Our Spring Home Maintenance Checklist 2024 Edition

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[00:00:21] Eric Goranson: Go ahead and clean and inspect all window and door screens, make repairs and replacements as necessary. Do you have that sliding patio door where every time you go to use the screen, it's like junk, junk, or it's. Not rolling across there. Maybe it's time to either get her back on its track or get a new one or take a look and see if the rollers are damaged.

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[00:01:03] Eric Goranson: Thanks for joining me today. If you want to find out more about us, head over to around the house. com, or you can get ahold of me here in the studio at 8 3 3 2 3 9 41 44 that's 8 3 3. 239 4144, and I can answer your home improvement questions there as well over at our website where you can send me an email today.

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[00:01:43] Eric Goranson: Feel free to send me an email over at around the house, online. com. And I will send you out a PDF copy via email. All right, first off here, we're going to talk about an inside and outside kind of thing, and this is really where we were going to go around and make sure that we've got all that stuff taken care [00:02:00] of for spring.

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[00:02:18] Eric Goranson: Is if you have an HVAC system out there as you're walking around, make sure that you clean all the leaves and other debris around that outside air conditioner or heat pump. And if you're using a cover on it, make sure and get that off of there. So that way it's good to go. It's also a good time to get out there and clean that thing off.

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[00:03:04] Eric Goranson: Now, the other thing is too, with this. I want to keep all the bushes and shrubs and stuff a couple feet away from this thing. So it has proper airflow. So if you missed trimming last year, go ahead and go around it, get that trimmed up, keep it so it's nice and accessible. Cause if it gets overgrown, you're going to reduce the ability for that thing to transfer heat.

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[00:03:58] Eric Goranson: Now, the other thing is here is [00:04:00] clean all the debris out of all the window. Well, storm drains, gutters, downspouts, downspout extenders. And this is a good time to take a look. If you have downspouts coming out of your gutters. I want to make sure that those things aren't dropping next to the ground. They want to be going at least 10 feet out into the yard, preferably through a below grade storm drain system and out downhill, because what happens is if that water is running down next to the foundation, that will cause foundation damage.

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[00:04:44] Eric Goranson: All you need to do is call before you dig, make sure you know where all the utility lines are, and you're going to use a, what I like to do is use a PVC or ABS, get it underground. ABS is not really rated for sunlight. So. You want to have it come into a tube, go underground, [00:05:00] and you could bury that. Get the right slope, have it either drain into a dry well that you can build your own or get it down near the curb and just make sure you're following your local code.

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[00:05:26] Eric Goranson: That's a big one right there. Now here's the other thing too, is trim back overhanging limbs on trees. So make sure they're trimmed out. Make sure that there's nothing overgrown around the house. And really, if you're in a wildfire area or an area where you're densely populated, where a house fire could start next door and come over, you really want to keep any of those shrubs and bushes away from the house by four or five feet, five feet, preferably.

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[00:06:11] Eric Goranson: Those ground level plant plantings, just make sure that you got all the dry stuff out of there and that you've got that really well and thought out anything that's up against the house like that will cause problems down the road. And it's a good time to get it now in the spring before they get any bigger.

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[00:06:43] Eric Goranson: Maybe you had a rough winter and that caulking around the windows and doors and stuff is cracked. Now's the time to get that on a nice sunny day. If you get out there with one of the good caulks, you can even, some of can be easily used. In the rain, even, but most of those are a silicone base, which means you can't [00:07:00] paint them.

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[00:07:21] Eric Goranson: And that's where that crack happens. Cause it tears it basically as things move back and forth. And you see a lot of that movement with wood, with vinyl siding, any of those things that expand and contract is where you have those issues. Now here's another one here that can be a really big deal. Clean the screens on roof fence in louvers and make sure that they're working.

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[00:08:04] Eric Goranson: And if you've got too much on there and if it's a metal screen, just get up there with some, uh, Paint remover, or just get up there and scrape it out. Make sure that if it's depending on what it is, if it's more of a window screen material, you could eat that up if it's nylon, but if it's metal, you can maybe do something with it.

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[00:08:41] Eric Goranson: But the problem is you didn't put enough air intake in. And that's a big part of the project that we've talked about on the show before, but it's an important one to make sure that you've got dialed in. So make sure those are good. And those screens, if they're tore up, that's where rodents, wasps, hornets, pests, and even, uh, things bigger get into that.

