We all like to think of our homes as shelter: from the troubles of the world, from the hustle-bustle of daily life, and certainly from anything outside that we might find threatening.

The major enemies of an intact house—structurally, that is—are water and other weather-influenced conditions. By paying attention to your home’s exterior, and maintaining its protective “skin”—siding, roofing, trim, and openings—and the landscape, you’ll guard against deterioration that can cause expensive problems outside, and later, inside.

Taking a good look around your home’s exterior, from the foundation walls to the peak of the chimney, is a helpful way to spot small defects before they become big problems.

As with Chapter 18, which shows you how to check out your home’s interior, turn to Appendix C for a checklist for an outside inspection of your home. It will take you through all of the details you should look at. When you’re done, you’ll have a to-do list for your home’s exterior.

You’ll need the following:

Clear perimeter: Start with your house where it meets the ground; this is known as “at grade.” Walk completely around the building. If there are any obstructions between the house and the ground within a foot of the walls—branches or shrubs, piled-up wood—these need to be removed. A good border to install on the first foot of ground surrounding your home is a layer of pea gravel. Anything stacked or growing against the house wall creates a “bridge” for insects and critters to get to your home and find their way in. Don’t provide this opportunity! If branches are growing close to the house, make a note to cut them.

Crawl space vents: If you don’t have a full basement under the house, and the house isn’t built on a concrete slab at grade, you may have crawl spaces beneath the house. Crawl spaces are usually vented. Be sure your vents are screened and secure.

Foundation cracking: If you see cracks in the masonry foundation, note their location and size. If they have grown larger, wider, or deeper the next time you inspect your home’s exterior, contact a pro. If the cracks extend to the interior foundation wall, remember that mice can enter the home through cracks as small as a pencil’s diameter. Have a masonry repair person address this problem.

Insect evidence: If you see any signs of insect infestation—grayish mud tubes, sawdust, insect wings—contact a professional exterminator immediately. Remediation for wood-eating insects is not a job for an amateur.

Basement windows: If you have basement windows, be sure the area around them is clean and free of debris. Clean out window wells, if basement windows are below-grade. Note any cracked or broken basement window glass; the panes need to be replaced.

Masonry/brick walls: Check this type of wall for cracked or missing mortar, which need to be addressed to prevent water penetration.

Siding: Check for loose or missing pieces; warping; signs of mold or mildew.

Painted surfaces: Look for blistering, cracking, peeling, chipping, or a chalky appearance. These indicate your paint finish may need touch-up or repainting. If paint is dirty, washing the surface may extend the life of the finish.

Caulking: A well-maintained exterior is caulked wherever two surfaces meet. Check the integrity of caulking between foundation and siding, between siding and trim boards, between siding and window and door trim.

Examine window glass and screens: note any panes/screens that need to be repaired/ replaced.

Check operation of doors (you already checked the windows and doors inside if you did an interior inspection; see Chapter 18).

Examine weather stripping, especially around doors. Make sure there are no small gaps that will permit pests to enter the house.

Obstructions: Notice whether any tree branches are overhanging or scraping against the roof. These can damage shingles, create a fire hazard if they’re near the chimney, and form a “bridge” for animals to access your roof. Make a note to trim them, and have this done as soon as possible.

Shingles: Survey the entire roof. Note any curled, damaged, loose, or missing shingles. They will need to be replaced before the roof starts to leak.

Flashing: Usually copper sheeting, flashing is installed around chimneys, vents, dormers, and skylights, and at any other roof seams. Use your binoculars to see whether the flashing appears intact, or whether there are signs of deterioration of the materials above or below the flashing. If you have had interior leaking, and the roof shingles look fine, poorly installed or deteriorated flashing may be the culprit. Call a professional roofer.

Gutters: Examine paint on gutters to see if it needs touching up. Check gutter runs and note if any gutters have slipped from their mountings—they will need to be rehung if they’ve fallen. Even screened gutters need to be cleaned at least once, if not more, in the fall and spring. See how to do this a little later in the chapter.

