Rogers Neighborhood Realty: Spring Home Maintenance Tips

Each quarter, Amanda Rogers from Rogers Neighborhood Realty provides us with tips to keep our property in prime condition.

Spring is here! As plants surface from their winter sleep and the weather warms, I have a sudden urge to tackle the projects I avoided all winter. I could draft a laundry-list of spring home maintenance projects I recommend but today I’ll focus on just two worth your time and attention.

The quickest way to boost your curb appeal is to powerwash! This small investment of time and money will make your home look beautiful and will extend the life of your decking and siding. A power washer can be purchased for $300-$500 and should last you for many years. Or, you can rent one from Home Depot for $88 a day. Here are my basic power wash tips:

Setting up to power wash:

1. Get to know your machine. YouTube is a great source for product information if you’ve lost track of that old manual. Search your brand and model, you’d be surprised how many tutorials you’ll find!
2. If you’re near landscaping, find a cleaner that is plant safe (like this one).
3. Make sure your hose is free of kinks.
4. Wear sunglasses or eye protection, no one needs a fleck of paint or a woodchip in their eye!
5. Run the water for a minute before pulling the trigger on your sprayer, to work out any air in the hose.

Tips for cleaning:

1. To avoid damage to the working surface, start a good distance away and slowly walk closer until the pressure is effectively cleaning without causing damage.
2. For general cleaning, adjust the nozzle for a wide spray. For deep cleaning on a tricky stain, turn the nozzle for a narrow spray.
3. Slowly work side to side, following the direction of the siding or plank you’re working on. I recommend working top to bottom so you don’t have to clean the same section after dirty water drips down.
4. When washing horizontal siding, point your nozzle straight on or angled down. Don’t angle upwards because you could trap water underneath the siding.
5. Don’t wash windows with a power washer (especially a narrow spray), it’s not worth the risk of breaking glass. Instead, use a regular sprayer with your hose at the end of the project.

Often on showings, a client will ask me what immediate updates I think a home needs. My most frequent recommendation is to add gutters. Water poses a great risk to a home and its systems. Especially in Michigan where we experience heavy seasonal rain in the spring, and rapid melting in the winter. The vast majority of home insurance claims are related to water damage. It’s crucial that water is carried away from your home and not pooling along the exterior.

What you should know about gutters:

1. If you don’t have them, get them! This will help you keep your home’s systems safe and dry, and also add instant value to your important asset. Reach out if you need recommendations for local professionals who install gutters. The cost for gutters can vary greatly based on the material you choose and the size of your house, but $1,200-$5,000 is what you can expect.
2. Clean out leaves and pine needles regularly. Especially in the fall after your trees have dropped their leaves, and again in the spring to prepare for heavy rain. If you do not feel safe doing this yourself, we can recommend a local professional who can clean them for you.
3. Common Problems:
   • Check on your downspouts and make sure they are pointing in a direction that carries water away from your house. Often, we see a downspout that has fallen off or been bent in the wrong direction. Reattaching the spout is a simple fix that can help you avoid unnecessary damage to your home.
   • Gutters should be firmly affixed to your home with no gap between the gutter and your roof.
   • Sagging or improper slope: if water pools, it can create stress on a small section of the gutter and begin to fal. Make sure rain water is leaving from the downspout and not spilling over in the middle of your roof line. Overtime, the hardware may need to be repaired or replaced.
4. If you have the means and there is a downward grade on your property, bury your downspouts so water is carried even further away from your home’s exterior.
   • Disconnect the old aluminum spout so a plastic extension can be installed.
   • Call 811 to make sure you won’t hit a utility line when you dig.
   • The downspout should be buried at least a foot underground. The deeper the better, to avoid the frost line.
   • You can buy a cover for the end of your downspout to keep out debris and critters from building a nest in your spout.

Happy spring cleaning! Show your home some love and it will care for you for years to come.

Amanda Rogers is the Broker/Owner of Rogers Neighborhood Realty. Amanda and the rest of the agents in the office are professional, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about buying and selling houses and property in the Lowell community. For more information, visit their website, Facebook page, or Instagram page.