Can you do it yourself? Or , Reducing rainy weather problems

Living in the great northwest is great but come October, November we all know that the rainy weather starts to set in. If you follow some basic rules for preparing your house for rainy weather then you won’t see many problems thru the rainy winter season.  Can you do it yourself? Lets’ find out.

First of all, keep your roof and gutter clean. I clean my roof and gutters 3 to 4 times a year because I have very large pine trees around my house, plus the pitch of my roof on my house is very low. Some people may want to hire this service out because of the height or pitch of their roof and gutters, but if you have a ladder and a little time this is something you can do yourself. Once the rainy weather sets in, it is good to go outside when it is raining and walk around your house and check things out. While walking around your house look up at the gutters and see if there are any leaks, corners are the first place they start to leak, downspouts may have been hit or move by lawnmowers. Check and make sure they are not leaking, also make sure the downspout is dumping the water into a tile or something that directs the water away from the house foundation.

Rainy weather in this area can cause a lots house problems if you are not aware. Any water damage over time can be very costly to have repaired or requires a lot of time to do it yourself. Make sure you look at the end of your gutters or where your gutters stop and start, many times I see small leaks and this small leak over time causes a lot of siding damage, window damage, basement or foundation damage. As your walking around your house make sure the ground is letting all water run away from the house or foundation, sidewalks, landscaping items, leaves, stacked wood can all create a spot for water to puddle. Plants and flowers that grow on the exterior walls of your house should be removed because they will collect water and stay moist all winter long, even thou your house has an exterior surface it is a must that it does not remain wet for long periods of time. Boards, siding, sheeting and wall shingles that stay wet or in puddles of water will start to wick water up into the walls, causing mold and mildew and leading to sheetrock damage. Do it yourself and you will avoid costly repairs. Rainy weather preparation also includes getting the old doors and windows to close and seal. I see nice wood flooring around doors that have leaked and caused flooring repairs when all was needed is a new seal on the bottom of the door. Home repairs and remodeling cost keep going up each year, learning to take care of what you have is a way to saving yourself money.