In city’s like White Rock, BC, spring is a crucial time of year for many reasons. Above all, it signifies the start of something new. At the current time, you won’t catch the daffodils and tulips basking in the sun, but it does necessitate the need to check several crucial tasks off your home’s annual maintenance list.
Given that White Rock is prone to harsh winter weather that comes off the ocean, you’ll certainly want to make sure the season’s previous conditions didn’t leave behind some nasty problems. Problems that could later show up in the middle of summer and lead to thousands in repairs.
Get Your Tools In Check
Saying you are going to do something and actually doing it are two completely different scenarios. Doing requires physical action. Getting out there and getting physically involved. That said, you should never go into anything unprepared. You’ll end up doing twice as much work and potentially overlooking some crucial areas. Unfortunately, making sure your home is spring-ready will require more than just a vigilant eye and a thorough checklist.
You are going to need some crucial items like lawnmowers, leaf blowers, rakes, shovels, and ladders, along with the proper safety equipment. If you are lucky, it will just be a matter of pulling the household essentials out of storage, where you’ve properly stored them before winter. If not, several purchases might be in order. Either way now is the time to get these tools out and give them a quick start.
Schedule a time to pull these tools out and give them a trial run, make sure they start and run as they should. Inspect your rakes, shovels, and ladders to ensure they are all operable.
Get your gas jugs filled, have oil and lubricants checked, if electric, check your batteries or extension cords and make sure you gather any other necessary accessories.
Create A Strategic Plan
Once you’ve got your repair tools in check, you’ll be ready to compose a to-do list or designated schedule. This is where you’ll prevent overlooking crucial tasks. You not only need to make sure all crucial areas of the home are covered, but you want to make sure you tackle them in a strategic order. Schedule tasks so they are not overlapping each other and cause repeats.
For instance, if your yard needs to be both raked and mowed don’t rake the yard first. You’ll end up going back over it once you cut the grass. This is unless, of course, your lawnmower offers a debris bag but either way, you likely get the point.
Checking The Roof And Gutters
With the recent weather and snow, you’ll certainly need to make sure your roof and gutters are up to snuff. You’ll likely be seeing more rain in the upcoming months, and you do not want to uncover a leak or clogged gutters in the middle of summer or a rainstorm. Water problems can be detrimental to your home.
Pull out the ladder and remove all the debris from the gutters, starting at the downspout of one end. As you navigate down the gutters, you’ll want to keep a close eye on the roof. Look for loose, missing, or damaged shingles or tiles. When the gutters are clear, it would be advisable to get out the water hose and ensure they do drain properly.
Retiring Your Fireplace
With the cold weather behind, you should be able to retire your fireplace and inspect it at the same time. While your ladder is still out, go over to the chimney, and check the metal flashing. Closely inspect the seals around the chimney or flue to ensure they offer a proper seal. If all is well, you can go ahead and close the damper on the fireplace and clean out the ashes one final time.
If you do notice more than average soot, now might be the appropriate time to get in touch with a chimney sweeping company to ensure that you are ready for next year’s winter season.
