Now that you've turned your clocks ahead an hour, it's a good time for something else!
Spring is the perfect time to check the exterior of your home for any issues and needed repairs. At a minimum, it is a good time in Southwest Florida to assess your home and plan ahead. Giron Brothers Painting is the leading area painting contractor working across the (SWFL) Naples, Coral Springs, and Fort Myers area. They can help you with any of your painting needs and projects.
It's recommended to begin assessing your home's exterior sometime between March and April before Florida's torrential summer rains or hurricane season start in full force. Most exterior repairs can't take place during one of our area's typical rainstorms. They're better done in spring, or we will have to schedule around summer weather.
Here are some things to look for when making a spring evaluation of your house's exterior:
Exterior Painting or Stained Surfaces:
As a reputable paint contractor, we advise our clients to inspect their home's perimeter at least once a year to check the integrity of any paint or stained surfaces. It could be time to repaint or, at a minimum, retouch your exterior paint job. Whether it's Florida's hot sun or heavy rains, our area weather is punishing on paint jobs - even if professionals used the highest quality paint! Check carefully for any thinning paint (especially on wood) and for peeling paint. Also, check for cracks and other surface damage. Any necessary repairs should be made sooner rather than later and probably by an experienced professional. If you wait, you risk further damage. We are happy to provide a free, no-obligation estimate for any repairs.
Gutters:
If you don't have gutter guards, you will probably need to clean out your gutters sooner or later! Ideally, you will want to head outside the next time it rains and look for breaks or leaks in gutters and downspouts. Water gushing over the edge of a gutter could signal a blockage in the channel. You will need to remove all debris clogging gutters and downspouts - including French Drains at ground level.
Windows and doors:
Spring is a good time to check your windows and doors (including front door) for potential issues - yes, that includes dirt and grime! Look for the integrity of the paint. Peeling paint compromises the wood underneath and can let water in leading to more peeling paint, wood rot, and even termites. Touch up paint as needed or hire professionals (that would be us!) to paint. Only use the highest quality of exterior paint! Check the weather stripping. Caulk any gaps you find in window frames or sashes to avoid leaks which could lead to serious issues. If your windows need washing, you can do it yourself to save some money. (We recommend not washing windows on a sunny day or your more likely to leave streaks.) Take two buckets: in one of the buckets mix one cup of vinegar, one cup of ammonia, and one gallon of hot water. Fill the other bucket with warm water. Use the vinegar-ammonia solution to wash and the plain water to rinse. Squeegee the windows and use a cloth to wipe off streaks. If you would prefer not use ammonia, you can use warm water with a few drops of dishwashing detergent. Wipe with plain water; dry with a squeegee and dry cloth.
Walkways and driveway:
Check all landscape around the house including walkways and patios. Check for cracks or other breakages in the surface areas and make any necessary repairs. Spring is a good time for annual or biannual power washing - which is a task best left to professionals.
Landscape:
Spring is a good time to turn your attention over to your landscape whether you do your yard yourself or hire professional landscapers. Look for weeds or grassing encroaching into flower beds. Clean up yard debris to avoid moisture build-up near your home's foundation and at the root base of other plants. Moisture can lead to mold growth which is bad for both your landscape and your home. Avoid moisture damage by clearing leaves and other debris from the base of shrubs and trees. Raking flower and plant beds help plants to breath!
Sprinklers:
In Southwest Florida, we tend to run our sprinklers for a much longer season than other states, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't check them for leaks and broken sprinkler heads. Check each zone individually. Leaks can lead to unnecessarily higher water bills.
Wood or pool decks:
Whether your home has a wood deck or a stone/concrete pool deck, it's a good time to inspect these surfaces if you didn't do them already during your hardscape inspections. Keeping all decks, pool or wood, clean isn't just visually appealing. It's also a matter of safety as well! You can use outdoor bleach or another professional mildew remover for smaller simple clean-ups, but for heavier or larger jobs, we recommend professional power-washing. Regular maintenance can help extend the life of these surfaces, so we recommend evaluating them at least once a year if not twice annually!
