Seasonal Preventative Maintenance Checklists

Introduction

Homes in the Lakeport Cluster, which are more than 30 years old, are unique in several ways and their maintenance requirements add particular issues to regular home upkeep.  The proximity to the lake, while a positive feature of our cluster, means we need to pay attention to the animals – from insects to geese – and plants that prefer a water-based environment.  In addition, cedar siding covers most Lakeport homes, which makes them prone to damage from insects, birds and water.  


This checklist is designed to include ideas for the maintenance of most aging homes.  But the document was created with Lakeport homes in mind, so that there are specific suggestions based on our cluster’s environment.  It is meant to be a handy guide for homeowners and residents who are experienced at home maintenance and as well as for those who are less knowledgeable of what our homes require.


We anticipate that this checklist will change and grow as we encounter new problems and solutions.  Your help in keeping this list current and relevant is essential.  You can send your suggestions to board@lakeportcluster.org.


And an important note:  if you are addressing issues with the exterior of your home, please consult the Lakeport standards and remember that you will have to seek approval from the Reston Association’s Design Review Board.


Spring


Outdoor Checklist

  • Several Lakeport owners recently have had to replace their roofs because of damage from windstorms and aging of the roofing materials. If you have not accessed your attic to check for leaks, it’s a good idea to do so.  You can avoid potential damage to the interior of your home.
  • For most Lakeport homes, make sure your home address numbers are properly positioned over your garage door (see House Numbers standards). If you have a brick wall by the sidewalk, be sure the brass number plate is glued tightly to the surface, and if feasible, make sure the numbers are legible from the street.  This really helps first responders more easily find your house in the case of an emergency.
  • Inspect and repair any damaged fences or other outside boundaries. If you have a brick wall in common with your neighbor, examine it for mildew and mold.  If there is staining from either, try removing the stains with a power washer.
  • Check the outside lighting around your house and replace bulbs and batteries that aren’t working.
  • If you have outdoor security cameras, make sure they haven’t been damaged by snow or harsh winter weather. Check that camera lenses are focused on what you want them to look at. Clean lenses with a microfiber cloth and tighten all camera mounts. As summer approaches, you may want to protect your cameras from spider webs and insects that can obscure the view. One suggestion is to attach a dryer sheet to the outside of your camera with a rubber band (just make sure not to cover the lens); the strong smell will keep bugs away. You can also try looping a flea collar around the camera.
  • Remove leaves and other debris that have collected over the winter and place in large paper yard bags available at home improvement stores. Check the current waste management company procedures for proper disposal.
  • Take steps to protect wood on the decks, patios and entrance walkways. These areas should be sealed every two-three years.  Exposed wood should be sealed every two to three years.  The wood will hold up better with a sealant, rather than with paint.
  • Check your siding for staining.  If you see a problem, check with a home repair supplier for a suitable cleaning product.
Indoor Checklist
  • Replace batteries in smoke detectors.
  • If you have an alarm system, periodically change your access code and remove passcodes you’ve given out to contractors, cleaning people, babysitters or guests who no longer need access to your home. Test your security systems regularly to ensure they are functioning properly and communicating with the central station.
  • Flooding is the single largest source of loss for homeowners, so it may be helpful to install water leak sensors in flood-prone areas. The sensors will detect accumulation of water caused by cracked or broken water pipes, loose pipe connections, inadequate drainage, or flooding. Some sensors connect to larger security systems, some work alone, and some connect to an app on your phone.
  • Move boxes or other items at least 30 inches away from your furnace and hot water tanks; crowding either could lead to a fire.
  • Do a semi-annual check of the furnace/heat pump to assure that you have sufficient refrigerant for air conditioning. Follow manufacturer guidelines for replacing air filters (typically once per month or quarter). A clogged air filter places unreasonable load on the HVA system and will likely shorten its life. 
  • Turn on outdoor water spigots from inside the house and be sure the spigot is closed on the outside. The valve is usually in a storage area near the hot water heater or set sink.
  • Inspect the firebrick panels inside the wood-burning fireplace for cracks and replace them if they are damaged. Have the fireplace cleaned if you use it frequently or haven’t used it in a long time.  Remove all ash from your fireplaces and clean the grates. Additionally, schedule a chimney cleaner to inspect the flues once a year. 
  • Check all window and door locks. If any seem loose or faulty, tighten or replace them.
  • If cleaning your windows isn’t already part of your spring cleaning routine, then add it. Clean windows will make your home brighter and improve the visibility of your surroundings.
Summer

The longer days and increased heat of summer mean that the plants in our yards come under greater stress, especially during periods of no or sporadic rain. To maintain the appearance of our community (not to mention to save yourself the expense of replacement), please remember to water your plants when needed. Helpful information can be found at the following sites:

