How to use this checklist
Most siding failures start small: a nail backing out, a split in a caulk joint, a corner board lifting a quarter inch. Caught early, each is a few minutes with a ladder. Missed for a few seasons, the same gap lets water soak sheathing and trim. This checklist spreads the looking-over across the year so no single weekend has to cover everything.
The figures quoted below all come from NOAA's engineering weather data for Augusta/Bush Field (elevation 148 feet). They describe that station's record, not a measurement taken at any one house.
What the station record says
- Summer: a 1% design temperature of 94°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 76°F.
- Winter: a 99% design temperature of 25°F, and about 40 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
- Moisture in the air: about 1,242 hours a year above a 73°F wet-bulb, and about 2,890 hours above 67°F.
- Storms: a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet) and a 100-year rainfall rate of 4.0 inches per hour.
Read the list as a calendar: winter is about cracks and cold-weather handling, spring and early summer about storms, midsummer about mildew, and fall about closing gaps.
Winter: December through February
NOAA lists about 40 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year at Augusta/Bush Field. Water that has crept into a split board, an open miter or a cracked caulk line can freeze, swell and widen the opening a little each time.
- Look at end joints and miters on wood and engineered trim. A joint that has opened since last winter is taking on water.
- Check paint on the lowest boards. Peeling or bubbling near the ground often marks a spot that stays wet and then freezes.
- Go easy on cold vinyl. On a morning near the 25°F design low, vinyl is stiffer and cracks more easily if a ladder, shovel or ball hits it.
- Look up at the eaves after a hard freeze for ice that could push meltwater behind the top course.
- Check inside walls near windows and outside corners for stains, damp drywall or a musty smell.
- List repairs for the first dry stretch of spring rather than patching in the cold, when most caulks and paints won't cure.
Early spring: March and April
- Clean gutters and downspouts before the heavier storms. An overflowing gutter dumps water straight down the face of the siding.
- Run a hose over window heads for a minute each and watch inside for drips; that tests the flashing before a real storm does.
- Re-caulk joints around trim, vents and penetrations once nights stay above the minimum on the tube.
- Book bigger work early, so it isn't squeezed into a rushed schedule.
Storm season: after every big blow
The 90 mph design gust and the 4.0 inches-per-hour rainfall rate on the Augusta/Bush Field sheet are rare-event benchmarks, but ordinary thunderstorms still lean on the same weak spots. After a windy storm, take a slow lap around the house:
- Corners and gable ends. Look for panels that have lifted, cracked or slipped out of their lock.
- The top course under the soffit. Wind often gets its first grip there.
- Trim boards. Check that corner boards and casings are still tight to the wall.
- Nails. Look for heads backing out on fiber cement or wood; a raised nail is a lever for the next gust.
- The ground. Pick up pieces of siding or trim and note where they came from.
- Kick-out flashing. Make sure each one is still in place where a roof edge meets a wall.
Photograph anything loose with the date. If you file an insurance claim, call your insurer before a repair crew tears anything off.
Midsummer: June through August
NOAA counts about 1,242 hours a year above a 73°F wet-bulb at Augusta/Bush Field. A wall that gets wet dries slowly when the air around it holds a lot of moisture.
- Hunt for mildew and algae on north faces, under deep eaves and behind shrubs. Wash with a soft brush, a cleaner the siding maker allows and a gentle garden-hose rinse.
- Skip the pressure washer. It forces water up under the laps and into the wall.
- Cut plants back so air can move between leaves and siding.
- Aim sprinklers at lawn and beds, not the bottom of the wall.
- Paint in the cooler hours. With a 94°F design high on the record, keep brushes off walls in full afternoon sun and follow the label's limits.
- Press on low boards on shaded sides. Soft or swollen wood or engineered siding needs a closer look.
Fall: September through November
- Finish exterior paint and caulk while nights are warm enough to cure it.
- Seal gaps around pipes, cables and vents before cold weather.
- Clean gutters again once the leaves are down.
- Move firewood and stored items off the walls.
- Drain and shut off outside faucets before the first freeze.
When a check turns up more than a touch-up
If a seasonal walk finds more than a few damaged pieces, or signs of water behind the siding, get at least two written bids that price the same items, including the weather barrier, flashing and fastening. Ask each company what state license, if any, it holds and look it up on the Georgia Secretary of State's license verification. Ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation, and which permits the job needs, if any, and who pulls them.
Keep one folder
Keep the siding brand, profile and color, paint names, dated photos from each season, repair invoices and warranty papers together. Matching a replacement panel or making a warranty claim is much faster with the record in hand.