Fellow Torontonians, we have been locked indoors for what feels like a lifetime. Between lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and a pretty mediocre end to winter, many of us are feeling a little bit of cabin fever! But never fear, we’ve already got a taste of a few nice days, and there’s certainly more to come. And regardless of what’s going on with vaccines and variants of concern, you can bet that this will be another year that features your own back yard pretty heavily!

So in preparation for keeping that yard in tip top shape, here’s a small checklist of items to inspect as you venture out of your house and start poking around the yard. I recommend you start by looking at your place from top down, and from left to right, so you don’t miss anything:

  • Rooftop: Be sure to do a visual inspection of your roof now that all of the snow is gone for good (fingers crossed!). You should look for edges peeling back, moss or other vegetation eating your shingles, and any areas that are discoloured or darker than the rest of the roof. These are all signs that the roof is in need of some TLC.
  • Eaves and downspouts: A lot of gunk can get caught in there over the winter. And if it gets plugged up you can expect the water to overflow, often leading to leaks in the roof, or causing your soffits or fascia to rot. Which can lead to some serious moolah to replace.
  • Soffits and fascia: Soffits are the tiny ceiling like part of the underhang below where the roof extends past the walls. And the fascia is the board that faces out just above there (it’s what the eavestrough is attached to). For many houses these are made of wood, and if they get too damp the moisture can lead to rot. And rot spreads while eating away wood. The result is a nice little access hatch for squirrels and racoons to get into your attic and walls and drive you crazy. Take a look to see if there are any peeling or chipping paint spots on your soffits and fascia, as they can be easily repaired if caught early.
  • Windows and door frames: These are often the first places for paint to fail as they invite paint’s two big enemies: water and sunshine. Due to their horizontal surfaces water can just pool on them and stay there for days. And in many cases these frames are placed in areas that get lots of sunlight, which of course contains UV light that tears through the paint. Again, if chipping or peeling you should deal with this right away. Replacing windows is wildly expensive. Painting them, not so much.
  • Decks and fences:: If you are seeing green mildew on your deck or fence, start with an insanely satisfying powerwash. That might do the trick. But if the wood is losing its healthy natural wood tannins look, and starting to turn grey, that means that dry rot has set in. By re-staining it now you’ll be able to preserve the integrity of the wood. This will make it last longer, and oooooh baby will it look good.

Long time homeowners know that the best trades book up early in the season. So get your quotes early (even if you aren’t ready to pull the trigger just yet). If you want JDavis Painting to come look at your place, just scroll down to our estimate calendar, where you can sign up for a free estimate at a time that works for you!