NOAA's numbers for Tallahassee
NOAA's engineering weather data for Tallahassee counts, in an average year, about 2,073 hours when the wet-bulb temperature is above 73°F and about 3,899 hours when it is above 67°F. For the same Tallahassee station it lists about 26 freeze-thaw cycles a year on average, a 100-year rainfall rate of 4.5 inches per hour, and a 50-year basic wind speed of 120 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet).
Using this list
The tasks are sorted into four seasons and a storm section. Everything here can be done from the ground or a short step stool with a flashlight, binoculars, a screwdriver for probing, a soft brush and a phone camera. Take one photo of each wall every time you go around, so changes are easy to spot from one season to the next.
Cool months: repair and repaint
- Walk every wall in daylight and look for cracked, split or missing pieces, popped nails and gaps at corner posts.
- Press trim boards and the lowest course with the tip of a screwdriver. Wood that gives easily may have been wet for some time.
- Check painted siding and trim for peeling, blistering or bare wood, and plan repainting for a dry stretch within the temperature range on the paint label.
- Look closely at window and door heads for streaks running down from the corners, a hint that head flashing is missing or reversed.
- Replace failed caulk with an exterior sealant rated for joint movement, applied within the temperature range on its label.
- Note anything that needs a crew so you can ask for a visit before the warm months.
Spring: drainage at the base of the wall
- Clean gutters and run a hose through each downspout to confirm it flows.
- Make sure every downspout discharges away from the foundation; add an extension or splash block where it does not.
- Rake mulch and soil back so the bottom course keeps the clearance its maker lists.
- Look for mud tubes on the foundation or the lowest boards, and call a pest control company before a siding contractor if you find any.
- Move firewood, bins, ladders and stored lumber away from the wall.
- Set sprinkler heads so the spray lands on the lawn and beds rather than the house.
Summer: shade, mildew and drying
- Check north walls and spots behind shrubs for green or black growth. Wash it off with a soft brush, a garden hose and a cleaner the siding maker approves.
- Keep pressure washers off the siding; a hard jet can drive water up behind the laps.
- Trim plants so leaves stand well off the wall and air can move behind them.
- Walk the house during or right after a heavy shower if you can do so safely, and watch where water overshoots gutters or sheets down a wall.
- Inside, look for damp spots, stains or peeling paint on outside walls near windows.
- Clear wasp nests and spider webs from under laps and soffit edges.
Fall: seal and fasten
- Run a hand along the bottom edge of vinyl courses and listen for rattles on a breezy day; loose panels are easier to refasten before winter.
- Seal around hose bibs, dryer vents, cable entries, meters and light fixtures.
- Check soffit panels with binoculars for gaps, sagging or nesting animals.
- Look at fascia for soft spots or peeling paint.
- Clean gutters again once most leaves are down.
- Drain outdoor faucets and store hoses before the first freeze.
After strong wind or a hard rain
- Once it is safe to go out, walk each side and look for torn, lifted or missing panels, loose corner trim and dislodged soffit.
- Photograph damage before you move anything: a wide shot of each wall, then close-ups.
- Cover any exposed barrier or sheathing temporarily with a tarp fastened so it does not tear the siding further.
- Keep broken pieces; they help a contractor match color and profile.
- Call your insurer before permanent repairs if you plan to file a claim.
Jobs for a crew, not a ladder
Second-story walls, the roofline, anything near the service wires and any repair that means removing courses belong to a crew with the right ladders, staging and fall protection. Never lean a ladder against vinyl siding or a gutter without a stand-off.
When to ask for prices
Call for a professional look if you find soft or spongy boards, panels pulling away, gaps that show the barrier, paint that fails in the same spot year after year, or indoor stains that line up with an outside seam. When you request prices, ask which permits the job needs and who pulls them, what state license, if any, covers the work and what the number is, and for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation. Look any number you are given up on DBPR's license search before you sign.
Keep a siding file
Keep one folder for the outside walls. Put in the product name, color and profile, the season-by-season photos, receipts for paint and sealant, invoices and both warranties. Store a few spare pieces in the garage. When a repair comes up, the folder shows what is on the wall and what has already been done.