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[00:09:14] Eric Goranson: So that's a common way for wildfires to happen is that they're blowing those embers around. They'll blow up into those, through those vans. And all of a sudden they're down in a place that can burn. So we want to make sure and keep that from happening. All right, guys, when we come back more on our spring home maintenance checklist, just as soon as around the house returns.[00:10:00]

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[00:10:26] Eric Goranson: I have 30 years in the design and construction industry in residential remodeling and new construction out there. So I have, I am a certified kitchen designer. I've got 30 years under my belt doing that. I've run everything from new home building companies to cabin shops, to again, even getting into tons and tons of remodeling.

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[00:11:12] Eric Goranson: And last time we were talking here of, uh, cleaning screens on roof vents and louvers, and the next one here is an important one seeking destroy early signs of bird or stinging insect nests in those key spots, like the eaves ledges and stuff. And I tell you what, guys, this is a big one. I'm on the hunt around my house because.

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[00:11:57] Eric Goranson: And all of a sudden it was about 55, 60 [00:12:00] degrees outside. It was in the morning and I felt something under my arm. Yeah, that was the first one coming up under my shirt and got me underneath my arm. And then I got hit with about 15 more of them. They were in my hair, up my shirt, on my arms. I was covered in these things.

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[00:12:33] Eric Goranson: Cause there were so many next to each other. We were guessing at that point, but that was a quick trip to the hospital. And that doc there got me all lined up with some good, hit me with a steroid that counteracted that and got me on some medications to stop the itching and stuff. And boy, for the first 24 hours there, I did not feel awesome.

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[00:13:11] Eric Goranson: Because that could be a severe health hazard. If I would have been badly allergic to that. Guess what? That would have could have been a game changer for me right there. We're game ender. So these are things that I want you to make sure and maybe bring in a pro. If it's something that's above your pay grade, because I'll tell you what, those things, even when it's cool outside are faster than you are.

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[00:13:45] Eric Goranson: And from now on, I'm going to be doing a lot more looking for those things because whoo, they get you good. So the next one here is repair any weather damage, holes, cracks. Anything like that on the roof, siding, trim, or windows. And it's a great time to get up on that [00:14:00] roof. If you can, if not, bring in that roof professional to come take a look.

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[00:14:27] Eric Goranson: And make sure that all the seals and all that stuff get dialed in are ready to go. Cause sometimes a tree branch or rodents or even hail or wind can really do some damage out there. And it's in a spot you might not see. And that can be really expensive because you don't usually find that until it starts damaging stuff in the ceiling.

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[00:15:04] Eric Goranson: It's a good time to do that kind of thing. So next one up, if you have a wood fire chimney. Make sure and have it cleaned and checked if you didn't do it in the fall. And again, this is really a chimney sweep type situation where you want to send them to go get this taken care of, get them up there, get it tiled in, and you'll be good because the last thing I want to see is a Creosote fire or some damage.

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[00:15:45] Eric Goranson: And he saw a little bit of it in a couple of weeks ago in around the house, Northwest and the TV show and that wall that we reframed, but that had, that house had been basically abandoned for about geez, 15 years. No one had been living in it for 15 years in Canon beach. If you live [00:16:00] there and you're listening on the radio, this was known as the blue tarp house there.

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[00:16:24] Eric Goranson: So these are things you want to make sure that are dialed in because that's the last thing you need is any health issues like that, because that is one of those situations that can go. From bad to deadly. So just make sure you've got that taken care of. And it's a good time to go outside. If you're, if you're in a freezing area, if you've got that insulation around your faucet covers, if you're done with the freezing stuff, go ahead and take those out and remove those covers.

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[00:17:08] Eric Goranson: That's when I would start worrying about not having to take that hose off of there. So now is the time just to be careful because in most of the country, those little cold streaks can come in and cause some damage, and I don't want to see you have to go back and do some repairs there. And so once you start getting into that dry time, when it's ready to turn on the sprinkler system.

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[00:17:45] Eric Goranson: So you don't contaminate the water supply. So that's a big one right there. So make sure that's taken care of and, uh, turn them on, get them adjusted. Make sure that you don't have any trees and bushes that have gotten in the way. Maybe [00:18:00] you need to move a sprinkler head. Now's a great time to do it when it's nice outside.

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[00:18:29] Eric Goranson: And that's a big one. All right, guys around the house. We'll return after these important messages. Don't go anywhere. We've got a lot more to talk about in a spring.[00:19:00]

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[00:19:23] Eric Goranson: So no matter where you're listening, you can catch us on any one of those different platforms. So today we're talking about my spring home maintenance checklist. This is that list. You should be going around and taking a look around the house. Now we've been going through a lot of this. We're halfway through this hour of the show.

