Three Waterproofing Tips Before the Spring Thaw
Summer storms lead into fall rains which leads into winter snows, and all of this can take a beating on your home. Houses require a decent amount of maintenance in order to stay on top of things. Gutters should be cleaned at least twice a year, your roof should be inspected in spring and fall, you should always be on the lookout for moisture in your basement, and don’t forget to look over your chimney. Unfortunately, if there is still a foot of snow outside of your home, I’m not sure there is much you can do to waterproof at this point, however there are definitely things you can do to prepare. This year, try and get a jump on some of it while everything is still frozen. To get you started, here are three waterproofing tips for the spring thaw.
Measure Your Yard
Not literally, but go ahead and look at your lawn or the area surrounding your home and do a quick measure with your eye. What you are looking for is not the length of your yard, but rather the grade of slopes. Is your home sitting higher than the rest of your yard, or are there hills or steep inclines that lead down to your home? You want to be higher than the surrounding area. The point is so that when it rains, or the snow thaws all the water will be running away from you. If it is running towards your home, you’ll need to check your basement and foundation. Hopefully there aren’t wet spots or water spots yet. If there are, you’ll want to act quickly and call a professional to inspect your home to make sure that you have a way to keep the water away. You may need to waterproof the outside of the foundation or inside the basement.
Gutters
Leaves, sticks, dirt, tree nuts and berries—Gutters see it all. In a perfect world you’ll have cleaned the gutters after all the leaves had fallen right before winter. However, sometimes it just isn’t possible, and you’ve had the fall debris up there for the past few months. No problem, but for the sake of your roof and your foundation (and your gutters) you’ll really want to make the time to do it before the thaw. Always remember to be careful when climbing ladders and being on top of your roof. Always make sure you do this when someone else is home or someone at least knows you are up there. And always make sure the ladder is properly secured both while you’re on and off of it. If you get up there and things are still frozen, clean out whatever you can and take out any sticks. Getting something out is better than nothing. Also, while you’re up there, take note of the state of your gutters. When things warm up, you may find that old gutters need replaced.
Roof
When you’re up there checking out your gutters, go ahead and look your roof over too. If it’s covered in snow, this won’t be possible, but if not, this is the perfect opportunity to check for broken or peeling shingles, lose flashings, or crumbling masonry. Obviously, any of these things are not good for your roof and you’ll either need to fix them yourself or call a professional to do so. You should also check your roof’s ventilation as you don’t want condensation collecting in your attic because this will lead to leaks in your ceiling and wear on the underside of your roof. The last thing you should do is check for any ice damming. Ice dams are large collections of ice on the edge of your roofline. Often icicles form off them, so you can usually spot them from the ground, however, if you’re up there anyway, note it to take a look. Ice dams can also lead to leaks or the ruin of your shingles, so if you see them, call a professional for their expert advice.
We're Here to help!
Waterproofing a home is no small feat. These tips will help show early warning signs, however these tips are not everything. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call us at (574) 584-3640. Yoder Home Services is located in Goshen, Indiana and mainly services Elkhart County and the surrounding areas. We offer several different home repair services, such as waterproofing, foundation repair, and mold damage remediation. You can also schedule an appointment where we’d be happy to answer any and all questions.
