Summer is quickly passing us by this year and it will soon be Fall. Fall is a great time of year to do some work on the exterior of your home before Winter sets in. In Portland we have to deal with a lot of wet weather in the Fall typically. With the wet weather comes all of the leaves falling from the trees. These leaves mixed with the rain can do a lot of damage to our homes and decks.
As soon as you start to see the leaves falling from the trees you should take the time to clean them up. If they fall on your decks they can do a lot of damage especially when they are wet. The leaves will trap the moisture and quickly start to damage the finish of the deck and often will stain your deck. This can also cause the wood to rot away if they are not removed quickly.
I also recommend getting the leaves out of your gutters and off of your roof as quickly as possible. Gutters and downspouts will not work properly if clogged by leaves and can overflow causing a lot of damage to your home. If leaves are left on the roof too long they can cause moss to grow quickly which can damage your roof. You may not feel comfortable getting on your roof to do this especially in the cold wet weather but many companies in the Portland area will come do this for you.
You should also take the time to cut back all trees and bushes away from your home to make sure that they are not trapping moisture against your home. Keeping a good space between your home and the bushes will help prevent any type of dry rot from starting.
One last thing you should do before the cold weather returns is to inspect your home or have it inspected for anything that could be having problems. It is usually easy to spot if your caulking is cracking or having problems. It is a good idea to fix and bad caulking before Winter to make sure not water is entering your home. Look for any suspicious wood on your home that may have dry rot. The wood will often look soft or wavy if it is getting rotten and it is very common around here.
If you need any advice on getting ready for the rainy season please give us a call.