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[00:19:56] Eric Goranson: Maybe it's time to either get her back on its track or get a [00:20:00] new one or take a look and see if the rollers are damaged. But so funny how. We put up with those things so many times that those things don't work. And I think it's a good time to maintain that door as well. Get in there. If you have a, a sliding glass door, that's maybe one of the old aluminum ones or something like that.

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[00:20:38] Eric Goranson: So it's properly supported and take those wheels and get them cleaned up. I've seen people replace them with different ones and generally try to get them maintained and back. Sometimes you're just too done and you have to replace that door. But sometimes a little maintenance can really get that working correctly and you can get it working.

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[00:21:13] Eric Goranson: So. You should, your HVAC system, heat pump, air conditioner, furnace, whatever, should be maintained by a professional each year. And if you're in a area like down South, maybe you're in California, Texas, Arizona, Florida, wherever, where that's running more often than not maybe twice a year, because you need to make sure that thing is running correctly.

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[00:22:02] Eric Goranson: So you can't put in that old 80 percent unit in there. You're going to have to go to something more tech. It's got more computers in it. If you want to get the most life out of it, maintain that. So when was the last time you had your AC or your heat pump serviced? That's a big one. I want to see him out every year because I tell you what, every time I've had a major breakdown, it was because I didn't have it serviced and it was something that they could have easily caught when they were doing their checks the year before.

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[00:22:49] Eric Goranson: And if not find the installation company that did it, if they're a licensed place, get on their service plan. If you get on their service plan, usually that will save you money because that you pay by the year. And then [00:23:00] sometimes if you have a breakdown, that will get you on their preferred list where some of them will do it.

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[00:23:25] Eric Goranson: That they're not cracked or mortar or loose joints, any of that stuff. It's a great time to do it. Take a look at that chimney. We were just looking at the chimney here at the, at the peach house. And that thing is going to have to be repointed. I think we can save it, but here's the thing. It had a bad repointing job done in the past where instead of using mortar, they just went up there with, with cement and did it instead.

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[00:24:12] Eric Goranson: But that's another project. But if you can get it earlier, these things always get worse, not better. Now, the next one here is, this is where you need to go around and do that paint check. All those areas, I think everybody knows those little spots in their house where the wind and the rain gets this side of the house wet or the sun beats on this side of the house.

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[00:24:52] Eric Goranson: And I'm like, Oh, wait a minute. Those are not bumblebees. Those are a [00:25:00] bee. But what they are is they go in and eat that wet, rotten wood. So they will bore in a past. And they're actually doing damage. So that means I had two of them, my house. So that means I have a spot in my house someplace where I've got some wet wood that I'm going to have to go on the hunt here for, because maybe they came in through the open door to the son that we had, but, uh, I'm concerned that they made it into the house and if they made it into the house, that means I probably have a problem that I'm not aware of yet.

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[00:25:47] Eric Goranson: And you don't have it as sealed up as you think you do. So take a look at that. I could have a major problem that I'm not aware of yet. I got a couple ideas, but I got to get up on the ladder and on the roof and do that. Now, what [00:26:00] other thing you're starting to see that's getting much more affordable people when you're getting on the roof like that is I just went out and did it, I'm going to be putting this in on a future episode here is installing a harness system up on my roof.

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[00:26:27] Eric Goranson: So something to think about. When you're trying to get around the house up there on the roof and you're doing it, if you're a DIY or even a professional, it's nice to have a place to tie off to. All right. Next one here is make sure you're examining all the trim, which is on that painted surface, making sure all the window trim and stuff is around and that's not damaged.

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[00:27:03] Eric Goranson: And we talked about this in a previous segment with Sashko. You want to have that stuff cleaned out really well. Cause they have that big stretch caulk that I like using. It's a latex caulk, but it really stretches and it really works well. But if you're using that caulk, you want to have a little bit bigger of a gap because when you have more material there, it gives you more room to actually expand and contract.

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[00:27:40] Eric Goranson: Like three sixteenths of an inch is probably your best because that gives that space to expand and contract while you're tackling this project. So any old windows, if you've got a broken or cracked glass, damaged screen, storm windows, or like my house where I have three aluminum windows now that have seals that are failed.

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[00:28:16] Eric Goranson: Now the next one here is really important and this is something I want you to take some time on and something we're going to start to address it here, but I really want you to spend some time on this cause this is a big deal. And this happens to all houses, new, old, whatever. This is a cracked foundation and cracking in concrete is almost a guarantee, but I've got some secrets that you can do to make sure that you've got those dialed in.

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[00:29:07] Eric Goranson: Show this where we help you get the most out of your home through information and education. Hey, if you have questions about the show or If you want to get a copy of this spring home maintenance checklist we're talking about today head over to around the house online. com send me a message and I will send you a pdf copy so you have it to walk around your house.

