As April showers make way for May flowers, it’s time to start tackling annual upkeep to keep your home in prime condition.
You can start by grabbing a pad and pencil, and walking around your house to note all the miscellaneous maintenance needed in the coming months: the board in your deck that’s begun to lift out of place (the toe-stubber), gutters that need cleaning, debris on the roof that needs removing, a tree with roots encroaching on your home’s foundation, and anything else that grabs your attention.
Sadly, I just had to remove an oak tree that was growing up through my deck. The tree died, so it was a fire hazard, a visual blight, and its branches could’ve dropped on unsuspecting family members at any time. While it can be expensive to take care of some maintenance, the cost of not doing so can be far more costly.
As you walk around, be sure to check the eaves for birds’ nests or hornets’ nests. To eliminate hornets’ nests, there’s a nifty product on the market with a directional nozzle that allows you to spray a nest from 20 feet away—giving you an excellent head start before a swarm of angry buzzing comes your way.
If you have a wood-burning stove, spring is the perfect time to buy wood. Buying it now gives the wood all summer to dry out, and plenty of time for your teenagers to stack it. Do not stack the wood against the house—that’s a recipe for a termite or powder post beetle disaster.
Many of us don’t think about termites or other pests after we purchase our homes unless we see clear evidence of their work. However, pests do a lot of damage before you know they’re there. Each spring, you should put on your overalls and grubby shoes and crawl under your house to look for anything out of the ordinary—moisture, a loose or broken heating/air conditioning duct, and any evidence of pests.
I once had to crawl under a house to re-route a dryer vent. The space was so tight I had to slide on my back, pulling myself along using the joists. As I pulled myself deep into the space, I came nose-to-nose with a black widow nest teeming with baby spiders. It’s amazing how quickly you can move in a tight space with proper motivation. Hopefully your crawl space experience will be less exciting than mine.
As you inspect your crawl space, pay special attention to moisture, either standing water or damp earth, because hot weather will cause that moisture to evaporate and condense on the subfloor, which can lead to dry rot and termite infestations, according to Matt Miller of Mendo-Lake Termite. If you find termite mud tubes (Google this if you don’t know what they look like), black widow spiders, or other unwelcome creepy crawlies, my advice is to call Matt Miller immediately.
The solution to moisture under the house is almost always more ventilation. It may not solve the problem completely, but it will help. Matt says, “I’ve never seen a house with too much ventilation in the crawl space.” Just make sure you cover the vents with screens to keep out the unfriendlies: raccoons, squirrels, skunks, and the neighbor’s cat.
Once your crawl space under the house has been attended to, head up to the attic to make sure nothing is amiss there—no leaks causing fungus or dry rot, and no critters. If you don’t have an attic fan, consider getting one. In Ukiah, attics can get up to 160 degrees, taking years off the life of your roof and wasting electricity because your air conditioner is working harder than it has to.
If you have questions about real estate or property management, please contact me at rselzer@selzerrealty.com or visit www.realtyworldselzer.com. If I use your suggestion in a column, I’ll send you a $5.00 gift card to Schat’s Bakery. If you’d like to read previous articles, visit my blog at www.richardselzer.com. Dick Selzer is a real estate broker who has been in the business for more than 40 years.