Before winter sets in, evaluating your vinyl siding and other elements of the exterior of your home can prevent costly problems. Despite the idyllic views you see on holiday cards, ice and snow can be the enemies of your home in the winter. When they melt, water can find its way into your home through the tiniest of cracks. This makes fall a good time to carefully examine the exterior of your home, and if necessary, call in a professional to make repairs.
Examining Your Vinyl Siding
Siding is attached to the outside of your home, often over a base of wood and protective coverings. If water or insects get in between the siding and your house, you can have serious water or insect damage. If you have holes or cracks in the siding, you can also lose energy, which can increase your winter heating bills.
Most modern siding materials, such as vinyl and fiber cement products, claim to be low maintenance. The products seldom need refinishing before winter, but they do need a thorough check for cracks or damage. When vinyl siding is not installed correctly you can have gaps between sections, but even the most durable and professionally installed siding can develop gaps as it expands and contracts as temperature changes. For vinyl siding, you should carefully check for entryways for animals and moisture and patch the opening with caulk.
If you find many areas where siding has cracks or you feel softness in the wood behind the siding when you press on it, you’ll want to have a professional to come and assess the situation. Fall may be the perfect time to upgrade your home with the newest in vinyl or fiber cement siding.
Don’t Forget the other Exterior Features
When you look at your siding, you should also examine your windows to see if there are gaps around them, pulled away molding, or signs of rot. Problems like this also waste energy and potentially lead to leaks inside your home. Before winter sets in, attend to loose molding and have problem windows repaired or replaced.
Examining your roof before the onset of winter can reveal loose or missing shingles, as well as problems with the flashing around chimneys, corners, vents, and roof edges – potential areas for invasions of melting snow. Properly sealing all flashing points and fixing the roof is often a job for a professional that will be well worth the expense. While he is looking at the roof, he can also examine the soffits and fascia to make sure that there no holes, rotted wood, or gaps.
Be prepared for the snow and ice this winter. Call Mountain States Windows and Siding now for a thorough examination of your home’s vinyl siding and exterior features before winter.
