With cooler weather finally here, it is a great time to start some exterior maintenance. The walls of your house are like your skeleton, so to keep it strong and sturdy you need to protect it. Your walls appearance is very important for keeping your house looking great and resale value up, but it also acts as the skin that protects the structure. Depending on the type of exterior skin that is on your house, the maintenance can be quick or intense.
The easiest to care for facade is rock or brick. Both of these masonry products are very weather resistant, but still the porosity of the material can lead to mold buildup in very moist and shady areas that will need to be cleaned off with a pressure washer and treated with a good quality stone sealer to slow reoccurrence. Also, check for cracks in the mortar-joints (especially around windows and above garage doors) that will need to be pointed-up to prevent water infiltration. Lastly, check to make sure all the little weep holes at the bottom of the masonry wall are free and clear of any dirt or insect nests, so that water that builds up between the rock and wall will be able to properly escape from your house.
Stucco facades are fairly easy to care for as well, but they do need attention. Any crack in the protective paint needs to be caulked and repainted with a fresh coat of elastomeric paint to prevent water from soaking into your walls and into the house. The biggest problem areas are bands around windows and any large areas that do not have control joints. Also, as with stone walls, make sure the weep screeds at the bottom of the stucco are clear of dirt and debris so water that does get through the paint can safely flow out of the wall with out getting into your house.
Siding walls are potentially the most laborious to care for. You really need to watch for rotten areas, nails that pop out, and joints that need to be caulked. Wood moves a lot, so paint does not stand much of a chance to stay in good shape for too many years. Frequent caulking and repainting will be necessary to keep your walls in top shape, but it is definitely worth the effort. If you happen to have hardi-board siding you will not have to re-paint unless you just want to change the color. The concrete product is very stable and will not crack the paint like wood products. Just clean it with a light power washing and it will stay looking new for a long, long time.
The roof of your house is important as well, but other than making sure that is clear of debris you should not need to worry about your roof too much. Metal roofs are very maintenance free. Asphalt shingle roof are also fairly maintenance free for their first 10-15 years, but then you need to start checking for weather related damage and cracking from the shingles drying out and becoming brittle. Concrete tile roofs are tricky to clean and check, because they are so easy to break if stepped on wrong. Unless you have a cracked tile though your tile roof should be just fine for the life of your house. They are easy to repair, but can cause major leaking problems if not properly addressed.
Keeping the exterior of your house in proper shape will allow it to protect the interior of your house for many more years than the average. It will also keep the resale value of your house at a maximum, because it will stay looking new many years after its prime. You may even have an affect on your neighbors and if every body in your area is maintaining their houses that will keep the neighborhood in good shape as well. Well, have a good time working around your house and just remember a good house makes a great home!
