Many homeowners wonder: "Am I doing enough to keep my home safe from the outdoor elements?" Our experience over the past 30 years has proven that there are certain exterior maintenance items that are critical to the long-term health of the home. All too often we find that when serious issues arise, they are directly or indirectly due to these basic home maintenance items being neglected, either because they are not understood or forgotten. A regular schedule of maintenance will likely help to identify issues early so problems can be addressed in a timely manner and adverse effects can be minimized.

Trim, Windows and Shutters

• Maintenance Recommendation: Annual inspection, and caulking and paint touch up as necessary.

• Wooden trim, windows and shutters need annual maintenance and inspection to ensure the life of the wood, and to prevent unwanted water from entering the interior of the house. Caulking is the product used to prevent water infiltration and rot where trim and windows meet the primary exterior surface (siding, stone, stucco, etc.), as well as at the joints of shutters and other wood surfaces. The life span of caulking varies depending on the amount of exposure to the weather, and for this reason all windows, trim and shutters should be inspected annually and touched up as necessary to prevent any premature rot and water infiltration.

Gutters and Downspouts

• Maintenance Recommendation: Cleaned four times per year to ensure flow.

• When gutters and/or downspouts get blocked there is a greater risk that water will get into the home or cause damage to trim and/or the fascia boards to which they are mounted. Depending on the number of trees around the home, gutters will need cleaning four or more times per year. Just as important as cleaning the gutters, is testing downspouts to ensure they are not blocked. It is not uncommon to have a downspout blocked near the bottom, and when this happens gutters can fill with water and leak over the front and the back of the gutter. If gutters and downspouts are not maintained consistently, they can eventually pull away from the house due to the weight burden of the standing water. One more thing, when cleaning gutters it is a good time to also clear debris from valleys and low pitched roofs.

Underground Drainage

• Maintenance Recommendation: Four times per year based on location, monitor during heavy rains. Drains must remain clear to ensure water flow.

• Many people have a floor/grate drain at the bottom of an exterior stairwell and/or underground drains connected to downspouts that take the water away from the house. Keeping these drains free and clear is as important as keeping your gutters and downspouts clean. In heavy rains, floor and grate drains can get clogged with debris, allowing water to build up and get into the house below an exterior door. A blocked underground drain can cause gutters to back up and overflow much like if a downspout is clogged (see Gutters and Downspouts). Keeping these free and clear will reduce the risk of unwanted water infiltration.

Exterior Grade

• Maintenance Recommendation: Inspect twice per year, correct as needed.

• Along with gutters, downspouts and drains, the grading around the exterior of the home plays a critical role in keeping excess moisture away from the structure. You should inspect the soil near the foundation twice per year to ensure a sloped grade away from the house, known as positive slope. The slope should be about one inch per foot. Also, as dirt often settles in unexplainable ways, be sure to re-evaluate the situation shortly after a construction or landscaping project. You can do so easily by looking for areas of standing water after a heavy rain.

Hose Bibs

• Maintenance Recommendation: Turn off and drain hose bibs in the fall, and turn on in the spring.

• Hose bibs are the water faucets to which gardening hoses attach. Every year, basements become flooded because water is allowed to remain inside the pipes through the freezing winter months, which can cause pipes to burst. When spring rolls around, these busted pipes thaw and begin to leak. If not identified right away, this can lead to excessive water damage. All hose bibs, including those that are "Frost Free" should be shut off and drained during the winter months to prevent this from happening.

A regular schedule of home maintenance is critical to keeping your home healthy and family safe all year long. These baseline preventative maintenance steps should help to ensure your home's exterior stays in top shape.

Tim Burch is a Vice President of BOWA, award-winning design, and construction firm specializing in renovations ranging from master suites and kitchens to whole-house remodels. A Northern Virginia native, Tim focuses on clients in the Loudoun and Fauquier County areas and enjoys calling on his 30 years of design-build experience to solve their home-related challenges. A third-generation builder and certified remodeler, Tim is the Construction Advisor for The Mosby Heritage Area Association and sits on the Board of Building Appeals for Fauquier County. Before joining BOWA, he was the Lead Project Manager of Construction for the Emmy Award winning construction reality television show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition on ABC Television. For more information on Tim and the BOWA team, visit www.bowa.com or call 703-734-9050.