Business
With the Polar Vortex we experienced this winter pretty much behind us, and with Spring starting to creep in now, we thought it would be a good idea to remind you about some of the best home maintenance steps that can be taken to best prepare for the changing seasons. Home maintenance (or lack thereof) is a huge factor in how well a home holds up over time, so it’s very important to maintain your home well in order to prevent and avoid any needs for home insurance claims. Below are some of our best home maintenance tips for the Spring season.
Inspect Your Trees
The trees around your home may be a gorgeous addition to your house’s landscaping, but it can also be a huge hazard if not properly maintained. Changing seasons can put a lot of pressure on the trees around your home, so it’s important to check for any pressing issues like breaking tree trunks, creeping branches, tree roots growing out, and more. The sooner you can find and address any possible issues with the trees around your home, the better the chance you have to fix the issue before it becomes a huge problem.
Remove Creeping Plants
Just like the large trees around your house can become a hazard, so can the smaller plants around your home too. Although less of a hazard, smaller plants can also creep into hazardous areas. Plant bushes and branches can creep, but so can their roots too. It’s important to check all of the plants and tress around your home to ensure the branches and roots aren’t causing any problems to the exterior and foundation of your home.
Clean Your Gutters & Drains
The drains inside your home, as well as the street gutters surrounding your home, are prone to accumulate leaves and debris. This is especially the case after the wet winters we experience in Victoria and around Vancouver Island. Homes can get flooded with back-water if these drains and gutters are not properly cleaned from time to time, so it’s important to do this seasonally, especially in the Spring season!
Check Your Sump Pump
Just like the drains and gutters in/around your home help keep any backwater away from your home, so do sump pumps. Make sure to check your sump pump seasonally too! If there are any issues with your sump pump, address and fix the concerns as early as possible.
Inspect The Exterior Of Your Home
Changing seasons can put a lot of stress on and can damage the exterior of your home. From your house’s sidings, to it’s roof, it’s foundation, and more. It’s important to give the exterior of your house a thorough walk-through during this time of year to inspect and assess for any damage that the harsh winter months may have brought to your home.
Check and Clean Your Chimney
If your home has a chimney, it’s always a good idea to check and clean it periodically throughout the year. This is especially the case come Spring season after you’ve been using the chimney a lot to keep you warn during the cold winter months. Make sure to check for and clean your chimney of any possible debris accumulation to decrease the chances of any smoke back-up, as well as limit the risk of any fires as well.
Give Your Plumbing A Once Over
Giving your plumbing a check for any issues is always a good idea, so might as well put that on your Spring maintenance check-list too.
Check Smoke Alarms and CO2 Detectors
Check to ensure that your smoke alarms and CO2 detectors are all functioning properly and that batteries are all good too.
Speak To Us About Maintaining Your Home!
