What NOAA's Monroe station records
NOAA's engineering weather data lists a station named Monroe, at an elevation of 79 feet. For that station, NOAA gives:
- a 1% summer design temperature of 94°F, with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 78°F;
- a 99% winter design temperature of 26°F;
- about 2,002 hours in an average year with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F, and about 3,463 hours above 67°F;
- a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet);
- a 100-year rainfall rate of 4.0 inches per hour;
- about 24 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year.
How the checklist is laid out
Rather than marching through the months, this list divides the outside of the house into zones, working from the ground up. Each zone gets a spring look and a fall look, and each ends with the items to hand to a contractor rather than tackle yourself. If you drew a lettered sketch of the walls when the siding was bid, use those letters in your notes.
Staying on the ground
Every check below is meant to be done from the ground or a sturdy step stool. Use binoculars for second-story walls and gables, and stay well away from the overhead electric line where it reaches the house.
A small kit covers the whole routine:
- binoculars and a phone for photos;
- a flashlight for the shadows under porches and decks;
- a plastic scraper for clearing channels without scratching;
- a long-handled soft brush and a hose nozzle with a gentle spray;
- exterior sealant and a caulk gun;
- a notebook, or the lettered sketch, for dates and findings.
The ground line
Spring look
- Measure the gap between the bottom course and the soil, mulch or paving below it, and compare it with the clearance in the siding maker's instructions.
- Pull back mulch or soil that has crept up toward the wall.
- Look along the base of each wall for split, swollen or chewed ends.
- Run the sprinklers once and turn any head that wets the wall.
Fall look
- Rake leaves out of the strip along the foundation.
- Check where each downspout lets out, and add an extension or splash block if water lands against the wall.
- Move firewood, bins and stored lumber a little way out from the siding.
For a contractor: trim near the ground that feels soft when pressed, and pieces split at the base.
The wall faces
Spring look
- Rinse each wall from the top down with a garden hose on a soft setting. A pressure washer can force water behind the laps.
- Where dark or green growth stays put, scrub gently with the soft brush and a cleaner the siding maker allows, then rinse.
- Stand at one end of each wall and sight along it for panels that bow, wave or have come unhooked.
Fall look
- On painted wood or fiber cement, look for chalky residue, blistering, cracks and bare spots, and note which wall shows them.
- On vinyl, listen on a breezy day for any panel that rattles, and mark it on the sketch.
- Look for open butt joints where two lengths of siding meet.
For a contractor: cracked or missing pieces, panels that will not lock back in, and repainting.
Windows and doors
Spring look
- Check the sealant at window and door trim for cracks or edges pulling away.
- Clear packed debris from the bottom of the channels around windows.
- Inside, look at the wall and floor under each window for stains or bubbled paint.
Fall look
- Cut out failed caulk and lay a new bead, using a sealant whose label lists the materials on both sides of the joint.
- Look at painted sills and the trim beside door thresholds for soft or split wood.
For a contractor: soft trim, and any inside stain that returns after it has been dried and painted.
The roof edge and soffit
Spring look
- Scan the fascia and gutters with binoculars for sagging, gaps or hangers pulling loose.
- Look at soffit panels for holes, loose pieces or signs of nesting.
Fall look
- Clean the gutters and run water through each downspout to make sure it flows.
- Where a lower roof meets a wall, look at the siding just below the joint for streaks or staining.
For a contractor: gaps in the soffit, gutters pulled away from the fascia, and any roof-to-wall joint that looks stained.
The fixtures on the wall
Spring look
- Check the seal around hose bibs, light fixtures, cable and phone entries and the spot where the air conditioner lines enter the house.
- Make sure the dryer vent flap swings open and closes freely.
Fall look
- Clear lint from the dryer hood and check bathroom and kitchen exhaust hoods for blockages.
- Look at mounting blocks for cracks or gaps behind them.
- Leave the electric meter and its base alone; report any problem there to the utility.
For a contractor: cracked mounting blocks and any fixture that has pulled loose from the wall.
What to leave to a contractor
Some jobs belong to a crew with ladders, staging and fall gear: anything above the first floor, repairs that mean unhooking a long run of panels, new flashing at a window or along a roof-to-wall joint, rotten sheathing or framing, and any work near the overhead electric line.
Questions for a repair quote
When the contractor items add up, ask two or three companies for a written price and put the same questions to each:
- What state license or registration, if any, covers this work, and what is the number?
- Does the repair need a city permit, and who would pull it?
- Can you send proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation?
- Where will the new pieces come from, and what is the plan if they do not match?
- What workmanship warranty is written into the contract?
Keeping the wall notebook
Keep one notebook, or a folder on your phone, for the outside of the house. Put the siding's product name, color and profile on the first page, note where spare pieces are stored, and add the spring and fall photos with dates. Log every repair with the company, the date, the price and the wall letter, so the next person who quotes a repair can see what has already been done.