NOAA values for Jackson/Reynolds
NOAA's engineering weather data lists a station named Jackson/Reynolds, at an elevation of 1,001 feet. For that station it gives:
- a 99% winter design temperature of 2°F;
- a 1% summer design temperature of 88°F, with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 73°F;
- a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph, as a 3-second gust at 33 feet;
- a 100-year rainfall rate of 2.8 inches per hour;
- about 63 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
On every round
The checklist below is built on four walks around the house through the year. Each one has its own focus, but a few checks belong on all of them:
- Shoot photos of each wall from the same spot, so you can compare them round to round.
- Scan the upper walls with binoculars rather than a ladder.
- Run a hand along the lowest course and the corner trim for anything loose.
- Look at caulked joints around windows, doors and wall penetrations for cracks or gaps.
- Write the date and what you saw in one notebook.
Round one: the thaw
- When the snow beside the house has melted back, hunt along the walls for pieces that split, bulged or popped free of the piece below.
- Wherever a drift leaned on the wall for weeks, check the surface for discoloring, swollen edges or lifting paint.
- Mark any puddle that formed by the foundation during melt; a longer downspout or some regrading there goes on the spring list.
- Probe low wood trim with the tip of a blunt screwdriver. If it sinks in with little effort, that spot needs a closer look.
- Look under the eaves for any gaps that opened in the soffit.
Round two: early summer
- Clean gutters once trees have finished dropping seeds and blossoms, and check that downspouts empty away from the wall.
- Rinse each wall from the top down with a garden hose and a spray nozzle. A pressure washer can force water behind the laps.
- On green or dark patches, use a soft brush and a cleaner the siding maker approves, then rinse.
- Cut shrubs and vines back so air can move between plants and the wall.
- On sunny walls, look for vinyl that has waved or pinched tight at its ends.
- If you are painting wood or fiber cement, follow the temperature and humidity limits on the can.
Round three: leaf fall
- When the branches are bare, scoop the gutters out a second time and flush each downspout with the hose.
- Cut out cracked caulk where trim meets siding and around faucets, vents and fixtures, and run a fresh bead of a sealant labelled for both surfaces it touches.
- Rake beds so mulch and dirt sit clear of the first course of siding.
- Restack the woodpile and any lawn gear a few steps out from the house for the cold months.
- Shine a flashlight along the soffit and fascia for holes a squirrel, a bird or a wasp could move into.
Round four: deep winter
This round happens mostly from indoors and the driveway.
- When clearing snow, keep it from being piled against the siding.
- Watch the eaves for ice dams; meltwater behind them can find its way down inside the wall.
- Inside, look at walls and ceilings below windows for new stains.
- Leave ladder work for the thaw. Note what you see and add it to round one.
After high wind
- Walk the house and look for pieces that lifted, cracked or blew off, starting at corners and gable ends.
- Collect loose pieces from the yard; a crew can use them to match profile and color.
- Photograph damage before anything is moved, and call your insurer with questions about a claim.
- If the barrier behind the siding is exposed, cover it from the ground if you can do so safely, and arrange a repair.
Signs to call a crew
Hand a job over when it takes you off the ground floor, when fixing one piece means unzipping a whole run of panels, when a service line sits near the work, when soft sheathing or framing shows behind a gap, or when a window or a roof-to-wall joint needs new flashing. A wobbly ladder is reason enough to wait for a crew with scaffolding.
Collecting repair prices
Once your notebook holds more than a weekend's worth of fixes, invite a few contractors to look and quote in writing. Put the same questions to each:
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Is a permit needed for this repair in Jackson, and which of us applies for it?
- Would you send over certificates for liability coverage and workers' compensation?
- Where would replacement pieces come from, and if the color or profile is off, what then?
- How long does your workmanship coverage run on a repair like this, and is it in the contract?
A siding record
Keep the notebook from your rounds together with the paperwork for the house's exterior: the siding product and color, where spare pieces are stored, the sealant and paint you used, and every repair with the contractor's name, the date and the price. When a problem comes back to the same spot, the record shows it, and the next bid starts from facts instead of guesses.