Maintaining Your Home's Exterior Walls

Maintaining Your Home Series

The exterior walls of your home protect the contents and help keep the interior dry, warm (or cool) and comfortable. The exterior walls are the defense against the elements of nature. It is important that the exterior walls are properly constructed when a home is built and properly maintained thereafter.

While exterior brick veneer siding requires little maintenance, other siding materials require repairs, updates, cleaning and painting. Exterior home maintenance is an expense that all homeowners face. Proper maintenance is however, less expensive than major repairs from a lack of maintenance.

There was a time when it was thought that installing metal or vinyl siding over the original siding was a good idea. For the most part, this is not true. Installing metal or vinyl siding over the exterior of a home prevents inspection of the materials underneath. Original wood and other siding materials covered by metal or vinyl siding continue to deteriorate. Installing metal or vinyl siding is simply a way to cover up the defects of the original siding.

Foliage from trees and shrubs should be maintained so as not to be in contact with the exterior walls. Foliage may rub the exterior wall cladding causing damage. Foliage at the exterior also creates conducive conditions for wood destroying insects and moisture damage.

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