it dry out. Apply deck
cleaner and scrub the deck on the second day and let it dry 24
hours. On the third day, apply deck preservative, such as made
by Cuprinol. Let the chemical dry another 24 hours.
3. Hire a
certified chimney sweep to inspect and clean chimneys. Doing
this task now instead of the fall allows plenty of time for
repairs before the next heating season. It's also easier to
schedule a sweep and rates are lowest during the summer.
4.
Wash the exterior of your house, using ordinary garden hose
pressure and a mild detergent. Beware of the pressure washers.
They can be powerful enough to force water under the siding
where it may encourage mildew and rot. Power washing is a job
for a professional. Caulk exterior joints around windows and
doors. Caulking helps keep your house weather-tight and lowers
heating and cooling bills. It can also help keep insects and
other "critters" out of your house. When you caulk before
painting, it eliminates edges where the paint may start to peel.
5.
Clean lint from the entire clothes dryer vent system,
from the dryer to the exterior vent cap. Because lint is
incredibly flammable, it poses a fire risk. If a gas clothes
dryer is not properly vented, a blocked vent can force carbon
monoxide back into the home and that can be deadly.
6.
Check operation of attic fans and roof-mounted turbine
vents. Attic fans run on little energy and can greatly reduce
summer cooling costs.
7.
Repair cracks in concrete patios and driveways. For most cracks
less than 1/4", apply concrete caulk; just clean the crack out
with a high-pressure hose nozzle, let it dry and then apply the
caulk into the crack. For larger cracks, substitute concrete
patch for caulk.
8.
Check the condition of any yard fences. If the
freezing/thawing cycle has weakened the posts, reinforce them.
Examine the gate latches and replace any defective parts. If
it’s a wood fence, give it a new coat of paint or stain. In the
case of mesh fences, be sure that the mesh and attachments are
in good condition. If the mesh is beginning to sag, tighten it
with metal wire.
9. Take advantage of the warm weather to straighten up
your storage areas. Look over the garage and find ways to save
space. The addition of shelves is a good way to solve storage
problems. You can build your own shelves or purchase solid, easy
to install units.
10. Stay out of the attic spaces of your home. Even properly
ventilated attics can have temperatures of 110 to 120 degrees.
Have a question relating to a housing or environmental issue?
To contact Mr. Lazerow, click on “Contact Us” at
Albaninspect.com. Mention “Gazette Newspapers” in your
question. Every question will be answered and some will be
included in this column.
Arthur Lazerow, president of Alban Home Inspection Service,
Inc., is a nationally certified ASHI home inspector, having
performed more than 6000 inspections during the past 12-years,
is a Maryland Association of Realtors accredited public speaker
and has been a Gazette Newspapers special correspondent for the
past two years.
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