Think about how fast you act to fix home exterior defects in the interior of your home. A ripped carpet or broken light would be put on our list of priorities immediately. But it might not be the case for defects found on the outside of the house. Even though it’s the exterior that protects you from the elements. Here are some important home exterior defects to look out for on your home.
Crumbling Cement & Mortar
Unfortunately crumbing cement between brickwork is an all too common problems. Weather it is down to poor quality building work during the initial construction or simply the effect of neglect to the walls over a number of years, crumbling mortar can be very bad news for your home. It can cause bricks to become loose to the point where they can even begin to full. Not only does it look very bad, it also can cause serious structural problems to your home if it is not dealt with quickly.
Image Source By Workshop M
The truth is that you should be able to deal with this relatively easily. Adding new grouting can be performed without difficulty even by those who are not especially proficient in DIY. However, if the problem has become serious it may be necessary to hire professional help.
Structural Movement
Structural movement can occur in homes, especially if they are old. This can generally be seen with the naked eye by simply standing away from the property and establishing whether door and window frames line up. If they do it may well by the case that there have been structural problems with the building. These may have built up over time and may be as a result of a number of different things, so it’s worth bringing in surveyors to complete a full assessment before you start carrying out any repairs.
Image Source By Ben Herzog Architect
The Gutters
Clogged gutters may seem like a fairly minor problem for the exterior of your house, but if this problem is left unchecked for a long time it can lead to serious issues. Gutters are used primarily to divert rainwater away from the brickwork and other exterior materials to some them from wearing down over time. When gutters are clogged they will overflow and this can lead to damp and even leaks into the interior of the home.
Frustratingly it’s a very quick job to check and clean your gutters, and when they are not clogged they will work perfectly. Once they have become clogged you should seek professional guidance in how to clean them without breaking them. Otherwise you may be looking at excessive costs to replace them.
Image Source By Felhandler/Steeneken Architects
Roofing
The roof is the main impact point for rain and other inclement weather. It’s also the part of the house that is most likely to become damaged. Unfortunately as the highest point on the property it can also present the biggest challenge to check. So often serious issues such as cracked roof tiles and broken shingles will go unnoticed for a long time.
Don’t forget that there are similar parts to your house, such as if you have a porch or canopy on your house. They protect you from the elements, however, like your roof they can be damaged.
Image Source By Bri Burn
Unfortunately, however, that means you can suffer everything from leaks. Then find it’s too late to do anything other than making a full replacement of the roof.
A much better alternative is to make use of a high access maintenance business who will be able to check your roof for any growing problems and home exterior defects. It’s much better to spend a little money to catch problems early rather than having to fork out on large-scale works later on.
Weathering
Unfortunately the UK is regularly subject to rather varied weather with exteriors, having to deal with everything from heavy rain. And hailstones in the winter to baking heat in the summer. Because of this it’s important to take a time to protect and repair your home so that it is the best position to survive challenging conditions.
For the information in this article, Sussex-based specialists MC Property Maintenance were consulted.
