Nice deck
Summer Home Maintenance and taking care of your home this season isn’t just about getting in on all those trending summer looks and beautifying the backyard. It’s also about getting all those dreaded seasonal maintenance tasks done and out of the way before cold weather arrives.
I know, I know Summer Home Maintenance in the thick, sweltering heat of July? It’s hard to imagine another fall and winter ahead, but as we all know Northwestern Michigan Winters can come sooner than we thought they would. Starting on or knocking out your to-do list now will ensure you can space things out and still enjoy some lazy days off this fall. You could fit that one last trip up north, or start this years wood cutting on time for a change. You might even have time to help your mother-in -law with her to do list. The sky is the limit!
Winter and spring can be harsh on our outdoor spaces—particularly wooden decks and surfaces. The long, bright days of summer are a good time to scope out whether they need any repairs.
Checking whether a deck needs repair usually involves three tests: stability, rust, and rot.
Walking up and down each board, and grabbing each post to see if anything is loose is a great start. Make notes of loose or rotted boards. Check the stairs also. Inspect all the metal fasteners and connectors for rust and replace as needed.
While surface rust can be removed, you’ll want to replace anything that looks like it’s been compromised. Finally, use a screwdriver to gently poke various boards and posts. If the wood is soft and doesn’t splinter, that’s usually an indicator of rot—and it should be replaced.
This is also a good time to protect your home from pests. They will also be looking for winter quarters very soon. One of the best maintenance tasks you can do (for your sanity) this season is protecting your home from pests.
Summer Home Maintenance also means taking pest control into your own hands is an incredible cost-saving measure any homeowner can tackle this summer. All of the products are available for purchase locally and with some basic safety knowledge, it’s incredibly easy to do.” Seal up cracks, inspect your doors and windows, remove leaves out from under decks and porches. Spray the outside perimeter of your house with pest deterrent.
These are two jobs that can be done on the weekend and will make The Difference this fall. So go ahead and get them off of the list now rather than later. You will be happy you did, especially on that last 70 degree day of the year in October. When you thinking back to the day in August that you did this will make you happy. Your welcome friends and always remember, if your thinking of selling, contact one of our agents for a no obligation comparative market analysis.