Spring is Coming! Grab Your Home Maintenance Checklist

Take a deep breath of that fresh (almost) spring air because winter is just about behind us, and we’ve all got an extra “spring” in our step!

As the ice and snow melts away, now is really the best time to do a full inspection on the exterior of your home for any damage that the winter weather may have caused. This is also a good time to get your warm weather units (i.e. your air conditioning unit, lawn mower and lawn care items) ready for summer. While you’re checking, and inspecting, don’t forget to test your interior smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors! In Canada, there are about 24,000 house fires each year. In fatal, preventable house fires, more than 1/3 of the homes didn’t have a working smoke detector.

In this blog, we wanted to share some of the more important spring home maintenance checklist items from our Homeowner Handbook – a helpful resource we provide to all Uniform homeowners as part of their after-sales service care.

  • Clean or replace filters in furnace, heat recovery ventilator (HRV) and range hood
  • Service furnace
  • Fertilize sod and trees
  • Check roof for missing/loose/broken shingles or flashing
  • Clean and shut down furnace humidifier
  • Clean air conditioner – vacuum exterior of the unit and remove any build-up of debris
  • Check and reset ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)
  • Inspect basement perimeter walls inside and out for signs of moisture
  • Clear all swales, catch basins and natural points of drainage on your yard of any debris or ice build up
  • Check water heater for leaks
  • Turn on exterior water supply
  • Plan landscaping to avoid soil settlement and water ponding and repair any soil settlement around foundation walls – ground should gradually slope away from walls
  • Check exterior caulking for deterioration
  • Check exterior finishes and ensure windows and screens are operating properly

Ongoing preventive home maintenance helps to identify any minor repairs that can be fixed before they become a problem and get expensive. In general, proactive maintenance costs much less than reactive replacement and repairs. We also recommend regular, seasonal maintenance as a way to increase the value of your home, and improve overall appearance and curb appeal.

Happy Spring!