Every Shingle Spring: April Home Maintenance Checklist

We’re expecting those April showers as well as the typical DMV spring fake-out— Is spring here is it not here, oh wait, there’s snow still?— so many of these tasks for our April Home Maintenance Checklist are related to the outdoors and the exterior of your home. These tasks should be done every shingle– oops, we mean single– spring! 

Let’s start with the MOST important one: your roof!

Inspect Roofing for Damage

Routine is what we’re striving for with these checklists and a routine roof inspection is one of the most vital things you can do as a homeowner. If you have the means, go ahead and hire a professional, but there are some key things to look for if you’re a DIY person. You may be able to get a good look even from the ground with the help of some binoculars, but take a look around the perimeter from the ground first:

1. Look for debris or growths. Nothing traps moisture better than moss and other growths that might be brewing up on your roof. Piles of leaves, algae, and moss can all compromise the integrity of your roof if not destroyed. Moss-killer can be used as well as some growth resistant shingles, should you have to replace any. 

2. Look for buckled or curled shingles. Hot air, usually from your attic, can morph shingles and cause them to curl. This can lead to water being let in and other damages you don’t want to see. If you see any misshapen shingles, it’s time to replace them. 

3. Look closely. Get up there! Carefully. Use a ladder (and the buddy-system if possible) and take a close look. Check out the flashings— or metal materials used to redirect water— around your chimneys, pipes, and other structures. If your flashings are showing wear, they might be letting moisture in and contributing to damage as well. You may notice more build-up in your gutters as well, so if you had a heavy storm or it’s been a while since you cleaned them, that might be your next step as well. 

4. Look for damaged, missing, or worn shingles. Obviously, if shingles aren’t there, they’re going to need to be replaced, but look for signs of corrosion, stress-wrinkling, rust, and other signs of wear on old shingles. If you have asphalt shingles, you may even notice build-up that looks a bit like gravel down in your gutters. If you see a lot of this debris, it might be time to replace your shingles with a better material. 

5. Look in your attic. If your house does have an attic, you don’t want to finish your investigation before checking out that room. You want to check for any signs of water leakage through your roof. Check your rafters and any and all wood for signs of moisture, rot, or mold. 

The national average cost for a roof inspection is $328, but you can safely check your roof yourself by following the previously listed steps. Now that you’ve taken care of your roof, it’s time to move another form of protection against the outside: your windows and window screens!

Repair/Replace Damaged Window Screens

You may have various types of screen materials in your home; aluminum, fiberglass, and polyester screens are all popular and have their advantages. Some screens help to block heat and glare from the sun, and tightly woven screens will keep most of those pesky insects and gnats outside where they belong! 

If you notice any stretching or tears in your screens, it’s time to replace or repair them. Check out the following link for an easy DIY tutorial from Home Depot to assist you further with this step: https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-repair-or-replace-window-screens/9ba683603be9fa5395fab901c4aa0dc0

If you’re just looking to upgrade some of your window screens, you may want to check out this link as well from Lowe’s Home Improvement (we have to play fair and give them a shout out, too, don’t we?): https://www.lowes.com/n/how-to/replace-upgrade-window-screen

Once those windows are inspected, it’s time to move to your interior walls. 

Repair Any Interior Wall Damage

If you have kids or animals, chances are you have some dents in your walls. One of the biggest offenders is the little dents where door knobs can— and will— strike your walls when opened too fast or hard. 

Once you’ve spotted these areas and any other noticeable little blemishes, you can easily grab some spackle, or drywall compound, from your local hardware store, and take care of this issue yourself. There are various DIY tutorials and videos out there to help you with this, too. 

Some touch-up paint might be necessary as well. If you haven’t heard of this trick, you may want to write this down or save it for the next time you paint, but here goes: take a permanent marker and write the name of your paint, maker, and type on the back of your light switch covers. This life-hack may save you lots of time and frustration later. And, when painting any room, it’s always a good idea to have an extra quart to keep for touch-ups here and there as normal wear and tear or child or animal-induced wear and tear ;-) happens in your home. 

Okay, now that you’ve had a short reprieve inside, it’s time to head back outside again for our final two tasks. 

Clear Dead Plants/Shrubs

Out with the old (and dead) and in with the new. You need to remove any dead plants or shrubs throughout your yard and landscape of your home to keep that curb appeal and simply keep any plant diseases from spreading or reappearing later down the road. 

Many smaller shrubs can be easily removed with the help of a spade and a few other gardening tools. If you have some smaller trees though and a stubborn stump, however, you may need a professional to help. Most of this task can be done yourself though with a little muscle. Just be sure to get the entire root system and dig down and around the entire perimeter of each plant. 

You can read more here for some tips and tricks for plant removal: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/projects/removing-existing-plants.htm

Lastly, you need to check on your sprinkler system, if you have one, to ensure whatever new vegetation you put down grows, or just to have a healthy, green lawn. 

Check Sprinkler System

If you’re one to take pride in your lawn, you probably already know the importance of a good sprinkler system, but making sure you catch any leaks or issues will save you quite a few bucks over time. 

Here are the basics for checking your sprinkler system: 

1. Make sure your water is on. Check your water meter to ensure it’s running. 

2. Slowly turn on your backflow device and isolation valve. These devices should also be turned on if your system has them (not every one may have an isolation valve). Turn this on slowly to avoid damage to the main line— especially if you’re turning it on for the first time this year. 

3. Check your water meter again. If you have a leak, your leak indicator on your water meter will spin. If there are any leaks in your system, you’ll know there’s one for you to investigate later. 

4. Test out the different areas of your yard and each control. You want to make sure your system is set-up to suit the needs of your lawn, so simply run your water for a few minutes at each control to test it out. 

5. Walk around to inspect each sprinkler head. While you’re testing your different areas, check to make sure you don’t have any broken, clogged, or completely missing sprinkler heads, sunken heads, slanted or bent heads, overspray or runoff, broken pipes, and signs of high or low water pressure anywhere. 

6. Lastly, check your drip system. You’ll see your filter for your water line inside the drip system. Ensure this is clean and, if needed, replace it. After you’ve checked this filter, open the flush at the end of the drip system. Run water through once it’s opened to make sure there isn’t any blockage or obstructions, then turn it off again. 

That’s it! It’s a rather long list and could be a little overwhelming at times, but by keeping up with this checklist, you’ll save loads of money and save yourself some frustration in the long run, before things become bigger issues! As always, if you need the name of a reputable professional for any of the above tasks, don’t hesitate to ask!