Seasonal Home Maintenance is a Great Money Saver

Many home owners are riddled with home maintenance through out the year. Dealing with those seasonal projects can be costly and time consuming for anyone. With prices rising in everything due to the dramatic rising cost of gasoline it will be more logical to do these projects yourself instead of hiring someone else to do them for you.

One of the major issues people have with home maintenance are doors and windows that stick. The first to address are the doors whether they are exterior or interior ones. If they are sticking at the top or bottom this is a sure sign the house is settling yet again. You may have to routinely adjust the lock plate to make certain the doors are staying shut and not just closed waiting for a strong breeze or something else to open them. The best time to work on them is late spring, summer, and early fall.

DOORS

A door that is not level could be adjusted by tightening the hinge just across from it. Let's say your entry door sticks at the top on the side where your lock is located. Open the door and tighten up the top hinge at the top on the door and door jamb. The door jamb is the casing of wood which your door is surrounded by when it is closed.

Try to close the door. Did it shut okay? If it didn't then open the door again and measure the distance between the sides of the opening at the bottom, middle and top. You may find that the top is shorter by about 1/6" to a 1/4". If this is the case you will know the door jamb was not properly installed. Use a long level to see if it is the hinged side or the lock side that is not level. They both cannot be level if the top of the opening is shorter than the bottom.

Hopefully it is the hinged side. By the way, if your door measures the same in width at the top and bottom you should have at least a 1/16" gap on both sides. Before you start adjusting the door, use a level on the top of the door to see if it is level. Most doors are accurately square, therefore, remove the door before adjusting the door jamb.

Remove the trim on both sides of the opening where the hinges are and use wood shims at the lower part of the door jamb to make the opening shorter. Keep checking the measurement and levelness of the door jamb until it is perfectly level vertically. With the use of the level, check the hinges to see if they line up correctly on the door jamb. You will find you need to adjust them accordingly.

Do the same on the door. This will keep the door from sticking at the top of the door jamb. Once you have everything back in place, except the trim, check to see that the door closes okay and the locks still are lined up. You may have to make slight adjustments with them. Since this will be the most difficult door project for you the others will seem like a cake walk.

Storm doors are also a big issue, and many of us resort to buying a new one. With much patience and dedication, you can get that old door to working properly.

WINDOWS

Windows are the second biggest issue. They are your second biggest loss of heat and air in your home. Some would say first since most homes usually have more windows than exterior doors. In this case, I would have to agree.

Sash wooden windows, especially French style, are the most time consuming windows to take care of in a home. The first part to check is the sliding hardware located at the sides. A window than cannot be fully opened is a sign that something is wrong with this hardware. More than likely you will have to remove the entire window to get to this hardware.

Set all the screws in a bowl or some container so you don't lose them and carefully take the window sections out. This doesn't mean remove the glass from the frame, but to remove the sections such as the sash and the stationery section. Take a look at the spiral hardware to see if it has come loose or worn. In most cases you will find that a screw was not completely screwed in place or the clamp has come loose.

Screw these back in place, and make certain that they are not going to come loose by tugging at them. You may have to purchase replacement screws and clamps. Set the window sections back in place and check to see that the windows can be opened to their maximum height. They may work fine at this point, but you also need to check them once you have re-installed them.

Hopefully all is okay once you have re-installed the windows. If they still stick, you may have the same issue as with the doors. Check the opening to see if the sides are level and the same distance at the top is the same as the bottom at the sill. You will have to go through pretty much the same method of shimmying the side that is not level.

Understand that this is not a permanent repair. Wood expands and contracts with the adjustment of weather. Make sure all windows and doors have sealant on the outside where the trim meets the wood or brickwork, and where the encasements meet the trim. They also need to be painted or stained on the caulk and trim, followed up with a outdoor sealant resistant to all sorts of weather. Polyurethane sealant is very good for this procedure.

OUTDOOR TRIM AND BRICKWORK

As mentioned earlier, all exterior cracks need to be sealed. An all weather caulk or some other form of sealant will keep your home from rotting away, and keep mold and mildew from ever having a chance to ruin your health. Keep them painted and sealed, too.

Any rotting trim or other wood needs to be replaced immediately. Use primer on it before painting or a few coats of polyurethane over stain if staining.

Any cracks in your mortar around bricks can be a serious sign that your home may need a specialist. Before you seal up those cracks, have a professional come out and inspect your home's foundation. Hopefully, there won't be anything serious. Filling in cracks in your mortar will not fix your home's foundation.

The only other expensive item left on the exterior maintenance of your home is your roof. Unless you want to try and do it yourself, this may be more cost effective for a professional to take care of for you.