Spring Home Checklist
We’ve made it to Spring! To celebrate, here is your Spring Home Checklist to ensure your home maintenance efforts save you a ton of money.
Windows – Powerwash or Replace
Repel Termites Quick & Easy
The first item on the Spring Checklist here in the South is about what could be bugging you. Winter hibernation is over for us and for all the bugs that have been hiding underground. In the South, that typically includes termites.
A good spring home maintenance item is to install a proactive termite-repellent system around your house. Those creepy, pale-winged creatures known as termites can be detrimental to your home because they love eating wood. If you live in the south, you most likely have these tiny invaders lurking somewhere in your yard. They may have already invaded your home. This can be a real problem, especially if you like to maintain lovely landscaping with mulch.
RG Builders owner, Roger Gulley, was recently asked, “how do you keep termites away from the house when using that lovely brown or black mulch?”
His answer was quick, cheap, and simple as usual:
Install Termite Soil Inserts or Baits
You screw the green-topped baits into the ground around the parameter of your home. Install them about 2 feet away from the house, 10 feet apart, all around its perimeter. Insert new bait stations each year to keep termites away. The termite baits draw termites away from your home. This treatment is especially needed if you use mulch for your home landscaping.
Mulch is often treated but is not guaranteed to repel termites and is made from wood chips; therefore, mulch provides termites with food and a moisture-rich environment that help termites thrive and multiply.
Lowe’s, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Costco, Amazon, and other lawn care companies carry termite baits. They are green with round tops to blend in with your lawn and have a screw bottom that inserts into the soil to secure it into the lawn. There are slits in the sides where termites enter, receive poison, and carry it back to the colony.
The best time to use baits and change out old ones is at the beginning of each spring. Termites are most active from spring through summer. If you install new stations each spring as regular pest control maintenance, your chances of keeping termites to a minimum are good.
Even if you haven’t seen any termites or you may have no termite damage to your home that you are aware of, chances are if you live in the south, there are termites on or near your property. It’s a good idea to maintain termite baits on an annual basis.
Check & Replace Termite Traps
Most termite traps make it easy to tell if those creepy critters have taken the bait. When the indicator pops up, that tells you it’s time to replace it with fresh bait. The beginning of Spring in Tennessee in March. This is a perfect time to do a parameter check of your home and look at all the spots where your traps are embedded into the ground. You may also want to add a few new ones to fortify your home’s protection. In this case, more is better.
Does mulch attract termites?
Mulch increases a favorable environment for termites to thrive. Here is a list of mulch that attracts termites; cypress sapwood, loblolly pine, slash pine, and white birch. Termites less favor these types of mulch; cypress heartwood, melaleuca, eucalyptus, southern tidewater red cypress, California redwood, and cedar mulch.
One final quick, easy, and affordable tip:
Spray eucalyptus oil around the parameter of your house each month during the spring to summer months to help repel termites. In addition, this essential oil repels mosquitoes and dust mites. It’s safe, organic, and non-chemical and smells clean and fresh!
Windows – Powerwash or Replace
Windows come up again in the Spring. Powerwashing them will brighten your whole house. As you powerwash them, you’ll want to consider replacing them. It will be an excellent energy saver if they are over ten years old. Spring is a perfect time to get windows replaced for several reasons. The first is that the weather is ideal. The second is that outdoor bugs haven’t had a chance to come out of hibernation fully.
If you order your new windows in early Spring, you may have the job complete before any hot and humid days kick in. Solid, insulated windows and doors are essential in the South. Humidity can wear down a home and cause mold issues.
You’ll want to spend more time outside as the weather turns beautiful. Take this opportunity to spend a weekend doing an exterior parameter check. You’ll want to check your drainage, outdoor electrical sockets, driveway, and sidewalk. Make sure all of your gutters are flowing water away from the house. Look for any pooling water. If you notice wet spots, check to see if your drain spots need to be re-attached or positioned differently or if some ground needs to be graded away from the house to help direct water.
Check outdoor electrical fixtures. Be sure they have the outdoor cover on them. If you have any cords in the yard, make sure they have socket connection covers.
Fill and seal any cracks that may have formed in your driveway or sidewalks.
Assess if you should have any trees removed from the parameter around the home. Ideally, the house structure should be clear of large trees that could fall on top of the house. This will also help keep the gutters clear.
Finally, this will be your last chance to prune bushes and trees before the summer foliage comes in. If you didn’t prune in the fall, it’s now or never. Pruning everything down and back will help create a clean, orderly yard come summer.
Tired of having to fix things in your aging home constantly? Call us to get a quote for a NEW HOME build (615) 504-9784.
