Spring is here!  Yeah!  Yeah!

Each spring when homeowners get out to clean up their flower beds and landscaping they should also perform a thorough visual inspection of the exterior of their home. The most costly repairs Mr. Handyman completes for our customers is related to siding and window repairs and replacement due to wood rot. Mostly wood rot starts with some minor areas that appear to be bulging or swollen areas of the siding or wood trim that feel spongy when pressed with your finger or a screwdriver.

Many homeowners do not realize that what is seen from the exterior of the rotted siding is the just a fraction of the damage that is truly going on with that area. The siding and/or window trim is rotting in that location due to some type of water intrusion behind those locations and will get progressively worse with a few more rain showers. It is less costly to tackle these breaches in the exterior of your home at the first sign of a problem. In discussing the escalation of the damage with homeowners most thought they would have to completely re-side their homes to complete the repairs so they were allowing it to progress and save up for the project at the same time. The best and least costly method for this repair is to replace the rotted components right away and not allow the follow-on damage to occur. In many cases this early detection and repair may net another 10-15 years of life from the siding before complete replacement is needed.

Do not allow the first sign of some rotted or swollen siding or trim fool you into thinking your only option is complete replacement. You typically do not replace your car because it has a flat tire, do you?

The best advice Mr. Handyman can give on this issue is to spend your money wisely on annual maintenance and quickly on the minor repairs and do not allow it to progress into a major project.

Be highly proactive about keeping your home repair costs down. Be more observant and respond quicker to maintenance and minor repairs.  Call Mr. Handyman at the first sign of damage so we can assist you in keeping those repair costs down.