Caring For Your Home: From The Top Down Roof Gutters And Chimney
You want to have good walls; you want to have good floors. You want an interior that reflects a positive nature and gives you a sense of calm. The indoor the floors and the walls are after all what you will see the most of. They arent the only things that need taken care of. You need to pay attention to the exterior too particularly the exterior you see the least. Protecting your roof chimney and gutters will guarantee you have a home that is stable from the top down.
Begin with your roof. It takes up nearly half of your homes exterior and acts as a shield for the rest of the house. Without it you would have an extremely damaged and unlivable interior and crumbling abused exterior walls. So monitor its condition regularly. Inspect the shingles and flashings every few years replacing them as needed. If your shingles are strong your flashing should be too. Flashing is the point where roof surface walls and chimney meet so obviously its vital that it remain in good condition. Every 20 years or following a particularly harsh season you may want to replace the roof entirely. This is a large chore however so dont do it unnecessarily. If you replace the shingles as they are damaged do the same with the flashing and keep your attic well ventilated to avoid excess heat and moisture you should be fine for a few decades at a time.
Once you have the roof secure move on to the gutters. As annoying as the task may seem you have to keep them clean. There should not be under any circumstances an excess amount of leaves or debris in your gutters. This will cause water to back up which can cause leaks which can destroy your house. Therefore climb the ladder and clean your gutters once in late autumn when the leaves have finished falling and once in the spring to get rid of leaf buds and seedpods.
If you have a lot of difficulty keeping the gutters clean try a shopvac. Many come with gutter attachments and clean gutters easily if the gutter can be reached. Additionally a gutter protection system could keep maintenance to a minimum and turn your biannual chore into a quick and easy task. There are a number on the market that are definitely worth investing in.
Finally with a sturdy roof and clean gutters turn to your chimney. A decrepit chimney could send bricks tumbling injuring a passerby. A clogged chimney could ruin your first winter fire sending smoke tumbling through your home clouding the atmosphere and leaving a lingering smell for days to come.
For the chimney hire outside help. Get someone to come in and inspect and sweep the chimney at least once a year if you use it regularly. Make sure the chimney sweep looks for cracks flue problems and anything else that could go wrong like a family of squirrels setting up their nest in the top. Be sure all repairs are done properly and with great care. Afterward take over responsibility for the chimney. Keep the damper shut when its not in use clean it regularly to avoid unintentional fires and consider a chimney cap to keep out those pesky rodents and birds. If you do all this your chimney should stay standing and working properly for some time to come.
If you pay attention to all three aspects of your homes exterior the roof the gutters and the chimney you should be able to sleep easy at night knowing that overhead is a structure that wont let you down and wont come down on you.
About the writer: The author writes articles on Austin Real Estate Blog. For more information about Austin Texas real estate for sale Lost Creek real estate and Great Hills real estate can be found on the net.
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