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[00:29:50] Eric Goranson: And here's what happens if you have clay soil outside and you go through the spring and it's wet or the winter and it's wet and it's dry. [00:30:00] Clay loves to expand and contract. Think of that kitchen sponge that gets wet and it shrinks up. So what you want to do is really keep an eye on that foundation because that house is moving depending on how much clay's air can move at different rates.

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[00:30:35] Eric Goranson: These days, you can actually go across and embed these crack lock staples or use carbon fiber. And there's ways to keep that tied together. So it's not really that big a deal when you start getting to be a big deal is when you get multiple cracks. And they move around year after year. And as they grind together, they loosen more material, which means you've got more problems and those get to be bigger and bigger.

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[00:31:14] Eric Goranson: And they were just using sand in the concrete and these things, I could literally take a screwdriver and dig very simply like it was pumice right through the exterior wall. And in that kind of situation, it gets to be a much bigger fix, but you can go on there and skim coat and things like that and protect it and get more life out of it.

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[00:32:15] Eric Goranson: So you have an engineered solution and then bring in the people to say, okay, this is what I need to have done and have them run numbers. So you have the right thing there. So that's a big one. Anything more than a hairline, have somebody take a peek at it and make sure you're good. All right, guys, let's go inside here.

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[00:33:02] Eric Goranson: I'm really liking some of the smart ones now that I can watch that I can silence. It'll warn me that if by the kitchen that, Hey, you're getting some smoke in here and I can go, ah, that's me cooking on the grill and the fan's not getting it. That's where you can start making it nice. You don't have to get up on a ladder to turn it off.

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[00:33:33] Eric Goranson: Make sure that you clean any screens and things like that and make sure that it's working, get down there and test it real quick. Make sure it's cycling on. And if it's time to replace it, do it, take a look at there. There's some great ones out there with battery backups and that kind of thing. If it's something that you don't want to do.

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[00:34:07] Eric Goranson: I do not use general drain cleaners in the house. I would much rather come remove it. If you're going to get some soaps, gum removers and stuff, that's okay. But so many of those things will eat through the pipes, damage fittings, all that kind of stuff. And I have removed all of that stuff probably five or six years ago from my house.

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[00:34:44] Eric Goranson: Many do because you've already used that drain cleaner and they have much more cleaning to do on their tools. And it's a safety hazard for other people working on it. So not a big fan of the drain cleaners for the liquids. And that stuff. If you're going to use one of the foaming ones, it'll clean the soaps, come out of a shower or something.

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[00:35:19] Eric Goranson: Go around and test all of your GFCI, your ground fault circuit interrupters in your house. Many times those have a lifespan of about 10 years before they start clicking off early. Maybe he's cooking that hairdryer in the bathroom and all of a sudden that thing clicks off. Try replacing that first when they wear out, they click off a little early.

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[00:35:53] Eric Goranson: So that's a good one right there next up crawl through that crawl space or basement look for rodent pest damage [00:36:00] inspect for water intrusion cracks Leaking pipes all that stuff is the insulation where it's supposed to be is everything where it is. That's a big one Next up here, do that mold inspection around your house, basements, crawl space, attic, closets, bathrooms, around windows, because here's what happens.

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[00:36:42] Eric Goranson: So that's a big one right there So make sure that you're doing that And that mold when in doubt call up my friend like carolyn was asking america's healthy home expert And she can have mold tests done for your house. She can send off a kit so you can do some air testing You And do the research on that guys.

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[00:37:22] Eric Goranson: If you've got boxes stacked up in the basement, up against the exterior wall, pull those away and see. So many times you'll pull those away and you'll see like a carpet of mold on the wall behind it. There's your health hazard and properly dispose of it. And do not go out and get the bleach. Use the right cleaners and stuff that are rated for mold.

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[00:37:58] Eric Goranson: And that should be serviced every year [00:38:00] as well. But a lot of those, if you've got a newer home where you have an ERV or an HRV. Make sure that you change those filters and you're doing that correctly. So make sure you get that taken care of. Cause it's not only your heating and cooling system that has it.

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[00:38:32] Eric Goranson: Those things get so much dust and dirt up there. If you're not careful. That's an easy fix. And then make sure you get your garage door adjusted. Make sure it's working well. And then here's the last one here that I really want you to go through. Services appliances. Clean the filter on your front load washing machine.

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[00:39:08] Eric Goranson: Alright guys, we're running out of time here I got a run. We got to get ready for the next hour over around the house Thanks for tuning in if you want to get this list head over to around the house online and I can email it to you All you have to do is ask. Thanks for tuning in to around the house