Exterior home repair

1What good exterior home repair looks like

Two crews can quote the same job and leave you with houses that age completely differently. The difference is rarely the shingle, the siding panel or the window brand. It is the parts you cannot see once the job is finished: the flashing behind the trim, the underlayment at the eaves, the fasteners, and where the water goes after it leaves the roof.

Almost every exterior failure is a water problem wearing a different costume. Rot behind siding, a stained ceiling under the chimney, a heaved driveway and a cracked foundation wall usually trace back to water that was allowed to sit, wick or run where it shouldn’t. A repair that ignores the water path tends to come back.

Signs a job was done right

• Flashing is layered so each piece sheds onto the one below it, not behind it.
• Fasteners are where the manufacturer says, at the count it says. Over-driven or high nails are a common reason shingle warranties are denied.
• Downspouts discharge well away from the foundation, and the soil slopes away from the walls.
• New materials meet old ones with a planned transition, not a bead of caulk doing the work of flashing.
• You get photos of what was under the old material, and a written note of anything they found and fixed.

2Start with what is wrong

Nine parts of the building envelope cover nearly every exterior call. Start with the one you can see from the ground.

Safety first

Some problems are not a research project. A carbon monoxide alarm, a gas smell, a broken garage door spring or a ceiling that is visibly sagging needs a qualified person on site now. Call your utility, the fire service or a licensed contractor directly.

3Roofs: repair or replace

Most roofs that get replaced early are replaced because of storm damage, a failed detail that was never fixed, or an installation that was wrong from day one. Age alone is a weaker reason than most quotes make it sound.

Layers and decking

Under the model building code most US jurisdictions use, a new roof cannot go over two existing layers, and decking with wide gaps between the boards may need sheathing before new shingles go on. If your house is older, ask every contractor how they will handle both and get it in the quote, because that is where change orders come from.

Impact-resistant shingles

Shingles rated Class 4 under UL 2218 hold up better to hail, and some insurers offer a premium discount for them. Whether the upgrade pays back depends on your insurer and how often your area takes hail.

Roofing problemsRepair or replace?How old is my roof?Asphalt vs metalRoof replacement

4Gutters, siding and windows

These three work as one system. The gutters carry the roof’s water away, the siding and its weather barrier shed what the wind drives sideways, and the windows are the holes in that barrier that have to be flashed into it.

Gutters

Overflow in heavy rain is usually a sizing or downspout problem, not a clog. A gutter pulling off the fascia often means the fascia behind it is rotting. Downspouts that dump at the foundation are the single most common cause of wet basements and settling slabs, and extending them is a job most homeowners can do in an afternoon.

Siding

Siding is a rain screen, not the waterproofing. The house wrap or felt behind it does the real work, so soft spots, stains below windows and buckled panels are worth investigating before anyone re-sides. Houses built before the 1980s may have asbestos-cement siding; don’t cut, drill or sand it until it has been tested.

Windows

Fog between the panes means the insulated glass seal has failed. Often only the glass unit needs replacing, not the window, and the seal may still be under warranty. Condensation on the inside face in winter is usually indoor humidity, not a bad window.

Gutter problemsSiding problemsWindow problemsVinyl vs fiber cementSingle vs double pane

5Concrete and foundations

Concrete cracks. That is what it does, and control joints exist to decide where. What matters is whether a crack is moving, whether one side is higher than the other, and whether water is the reason.

The model residential code calls for the ground to fall at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet away from a foundation. Many settling slabs and damp basements are fixed by restoring that slope and moving downspout water away, before anyone talks about piers.

When it is worth a professional

• A crack that is widening, or one side is noticeably higher than the other
• Doors and windows that start sticking at the same time cracks appear
• Horizontal cracks or bowing in a block or poured basement wall
• A slab that has dropped at the garage or the house and is now a trip hazard

Concrete problemsFoundation problemsRepair or replace concrete

6When your house was built

A house doesn’t fail at random. It fails according to what it was built out of, and construction practice changed sharply every few decades.

Two houses on the same street with the same weather will fail in completely different ways if one went up in 1962 and the other in 2004. Knowing your era tells you which problems to look for first, and which quotes describe work your house does not need.

Houses built before 1978 may have lead paint. Under federal rules, paid work that disturbs painted surfaces on those homes has to be done by a lead-safe certified firm.

7After a storm

This is where homeowners lose the most money. Storm damage is hard to see from the ground, and the people who arrive first often follow the weather for a living.

1. Make it safe and stop the waterTarp or patch only what is actively leaking. Keep receipts; reasonable emergency repairs are usually covered.
2. Document everythingDate-stamped photos of the roof edge, vents, gutters, siding, screens and the garage door, plus any interior damage.
3. Get an independent inspectionHave a local contractor inspect and write up what they find before you file, so you know whether the damage clears your deductible.
4. File and meet the adjusterHave your contractor there for the adjuster’s visit if you can. Ask for the adjuster’s estimate in writing.
5. Compare the scope, not just the totalCheck that the estimate includes every damaged elevation, the gutters, the garage door and code-required items.

Storm damage repairHail damage roof repairInsurance claim after hail

8What drives the cost

Two quotes for the same job can be far apart and both be honest. The total moves with a handful of things you can check for yourself before you compare numbers.

Each cost page explains what the work involves, what drives the number in your area, and which parts you can do yourself.

9Choosing a contractor

A good proposal reads like a specification. If it just says “replace roof” with a number, ask for the detail before you compare anything else.

Every proposal should list

• Exactly what is being removed, and how disposal is handled
• The product by brand, line and color, and the warranty tier it qualifies for
• Flashing, underlayment, ice barrier and ventilation details, not just the visible material
• A unit price for hidden damage such as decking, sheathing or fascia
• Who pulls the permit, and who handles cleanup and nail sweeps
• Manufacturer warranty and workmanship warranty, stated separately

Red flags

• An offer to cover or waive your deductible
• Pressure to sign the same day, or a contract that assigns your insurance claim to them
• No local address, no license where your state requires one, or no certificate of insurance
• A price with no line items, or a refusal to name the product

DIY or hire a pro?

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