Your house’s gutters may seem like they’ll last forever, but like any other part of the home, they often needs repairs. With each heavy rain, your gutters slowly loosen and lose their ability to effectively direct water away from your home. Your responsibility as a homeowner is to protect your home by ensuring your gutters are in proper working condition. Use these tips for repairing your home gutters to get the best possible results.
Use Gutter Caulk to Seal Leaks
If your gutters only have a few leaks, simply sealing them might be a better option than paying to replace them. For these jobs, it’s recommended that you remove the gutters, let them dry, and use specialized gutter caulk to ensure the seal is waterproof and likely to hold. If you don’t like how the repairs look after the fact, you can always sand down the excess caulk and repaint to make it more visually appealing.
Re-Secure Gutters to the Roof
Once you’ve repaired your gutters, it’s crucial that you properly reposition them against the edge of your roof. Otherwise, you risk letting water slip through and potentially damaging your roof and home foundation. When you’re refastening your gutters, make sure to screw the bolts in tightly enough to hold—but not so tightly that it could damage the roof. Remember that they’ll loosen again over time and that you’ll need to retighten them occasionally to keep them in position.
Install a Gutter Apron
For increased protection from water damage, you could also install a gutter apron over the back of the gutter to keep it flush against the roof. This will direct any water that otherwise would’ve run down the siding into the gutter where it belongs. However, the installation process is best left to professionals.
Know When to Replace them
In the end, you can only fix a gutter system so many times before you need to replace it entirely, and it’s crucial that you acknowledge when this happens. Opting to fix your gutters rather than replace them when they’re clearly ineffective will only lead to more work and more expensive repairs down the road. Be sure to accept when the time comes to replace them, and hire experienced gutter installation contractors in Cumming, GA to provide you with quality results.
With days of sunshine and warm temperatures ahead of us, it’s only natural that we’re going to want to spend them having fun and kicking back. However, summer is also the perfect time of the year to perform some much-needed home maintenance and ensure your property stays just as beautiful as it was when you bought it. This is why in addition to having your share of seasonal fun, you should also dedicate a few of these days to the care and preservation of your home. These are some of the ultimate summer home maintenance projects you should have on your priority list.
Power Wash and Re-Stain Your Deck
Entertaining family and friends on the porch or backyard deck of your home is one of the most beloved activities of the summer season. Unfortunately, if these areas aren’t well-kept after the long winter, they could end up being more of a hazard than an oasis. Aging decks can be particularly dangerous because stressed wood begins to splinter, thus significantly increasing the chances of someone getting a splinter. As such, before you even think of having people hang out on your deck, it’s crucial that you take the time to power wash it, sand it, and re-stain it to get it up to code. Wood stains also act as a glossy protectant that smooths out the surface to further reduce the likelihood of getting an injury. If you don’t feel comfortable taking on this project yourself, consider calling carpenters in Cumming, GA to properly replace and sand damaged areas of the deck.
Repaint Your Siding
Your siding is also likely to need a bit of a touch-up after a long, arduous winter. Whether it’s the frigid temperatures or the harsh winds, the colder months can wreak havoc on the exterior of a home and often leave it looking tired and worn. The sun can also begin having an impact on the appearance of your siding, causing its color to fade and the current coat of paint to chip and crack. For these reasons, summer poses the best opportunity to freshen up the overall appearance of your home with a few new layers of paint. Before taking on this project, take some time to first identify and repair damaged areas of your siding. This will not only better protect your house from the elements, but it will also ensure that the new paint sticks properly to its surface. Once this is done, you’re free to upgrade your home’s exterior however you wish.
Do Some Landscaping
As another ultimate summer home renovation maintenance project, landscaping is important for the upkeep of your lawn, garden, and property appearance as a whole. Depending on what natural aspects you’re interested in, this can be anything from cutting the grass to planting trees and creating a garden. The point of these projects is to make your home look more visually appealing by using natural elements and making the property look neat. Therefore, what you ultimately choose to do is entirely dependent on your tastes and level of organization. Effective landscaping is proven to increase the overall value of a home and make it easier to intrigue buyers, making it especially important for those wanting to sell their home. It’s also interesting to note that landscaping practices can keep larger populations of pests off of your property. This makes it easier to protect your home from things like infestations and the damage they can bring.
