Despite all the stress and craziness of Summer 2020, we have to admit that the weather has been pretty close to perfect. And, we are glad to say, summer’s not over yet!
All of us at The Brandow Group have spent more time than usual in our own backyards this summer – Barb, nurturing her lush flower garden with the green thumb that only she has; Tyson, finishing up his backyard oasis with a privacy fence and new sod; and me – vicariously through my husband, of course – getting a long-talked-about outdoor kitchen, complete with natural gas hookup for the BBQ. (I will never know why we waited so long for that!)
Yesterday, though, we had a doozy of a rain storm – and it reminded us that fall will be here shortly, and with it, weather that will make it tougher to do some of the little maintenance items and projects we’ve been putting off around the house. If you need a bit of help to plan and prioritize some repairs and upkeep, here are a few suggestions:
1. Give your deck some TLC: If your deck boards are made of a low maintenance composite material, you may need to do little more than give it a scrub or power wash. However, pressure treated or cedar planks need to be sealed regularly to resist moisture, discoloration, and rot. Replacing rotted boards may be tougher this year than most, due to the Canadian lumber shortage. I am not making this up! As it turns out, Canadians are a handy bunch – and a lot of us decided to cope with the stress of quarantine by renovating with a lot of wood.
2. Seal your driveway: Asphalt can really take a beating from the extremes between seasons. If you’re not inclined to do this yourself, there are enough mild days left this summer to give you time to book an appointment with a professional to seal your driveway. The recommended schedule is to do it every 1-3 years. HomeAdvisor offers this rule of thumb: “If you can see the color of the individual stones that make up your asphalt surface, you know it’s time to seal it up.”
3. Check on the condition of your roof: Dealing with a roof problem in the dead of winter is not for the faint of heart. It often involves (expensive) emergency visits, temporary measures, and eventual replacement to be scheduled in the spring. Take advantage of summer or fall to ask a friend to spot you while you get up on a ladder and take a look around your roof. Check for missing or loose flashing, peeling, curling, or partially lifted shingles, missing caulking around skylights, deterioration around the chimney, etc. If you see anything that doesn’t look good, call a roofer to come and give you a quote on needed repairs. An ounce of prevention, as they say…
4. Check on the grade of your soil: This week’s wild rain was a reminder that fall brings a whole lot more of the wet stuff. The simple step of grading away from your house can help prevent water from getting into your basement, saving you the expense and disruption of waterproofing. This job can require some physical stamina so, if you are not up to it, call some local landscapers before they get busy with fall cleanups and see if they can make time to do this for you!
5. Apply exterior caulking to windows: Save money on heating and be more comfortable when the weather gets cold by ensuring that the caulking around your windows is not cracked or shrunken. Keep unwanted pests out, too. This is another job that might be best left to a contractor unless you are VERY confident that you can do it well yourself!
6. Fix leaky outdoor taps: You’d be surprised how much water is wasted by a leaky faucet. If you haven’t already done so this year, take a closer look at your outdoor taps to make sure that they aren’t dripping. This is one small repair you can safely try to tackle yourself. While you’re at it, check your garden hose(s). They typically need to be replaced every 3-5 years.
7. Touch up exterior paint: Depending on what type of home you have, this could be a huge project. But for many homes in Southern Ontario that are made of vinyl siding, brick, or stucco, paint touch ups to the outside of your home will be limited to doors, window frames & shutters, and railings. Just like inside, what a difference a fresh coat of paint makes! Almost anyone can do this small job, too, as long as you have plenty of drop cloths and masking tape. Just be sure to use the correct type of paint for the surface.
8. Clean out your dryer vent: This task should really be done a couple of times a year, and it’s easiest when the weather is mild. When lint builds up in the dryer vent, it becomes a fire hazard that we don’t see, often until it’s too late. Prevention is simple, inexpensive, and can easily be a DIY item. Watch a demonstration here.
9. Windows and screens: There is something so satisfying about sitting with a cup of coffee to enjoy the view out of your newly clean, see-through windows. Whether doing it yourself or hiring a company to come and make the glass sparkle, take advantage of the last few weeks of summer to have this done. If you have any torn screens that have been letting bugs in…know that they are easier to fix than you think!
None of this, of course, is meant to rush the end of summer. We plan to thoroughly enjoy every day until it’s over, and we hope you do, too.
