Station values from NOAA
Among the stations in NOAA's engineering weather data is one named Lake Charles. NOAA puts its 50-year basic wind speed at 120 mph, expressed as a 3-second gust at 33 feet, and its 100-year rainfall rate at 4.8 inches per hour. The same data counts about 9 freeze-thaw cycles there in an average year. NOAA also tallies, for an average year at Lake Charles, about 2,638 hours when the wet-bulb temperature sits above 73°F and about 4,205 hours above 67°F.
Lake Charles households, per Census QuickFacts
Census QuickFacts reports 32,077 households in Lake Charles for 2020-2024, at 2.46 persons per household.
What to bring outside
The checklist that follows is laid out by the calendar, with one unhurried circuit of the outside walls in each stretch of the year. A handful of things make each circuit easier: your phone, so every photo can be framed from the identical standpoint as the round before; a pair of binoculars, which spare you a ladder when looking at gables and eaves; a flashlight for dim corners under porches and steps; a dull screwdriver or an old butter knife for testing trim; a caulk gun loaded with exterior-grade sealant; a long-handled soft brush and a hose nozzle with a gentle setting; and somewhere to jot down the date and what you saw.
New year: a baseline set of photos
- Shoot each elevation in full from a fixed standpoint, then move in for the corners, the lowest row of siding and the casing around every opening.
- Hold this year's pictures up against last year's, if you kept them, and mark whatever looks different.
- Stand at one end of each wall and look down its length; waves, humps and pieces that have unhooked from their neighbors stand out from that angle.
- Test the wood trim nearest the ground with the screwdriver tip. Wood that feels spongy belongs on the list for a repair person to inspect.
- Indoors, open the closets on outside walls and look below window corners for staining, bubbled paint or an off smell.
Spring: washing the walls
- Work down each wall from the eaves with a garden hose on a gentle spray. Skip the pressure washer: its jet can drive water up under the overlaps and lift paint.
- Where green or black growth shows, scrub lightly with the soft brush and whatever cleaner the siding's manufacturer approves, and rinse thoroughly afterward.
- Prune shrubs, climbing plants and low limbs so a gap opens between the foliage and the siding.
- Rake bedding material away from the wall until the gap between ground and siding matches what the manufacturer specifies.
- Aim sprinklers so they wet grass and beds, not the house.
Midyear: paint and sealant
- Look over vinyl on any wall facing the afternoon sun for rippling, or for ends squeezed hard against trim; if you see either, ask a contractor to look at how the panels were fastened.
- On painted surfaces, note chalky residue, blisters, cracks or wood showing through, and which side of the house has it.
- Before any repainting, read the label for the temperature and humidity window it allows.
- Where caulk at casings has split or let go, slice it out and lay a new bead of a sealant whose label lists both materials it will bond.
- Set grills, smokers and fire bowls well clear of the siding.
- Knock down any wasp nests tucked beneath laps or along the eave line with care, or have a pest service handle them.
Autumn: the clear-out
- After leaf drop, scoop out the gutters and send a stream of water down every downspout to confirm nothing is blocked.
- Where a downspout dumps water at the base of the wall, fit a longer leader or a splash pad to carry it away.
- Sweep the eaves with binoculars and a flashlight beam for sagging boards, open seams, nesting material or chewed edges.
- When the wind picks up, walk around and listen; a panel that clatters gets written down for later.
- Shift woodpiles, spare boards and stored gear out from the wall.
Winter checks
- Inspect the seal around each faucet, dryer outlet, meter base and cable entry, and touch up any that have opened.
- Clear lint from the dryer outlet and make sure its flap swings freely; check other wall vents for blockages.
- Keep watching the drywall under windows for any new marks.
- Save painting or caulking for a day inside the range its label gives.
- Anything out of reach from the ground goes on the contractor list.
After strong wind or a hard rain
- Once conditions are safe, circle the house and study corners, gables and the row of siding just below the eaves for anything lifted, torn or gone.
- Take pictures before touching anything, starting with each full wall and then the details.
- Pick up stray pieces from the lawn and keep them; they make it easier to match the profile and color.
- If wrap or bare sheathing is showing, cover it only if you can reach it safely from the ground, then line up a repair.
- Thinking about a claim? Phone your insurer and ask what they need before any permanent fix goes on.
Work to hand to a crew
Leave the higher-risk items to a contractor: anything past the first floor, a fix that requires unhooking many panels in a row, work near the overhead service drop, replacing rotten sheathing or studs, and new flashing at a window or along a roof-to-wall joint. With scaffolding and fall gear, a crew can reach those places while you stay on the ground.
Gathering repair quotes
Once the list holds more than an afternoon of small jobs, invite a few firms out and ask for written prices. Ask every one of them the same things:
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Is a permit needed for this repair, and which of us files for it?
- Could you send certificates showing liability coverage and workers' compensation?
- Where would the new pieces be sourced, and what happens if they don't match what's up now?
- How long does your workmanship warranty run on this repair, and will the contract spell it out?
An exterior file
Set up a single folder, paper or digital, for the outside of the house. File the siding's product name, profile and color there, along with a note on where spare pieces are kept, the dated photos from each circuit, the sealant and paint you bought, and a line for every repair giving the firm, the date and the cost. If the same spot keeps acting up, the folder tells the story, and whoever quotes the next repair begins with the facts in hand.