Inspect and Maintain Your Foundation
Regardless of how sturdy our home’s foundation might be, it can still sustain damage that needs to be addressed. Home foundations commonly sink and dip with the natural shifting of the Earth, putting additional pressure on the foundation and causing it to form cracks. These cracks make it easier for pests to find their way into your home in search of food and shelter. Additionally, a damaged foundation does not support the rest of the home properly, which often creates additional problems throughout the house. As such, when inspecting your foundation, it’s vital that you’re thorough in your search for cracks, unleveled areas, and sections that are particularly sunken in. This way, you know which parts of your foundation pose the biggest threat and what needs to be fixed first. Depending on the amount of damage your foundation has sustained, you may need to reach out to professionals to get an accurate scope of work.
Reseal Gaps Around Windows and Doors
As the home’s foundation shifts, exterior-facing areas such as the doors and windows can lose their airtight seal around the frames. This creates drafts that can suck the treated air out of your home and make it harder for you to keep the indoor areas cool in the extreme heat. Ultimately, you could end up spending more money to keep your home cool than it would cost to simply fix it. If you notice that you’ve developed these drafts, taking an afternoon to re-caulk the frames and recreate that seal is well worth it. However, when you go to do this, make sure that there isn’t also a problem with the window or door itself. Damaged or old doors and windows can also create drafts. So, figuring out where the problem truly lies first can save you ample amounts of time and money.
Check Your Roof for Leaks
Your roof also sustains heavy damage over the years that can keep it from protecting the rest of your home as effectively as it needs to. Leaks can form on especially damaged sections of the roof and lead to potential flooding and mold further down the line. Because of this, it’s good to get into the habit of inspecting your roof for loose shingles, holes, or exposed wood. This way, you can plan ahead and know which sections are the most prone to causing problems. If you do notice any of these things, reach out to a trained professional to see what they’d suggest. Roofing projects can be particularly expensive. So, you’ll want to search for the best possible deal.
While summer is, indeed, a time for fun in the sun, it’s also a great opportunity to redesign and update your home with renovation projects. We at Bear Mountain Custom Painting strive to make your dreams a reality this season. With our experienced interior and exterior home painting professionals, we can help transform your outdated space into something you can be proud to show off to your guests. We also offer a variety of other services such as window and door replacement, gutter installation, and carpentry services to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your home.
Though it might not be the most fun home maintenance project to complete, cleaning your gutters is an essential part of keeping your home protected. Heavy rains, particularly in flood-prone areas, run the risk of damaging your foundation, infiltrating your home, and leaving you with ruined possessions and expensive damage. This is why, despite the inconvenience it might present, taking note of the importance of cleaning your home gutter system can keep your home safe.
Overall Gutter Performance
Just like any other piece of home equipment, your gutters won’t work as effectively as they should if you don’t take care of them. From fallen leaves to nesting material and other gunk, a lot of debris can make its way into your gutter system. As your gutters fill, it becomes increasingly difficult for water to flow through them as they direct the rainfall away from your home’s foundation. This prevents your gutter from performing the job they were made to do and greatly increases your chances of a flood.
Damage Prevention
The importance of cleaning your home gutter system is also clear when you think about the amount of damage your home could sustain from storms. Without the help of fully functioning gutters, standing water can begin to seep through the roof and foundation of your home. This weakens it and makes it susceptible to further weather damage. If you allow it to infiltrate your home, this water can spark the growth of mold and other organisms that will require deep cleanings to remove. Taking care of your gutters is key to preventing this damage from occurring in the first place.
Pest Protection
As the water sitting near your foundation begins to make entryways into your home, it also provides pests with places to gain access. Once the foundation cracks, insects and rodents alike take the opportunity to squeeze into the openings in search of shelter and food. If you don’t know that this is occurring, it can quickly spiral into a full-fledged infestation that will be expensive to correct. Since getting rid of pests can be a tedious process, the best way to avoid this is to seal openings and keep water from reopening them.
Whether you’re looking for tips on properly maintaining your gutters or need home gutter installation professionals in Cumming, GA to install a new system, Bear Mountain Custom Painting can help. Our experienced and trained workers specialize in multiple areas of home maintenance and renovation, making them just the people to answer all your questions.
Windows are important components of a home’s overall design and functionality. Responsible for letting in light and providing you with protection from the outdoor elements, these panes of glass help you achieve the perfect balance of safety and style. However, no matter how long you’ve had your current windows and how effective they’ve been in the past, they won’t last forever. In fact, the longer you’ve had your windows, the more likely it is they’ll need to be replaced sometime soon. Here are a few important home window replacement tips to keep in mind when this time finally comes.
Decide Whether to Replace or Fix
When you first begin thinking about replacing your windows, take a minute to think about whether you need a full replacement at all. Window replacement jobs typically occur when the window has sustained deep, irreparable damage. The process is often expensive, as it involves replacing the entire window area—including the frame as well as the glass panes. Repair jobs, on the other hand, are more effective for windows with small damages that don’t require you to remove the entire window.
Hire Qualified Professionals
As tempting as performing this task on your own to save a bit of money might be, this is not the project you want to take on as a homeowner. This job deals with areas of the home that have direct contact with the outside weather, so you want to ensure that each possible opening is properly sealed. Otherwise, you could be at a higher risk of sustaining water damage or even allowing pests access to your home. Door replacement jobs work the same way—if you’re looking to complete either of these jobs, make sure to hire a qualified window and door installation professional in Cumming, GA.
Prioritize Function and Energy-Efficiency
Make sure to also put some thought into what type of windows you’ll get to replace your old ones. You’ll definitely want to keep your choice within your price range, but it’s important that your new windows provide you with the functionality you need as well as the energy-efficiency to save on your bills. This is the best way to make the most of the investment and ensure they can hold up to your family’s needs.
Think About Future Maintenance
Another important home window replacement tip to keep in mind is the potential maintenance you’ll need to perform on your new window models. There’s a variety of different types of windows, and each has certain maintenance tasks you’ll need to complete regularly. For example, depending on the windows you pick, you may need to periodically clean or oil their hinges. Because of this, think about the amount of maintenance you’ll be able to keep up with, and use that knowledge to inform your decision.
When it comes to repainting their homes’ interiors, many people prefer the direct color of a solidly painted wall. However, just because it’s more common doesn’t mean it’s the only option you have. In fact, you can achieve many patterns or textures through painting, depending on your personal style and vision for the home. With the right tools and a few qualified home painting professionals in Cumming, you can be as creative as you want with the renovation. Here are a few unique interior painting techniques to spark your imagination.
Feather or Sponge Painting
Have you ever wondered what painting with a feather duster or sponge would look like? In all seriousness, this method of painting is one of the most popular due to the depth of color contrast and texture it creates on a wall. It involves taking a textured surface, lightly dipping it in paint, and dabbing it across the wall to create unique patterns. With a white wall and a bold color to dust on it, you can have a beautiful accent wall in as little as a few hours.
Drip or Splatter Painting
The chaos of drip or spatter painting also makes for incredibly unique designs. Thrust onto the blank wall with nothing but a bit of force and gravity, the bits of paint create a natural abstract look. You can even direct the drips or splatters in specific ways to generate an interesting secondary pattern. Best of all, this technique allows you to layer multiple colors and create a scheme all your own.
3D Press Painting
Another eye-catching and unique interior painting technique is what’s known as 3D press painting. Using a bit of extra paint and a deep-patterned paint roller, the painter can generate patterns that appear three-dimensional. This is often useful for themed rooms, whose designs benefit from a lot of texture. Keep in mind, however, that this method might require some touching up to make your accent features pop.
Stencil Painting
On the other hand, if you have a specific design or pattern in mind for your room, you can also have your painter use the stenciling technique. This method uses established designs to trace and detail unique patterns onto a wall. Using these personalized shapes in your home makes for a lovely and unique style.