Some of our neighbors suggested the following steps that we could take to avoid problems they encountered:
  • Homeowners should replace gasket/pressure regulators in their bathtubs and showers (including the overflow) to avoid flooding from a leak.
  • Fire-retardant plywood roof sheathing has to be replaced if the material degrades due simply to high attic temperatures, causing it to fail to retard the spread of fire. 
A few preventive steps can be taken with many Lakeport homes that can save pain and lots of money.
  • Check wood siding and trim for signs splintering, deterioration, softness, green mildew or other discoloration. These are potential signs of wood damage. Replace damaged siding and trim following Cluster standards for paint color. In the case of mildew or discoloration, ask a home improvement provider to suggest the appropriate cleaner to preserve the wood.
  • A dark vertical line on the middle of your garage door is most likely caused by insufficient tension on the chain from your garage door opener to the front wall of your garage.  Over time, the chain will slacken and start to drag on the door, which leaves that black mark and eventually will wear through the paint if left uncorrected. Most of these chains have a tensioner or turnbuckle that can be tightened to fix the problem.  Once you have tightened the chain, the door can be cleaned with something like Scott’s Outdoor Cleaner and the gentle use of a scrubbing sponge from your kitchen.
  • Many gutters, and particularly those that are beneath a tree, have two problems: the gutters are clogged and the spikes that attach them to the house are pulling away.  When a gutter is not working properly, you’ll often see staining on the vertical wall below the gutter. Fixing the first problem is easy – have your gutters cleaned.  Even if you don’t have a tree nearby and even if you have something like gutter helmet or a strainer screen over them, gutters can still fill up with cinders washed down from your shingles over time.  
  • If the gutter is not slanted properly towards the downspout, this can put a lot of weight on the gutter, leading to problem #2.  If you see gutter spikes coming loose, you can just drive them back in which may hold for a while. However, there’s a better, longer-term and inexpensive solution. Home Depot sells long gutter screws that can replace failing gutter spikes. They go through a ferrule (a sleeve that keeps the screw from compressing the gutter itself) and screw into the wood behind the gutter.  These are far more secure in the long run.
  • Exterior railing pipes are prone to rust.  Home Depot has a product that cleans up the rust pretty well.  One bottle of Rustoleum Rust Dissolver is probably a lifetime supply or sufficient to share with a dozen of your neighbors.  Scrape rusted areas with a putty knife or flat screwdriver, spray on the rust dissolver, let it sit for about 15 minutes, and then wash it off with water (directions are on the spray bottle.)  Keep doing this until all the visible rust is gone. Dry the metal, sand it lightly, and then spray it with a Rustoleum primer. When that dries, you can paint it with the approved trim color for your house.  There’s no guarantee that the rust won’t eventually return, but you can prolong the life of your exterior railing pipes and particular the collars that attach the pipes to your trim wood by many years.
  • Driveways should be maintained in good condition with no loose sections of asphalt, holes in the surface, or crumbling edges.  All older asphalt driveways will crack, and we recommend filling these cracks annually with semi-liquid driveway patch (available from Home Depot either in a squeeze bottle or in caulk-style tubes.)  Patching the cracks will prolong the life of the drive considerably.  This type of product works well in cracks that a no wider than about 1/4th inch.
  • When small sections of asphalt break up and are no longer easily patchable with a liquid product, cold patch can be used to repair that section (dig out the loose asphalt, put cold patch in the hole – available in 60 lb. bags from Home Depot, and pound with the top surface of a sledge hammer to compact it – bring the cold patch up to the level of the existing driveway and smooth it into the original surface.)  
  • From a cosmetic and life span point of view, driveway sealers help to improve the look of the drive and cover over the differences among the original surface, crack fills, and cold patch fixes.  These typically come in a five-gallon can and require a squeegee for spreading. 
  • Eventually, all driveways will reach a point where small fixes are insufficient, and they will need to be repaved.  When your driveway is more than 5% cold patch or has many cracks that can’t be filled, this is a good indication that professional repaving is needed.
Autumn

We have a rich abundance of trees surrounding and within the cluster.  They add a great deal to our privacy, energy efficiency, environmental character, natural attractiveness and sound abatement.  We benefit greatly from our trees, but they create particular problems in the fall, especially when they drop their leaves and acorns.  Although the cluster’s landscaping contractor will take care of the common areas, our own driveways, entranceways, patios and decks will need to be regularly cleared of leaves and other debris from the trees.  Residents should not dump what they collect from their homes into the wooded common areas.  Instead, they should generally dispose of the material through regular waste management service.


Outdoor Checklist

  • Remove leaves and other debris (e.g., fallen branches, dead outdoor potted annuals) from your yard, patios, driveways, decks and entranceways. Debris should be placed in large paper yard bags available at home improvement stores. Check the current waste management company schedule for proper disposal.
Indoor Checklist
  • Replace batteries in smoke detectors.
  • Do a semi-annual check of the furnace/heat pump to minimize the likelihood of a surprise malfunction during cold weather.
  • Turn off the valves of the water lines to outdoor spigots. Typically, the valves are  located in the same room as the hot water heater. After turning off the water, open the outdoor spigot to drain the line, so that there is no water in the line to freeze over the winter.
  • Check weather stripping on outside doors and replace as necessary to reduce heating loss.
Winter

Most of the maintenance in the winter involves minimizing the snow and ice around the home.  It is important to make sure the home heating equipment is functional.  


Outdoor Checklist

  • Snow and ice removal – Clear your driveway and walkway of snow or ice. Consider de-icing the driveway if slippery using pet and environment-friendly products available at home improvement stores. Shovel decks to avoid water leakage into the house.
  • Ice that accumulates in gutters and downspouts can be harmful to the heat retention of the house and can allow water to enter the home.  Where possible, and when it can be accomplished safely, icicles should be removed from gutters and downspouts. 
Indoor Checklist
  • In past winters several Lakeport residents have had to deal with burst water pipes as a result of freezing temperatures. If you have pipes that are vulnerable, you should take steps to avoid having to address the problem of broken pipes and potentially costly damage and repairs. It is also a good idea to arrange with a neighbor to have access to each other’s homes in case one or the other of you is out of town when this (or some other emergency) arises.
  • Turn off outdoor water spigots from inside the house while leaving the spigot open (to drain the line). The valve is usually in a storage area near the hot water heater or utility tub.
  • If you have disaster preparedness kits (see Emergency Preparedness Kits), check expiration dates and batteries. If you don’t have one, consider assembling emergency preparedness items, including for your car in case you are stranded in a snow storm. See Disaster Preparedness Plan for more information. 

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