Wet-bulb hours at South Bend
In an average year at South Bend, about 35 miles from Michigan City, NOAA's engineering weather data counts about 294 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 1,110 hours above 67°F.
Michigan City figures from QuickFacts
The U.S. Census Bureau's QuickFacts gives Michigan City an owner-occupied housing unit rate of 58.8% for 2020-2024. For the same 2020-2024 period it lists a median value of owner-occupied housing units of $143,100 and a median gross rent of $967. The city's land area in 2020 was 20.41 square miles, and its population per square mile in 2020 was 1,571.8.
How the list is arranged
This checklist splits the year into five stretches, each a pair of months or a little more, with a short set of jobs for each. Nearly all of them can be done with your feet on the ground. One small kit covers every stretch: a phone for photos, binoculars for the upper walls and soffit, a flashlight, a blunt screwdriver for pressing on trim, a caulk gun with exterior sealant, a soft brush on a pole, a hose with a spray nozzle and a notebook. Shoot your photos from the same spots each time, so a change on a wall is easy to see.
March and April: the first look
- Once the ground next to the walls is clear, go all the way around the house at a slow pace.
- Look low on each wall, at corners and behind shrubs for panels that cracked, bowed or came unlocked over the winter.
- Check the spots where snow or ice was piled against the siding, and look there for swelling, stains or lifted paint.
- Press the screwdriver gently into wood trim near the ground. Trim that gives under light pressure deserves a closer look from someone who repairs it.
- Indoors, check closets and corners on outside walls for new stains or a damp smell.
- Start a list of anything that will need a crew, so you can ask for prices early in the season.
May and June: wash and clear
- Clean the gutters once the trees have dropped their spring seeds and flowers, then run water through each downspout to make sure it flows.
- Add an extension or splash block anywhere a downspout empties right beside the foundation.
- Rinse each wall from the top down with the garden hose. Leave the pressure washer in the garage, since a hard jet can push water up behind the laps.
- Scrub green or dark patches with the soft brush and a cleaner the siding maker approves, then rinse.
- Cut shrubs and vines back so air can move between the leaves and the wall.
- Pull mulch and soil down so the bottom course keeps the clearance its maker lists.
July and August: sun and shade
- On the sunniest walls, look for vinyl that has waved, buckled or pinched tight at its ends, and ask a contractor about the fastening if you see it.
- Keep grills, fire pits and patio heaters well back from the siding.
- On shaded walls, look for mildew and wash it off the same way as in spring.
- Check painted siding and trim for chalking, blistering or bare wood. If you plan to repaint, follow the temperature and humidity limits on the can.
- Look behind shutters, downspouts and mounted lights for trapped debris or staining.
- Knock down wasp nests under laps and along the soffit edge, carefully, or call a pest company.
September and October: seal and fasten
- Cut out cracked caulk at window and door trim and around hose bibs, dryer vents, cable entries and meters, and reseal with a product rated for the materials it joins.
- On a breezy day, listen for rattling panels. Snap loose pieces back into place if you can do it from the ground, or add them to the crew list.
- Scan the soffit and fascia with binoculars for gaps, sagging or signs of birds and rodents.
- Clear the gutters a second time once most of the leaves are down.
- Stack firewood and stored lumber away from the wall for the winter.
- Shut off and drain outdoor faucets before the first freeze.
November through February: winter watch
- When you clear walks and the driveway, throw the snow away from the house rather than against the siding.
- Watch the eaves for ice dams. Meltwater backing up behind them can find its way down inside the wall.
- From indoors, keep an eye on walls and ceilings near windows for new stains.
- Keep the dryer vent flap and other wall vents free of frost and lint.
- Stay off ladders on icy days. Write down what you see and deal with it in March.
After a damaging storm
- Once it is safe to go outside, walk each side and look at corners, gable ends and the top course under the soffit for lifted, torn or missing panels.
- Photograph everything before you move or fix anything: a wide shot of each wall, then close-ups.
- Gather the loose pieces from the yard. They help a crew match color and profile.
- If the barrier or sheathing is exposed, cover it from the ground only if you can do so safely, and call for a repair.
- If you plan to file a claim, call your insurer before any permanent work starts.
Jobs for a crew
Some work belongs on a contractor's list rather than yours: anything above the first story, repairs that mean unlocking a run of panels, anything near the service wires, replacing soft sheathing or framing, and reflashing a window or the joint where a roof meets a wall. A crew with staging and fall protection can do these without putting you on a tall ladder.
Collecting repair prices
When your list outgrows small fixes, ask two or three companies for written prices and put the same questions to each:
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Which city permits does the repair need, and who pulls them?
- Can you show proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
- Will the replacement pieces match what is on the wall, and what is the plan if they don't?
- What warranty covers the repair, and will it be in writing?
A record of the walls
Keep one folder, paper or digital, for the outside of the house. In it go the product name, color and profile, where any spare pieces are stored, the dated photos from each walk, receipts for sealant and paint, and every repair with the company's name and price. When a problem keeps coming back in the same spot, the folder shows it, and the next contractor starts from what is already known.