Prepping Your Home’s Exterior for Spring

As the winter ends and the flowers are ready to grow in the sunshine, it’s time to prep the outside of your home. With the snow in the cooler months comes opportunities to review your rain gutters, driveway, and home exterior. Take advantage of the following tips to spruce up the house in preparation for spring.

If parts of the outside of your home have turned a different shade, it may be time for a thorough cleaning.

Soft wash the outside of the home including roof, facia, house exterior, patio, walkways, windows, and driveway. We recommend soft and gentleover power washing, as a power wash can cause serious water damage to materials like wood. Inspect the siding of your home, especially any wood siding for cracks, rot, or weak spots due to precipitation.

Apply a mixture of bleach and water for 10-15 minutes to any mildew then rinse off.

Sometimes a thorough cleaning isn’t enough, especially as the Amarillo weather fluctuates and parts of the driveway break down on snow days, or weeds start encroaching onto the concrete. Puddling due to improperly functioning or lack of rain gutter systems can also damage driveways (More on that later).

If weeds grow out of the driveway cracks, remove the weeds first. Clean out any dirt from the crack and then patch the hole with a concrete resurfacer.

For asphalt driveways that just look worn out you can also reseal, first remove any grass and make sure water is draining properly before fixing the driveway. See our rainwater collection services if you need assistance with this.

Clean the surface of the driveway and any cracks. Use a broom to get rid of any remaining debris or dirt.

After any water applied dries, use a cold set asphalt repair patch to fill any holes or cracks. Once that sets, use an oil spot primer on any oil stains so the asphalt sealer will adhere.

Add a coat of latex asphalt sealer and spread it out smoothly using a squeegee. Let the first layer dry for five to six hours and add a second coat if necessary. Wait for 1 to 2 days before putting any vehicles on the updated driveway.

You may have already been sprouting seedlings in preparation of the snow-free season. Springtime is the prime time for regrowing to lilies and other summer blooms. In the early spring, remove dead perennials and grass along with debris.

After the soil is moist enough to be workable, you can add layers of compost to the bed. Don’t have a compost bin set up yet? This is also an excellent time to create a composting pile if you haven’t already. Debris like dead leaves can be the first additions to your pile. Other items that can go into the compost bin:

• Coffee grounds
• Branches, grass clipping, and untreated wood
• Cardboard
• Veggie and fruit scraps

You can either purchase a composting bin or build one yourself.

Check the gutters for leaf buildup. On rainy days a clogged gutter will overflow and can also cause pooling around areas that may need extensive updates like your driveway. A leaf guard system ensures leaves don’t reach the gutters and instead blow down to the ground with wind.