Essential April Spring Home Maintenance Tasks to Tackle Now
Ah spring! It seems to take forever to arrive, but once it does, we are all so pleased to see it. In fact, for most of us even the slightest hint of warmer weather has us itching to get outside and do something.
And the simple fact is that the month of April is the perfect time, in our area and many others, to tackle many home projects, as the harsh winter conditions have passed but we have not yet welcomed the heat of summer, something which can really make even simple maintenance tasks feel like terrible chores.
In the majority of cases, regular spring home maintenance takes minimal time and expense. But left unchecked, minor problems caused by skipped maintenance can quickly turn into major headaches, something that no homeowner needs, but especially not one who is planning to – or is already in the process of – selling their home.
So, whether your home is for sale or not, why not tap into that seasonal surge of enthusiasm and set about completing these easy spring chores.
Check your yard for low spots
Task: Spring rain showers are common nuisances at this time of year but they can also be very useful. After such a sprinkling, head out to your yard. What you should be looking for are puddles, as they usually indicate the presence of s that low spots that will kill your grass and provide a comfortable breeding ground for mosquitoes.
To fix the problem, mark these low spots with a short stake. Next, fill a wheelbarrow with good dirt and make the rounds. Don’t worry about burying grass—it’ll grow through a couple of inches of soil cover very quickly and still look great before the summer arrives.
Clean out planting beds
Prepare your flower and vegetable beds for spring planting. This should mean removing debris, trimming back dead perennial growth left over from last year and adding compost and mulch.
To lighten your workload, place a large trash bag on a wheelbarrow or garden cart, and fill it with weeds and dead plants as you work. If the green matter you collect is disease-free, empty the bags into your compost pile. If you see fungi or bugs, tie up the bags and toss them in the trash.
Check your foundation and eave vents for blockages and damage
Your house needs to breathe, and to facilitate that, it has vents that let air circulate through crawl spaces and roof framing to help prevent mould and mildew. These vents have screens to keep out debris, but they can become clogged, rendering them completely inefficient. Tour your house to check and clean clogged vents along the foundation walls and under eaves, and to repair any broken or missing screens.
Fix worn and chipped exterior paint
The winter is not kind and even expensive exterior paint can suffer. Once you have a nice sunny afternoon, it will be time to get outside and inspect your siding and exterior trim for cracks and chips. If some re-painting is called for address the issue right away, as if you put the task off until the summer sets in the paint will not adhere so well, thanks to fact that the surfaces you are brushing it onto will be warm and even when dry the new paint may crack in excessive sunlight.