Also if gutters end right next to the house, they are dumping hundreds of gallons of water next to the foundation. You will want to address this potential problem by adding extenders to the gutters (described later in this chapter).

Check driveways and walkways for cracks, breaks, or wear. You need to kill or pull weeds growing between the cracks of bricks or pavers. Check fences and gates for cleanliness, gate operation, and need for paint and repair. In spring, check the condition of exterior water valves (hose bibs); remove covers if frost danger is past. Make sure outside heating/cooling equipment is not obstructed or damaged. Have it serviced professionally if needed.

Once you’ve done an exterior inspection, you’ve got a ready-to-use work sheet for what needs to be done. If you have the time, the skill, and the tools necessary to perform a chore or repair, then do it. If not, you need to find someone to help you get it done.

While some people (myself included) don’t have time to do the weekly yard work, seasonal and occasional maintenance and repairs fit within my scope of time and capability. And I like to save the money! Here are a couple of chores you may find doable on your own schedule.

Water is the great enemy of a house; along with its companion—foul weather, especially high winds—water can do more damage to a structure than any other factor.

When shingles fail and need replacement, leave the job to professionals. Roof work is tricky and dangerous; most construction companies assign their youngest and most agile (and lowest-paid!) employees to the strenuous job of removing and attaching shingles, and walking on the slippery, steeply pitched roof surfaces. Enough said to scare you away from roof repair? I hope so.

If your gutters are not dizzyingly distant from the ground, cleaning them seasonally and installing leaf guards are jobs you can do. I recommend that any work involving ladders outside be done with a helper.

Gutters collect rainwater and melted snow and ice that drains from the roof, and carry the water to the ground by means of downspouts. When too much debris—falling leaves, dirt, twigs—clog the gutters, this gunk can clump over the downspout holes and shut down the system. The water then spills out of the gutters, front and back. At worst, the water backs up and damages the roof or leaks into the walls.

There is a large variety of leaf guard products for gutters. Hundreds of inventors have put their minds to the task of a convenient design that helps keep gutters running free. The screens (and other devices, too) fit on top of the gutter, usually attached or fitted to the gutter edges, and prevent leaves from clogging up gutter runs. Depending upon what your gutters look like and how they are attached, you can buy and install an appropriate leaf guard, or hire someone to do this.

To clean gutters, you will need to climb a ladder. Please review the ladder safety rules in Chapter 2. They’re important.

If your gutters are higher than you can reach with a stepladder, you’ll need to use an extension ladder. If you are not afraid of heights, fine. Just follow these rules:

To clean gutters, you’ll need the following:

Downspouts are generally connected to an elbow piece near the ground, with an angled extender that helps deflect water away from the foundation of your house. Attach extenders to your downspouts if they are not so equipped. If water from the downspout is pooling within five feet of your house after a rainstorm, you can add a longer extender to the downspout (simply detach a piece of downspout and bring it to the hardware for a match).

Or you can purchase a plastic or concrete splash block that will also run the water away from your home’s foundation.

If your gutters are bent, rusted out, or otherwise seriously degraded, you should replace them. However, caulking them with silicon sealant can repair leaky joints between sections of gutter. Also if you notice a little hole or two in the gutter, you can patch the holes with a thin coat of roofing cement, applied with a putty knife.

Our driveway is as long as a football field, and resurfacing it is more expensive than I want to think about. In our northern climate zone, water always finds its way beneath the asphalt, and sooner or later cracks appear.

Filling the cracks when you notice them is the best way to make your driveway last longer, sparing you the painful cost of replacement.

You’ll need the following:

No matter how handy you find yourself to be, you’ll eventually need to find someone with expertise that you don’t have. The best way to find professionals (for outside and inside work) is to get recommendations from people you trust. If you don’t know the kind of pro you’re looking for, ask prospective contractors for references, and check them. Problems with hired contractors can be avoided if you follow these tips: