4 Things Every Houston Homeowner Should Check Each Spring

With unpredictable weather during the winter months, spring is the best time to check the wear and tear on your home.

Your home is probably the greatest asset you own. Taking care of it is crucial not just for a safety and security reason but for a financial reason, too. Since 2000, housing inflation has been at a yearly average of 2.3% and continues to rise.

A great way to take care of your greatest asset is regular maintenance. Fixing broken light fixtures, brightening the room with a fresh coat of paint, and planting colorful flowers are all great baby steps to ensure your home is being loved. But overlooking certain parts of the house can cause serious damage to your property as well as your pocket book.

Here are 4 things every Houston homeowner should check each spring:

Roof

After the snow has cleared and the cold weather has blown away, getting on the roof should be one of the first things on the to-do list. With harsh winds and heavy precipitation comes damage to the outside of the house, especially the roof since it gets the brunt of the exposure. Checking for damaged, broken, or loose shingles can save a fortune in future expenses. If a leak occurs, this can lead to mildew, sunken ceiling, and damage inside the house.

Here are potential signs for needing to repair, re-roof, or replace a roof:

• Cracked, curled, or missing shingles
• 20+ year old roof
• Dark or blotted streaks
• Moss growth between the shingles
• Missing granules
• Sagging rafters and ceiling
• Discoloration or water spots on the ceiling
• Daylight seeps in through the roof

Homeowners insurance is prepared to repair a roof, especially living in Houston where hail, thunderstorms, and hurricanes are common occurrences. Take the time to fix your roof. The cost does not just secure your roof, it protects your entire home.

Foundation

Soil and climate causes most of the issues when dealing with foundational integrity in Texas. Varying degrees of clay, loam, and sand make up most of the soil in the Houston area which can lead to severe and costly repairs if not inspected regularly. Foundation movement can make a structure shift and become unstable. With these types of soil, movement and shifting is a common occurrence.

Here are potential signs of structural damage:

• Exterior brick cracks
• Slab cracks
• Ceiling gaps
• Uneven or fractured floors
• Crooked doorways
• Damp, musty smells
• Door and window gaps
• Chimney, wall, and floor tile cracks
• Sagging floors leaning fireplace

Routinely inspect the inside and outside of the home for cracks, wet spots, and other structural damage, making sure to walk the entire perimeter. Early detection of any foundation issues can save time, money, and a headache. What starts as a small problem can lead to a bigger, more troublesome, and more expensive one if left unattended.

Landscaping

When spring comes, everyone starts landscaping their dream yard. Lowe’s and Home Depot display gorgeous flowers, discounted mulch, and yard figurines and water features which have homeowners salivating over what their yard could look like. But there are some steps to consider before buying an entire pallet of sod.

Inspect Your Trees

With hail, hurricanes, and thunderstorms being a regularly occurrence in Houston, checking your trees is a must. Huge trees that provide shading for your yard and house are wonderful features that add value to a house. This makes homeowners hesitant of trimming and taking out trees. But old, rotted, and dead trees can cause serious harm to a yard and home. Before the spring storms pick up, ask a specialist to come out and check the trees, especially the mature ones. It only takes a light breeze to knock down a rotted tree.

Prune Your Yard

Pulling out dead plants and pruning back overgrown trees help keep your yard looking clean. Dig out the weeds, remove dead shrubs, and clear out flower beds to freshen up the yard and offer a sense of accomplishment. Seeing your yard get beautiful also helps you envision how your yard could potentially look with a little more work.

Map Your Design

Mapping out what the yard looks like now and all the places that have full sun and/or shade gives insight to what plants can go where. Certain factors need to be considered when designing the perfect backyard oasis, like who will be using the yard, certain themes and color schemes, creating and linking spaces, and how will the yard look next month, next year, and the subsequent years after that.

Plumbing

Checking the plumbing of the building once or twice a year is a good habit to ensure the home’s quality and if there is any damage that might be caused by age, wear and tear. Check the outside of the home for any damage that might have happened during winter, especially on the irrigation or sprinkler system. Even a small leak can lead to a big financial problem.

Here are different pipes and water sources to check:

Water heater

Check the age of the water heater. They usually last about 10 years before needing to be replaced.

Toilets

A quick flush on each of the toilets is a good way to make sure there are no clogs. Leaks at the base of the toilet can lead to significant damage and sealing the leak will only make the problem worse. Calling a plumber is advised if you see leaks.

Water taps

Turn on all the taps, check for rust, look under the sink for discoloration or leaks. This is a great time to see if the pipes are clogged or not. Using a declogging cleaning supply on your pipes can help keep the build-up to a minimum.

Sprinklers

Test run the sprinklers before setting them on a timer to ensure no leaks and that all the plants are getting water.

Water pressure

To check the water pressure, turn on all the faucets at the same time. All the pressure from the water should be the same and should not trickle or slow down.

Plumbing problems are frequently the cause of foundation issues. A simple plumbing problem can turn into an expensive foundation problem which then can lead to a roof problem. Checking your water meter for normal levels and pipes for normal water flow are all great ways to make sure your plumbing is in working order.

Checking these parts of your house can be easily overlooked, especially since they’re in places not often traveled. But taking the time to crawl under sinks, hop on the roof, and walking around the outside of your house in search of cracks and other foundation issues are all proactive steps to early detection of a possibly big problem.

Hopefully these tips help you in your spring cleaning and home improvement projects.