If you’re expecting a generic to-do list that tells you to check your gutters and mow the lawn, you’ve got another thing coming. You can read about that stuff anywhere; it’s all over the internet. And for good reason, of course, because all of that’s important.
But there are some other things that deserve your attention, and yet you probably never think to check them.
Read on because there are quite a few of them.
Small Problems That Most People Miss
Here are some things you probably forget about, but shouldn’t.
The Path Water Takes After Storm
Usually, people check their drainage after the storm passes, but the best time to do it is while it’s raining. It’s understandable that walking outside when it’s pouring doesn’t seem like too much fun, but it’s necessary.
Grab your raincoat and walk around to see what’s going on.
You might see that the water is pooling against the foundation or that it’s making its way through the flower beds. If there are soggy patches after the rain stops, that’s your warning sign.
You don’t want water flowing under your patio or, worse yet, your house, right? Poor drainage makes things messy and keeps the ground around your foundation damp.
Check Your Driveway for Settlement
Driveways always look pretty much the same, and after a while, you don’t even notice if something changes. But if you look closely, you might see that some sections are a bit lower than the rest. If the water pools in some spots, that’s another sign of settlement.
This is pretty common in states like New York, Iowa, Indiana, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and anywhere else where thefreeze-thaw cycles can crack and settle the concrete.
With a little bit of research, you’d find that concrete lifting in York PA is MUCH more common because of soil erosion and ice-related damage, while you won’t find such issues in states where there’s little to no precipitation or places with mild winters, such as Phoenix AZ. Basically, if you’re in a state that experiences winter temperatures that fluctuate above and below 32°F, you might look up concrete lifting just in case you need your driveway fixed ASAP.
Tree Roots Never Stop Growing
You’d think that the roots no longer grow once the tree reaches its full height, but that’s not the case. Roots keep growing out for as long as the tree lives, and what starts out as a thin tendril can get thick over a few years and push the walkway up. This happens very slowly, so you might not notice it at first.
Tree roots can also mess up your drainage and put pressure on your patio, which can shift the pavers.
Whatever you do, don’t cut the tree down!
Just check around mature trees and prune the roots on time.
Your Deck Needs More Than a Fresh Coat of Stain
If you have a deck and you want it to last, then you need to take care of it. And that means doing more than staining once in a while. The railing could be loose; there could be rust on the hardware; some boards might get soft (which means you have an issue with rot), and so on.
The way you maintain your deck should be adjusted to your climate, though, so there’s no one single rule that applies to everyone and everything.
You should carefully inspect your deck at least once a year, and then take care of whatever issues you notice.
Soil Beneath Your Yard Doesn’t Sit Still
The ground under your yard is always moving.
Rain soaks in, and the soil expands. Drought makes it shrink, freezing pushes it up, thawing drops it back down, etc. Something’s always up, and that usually causes small depressions to form, or you might notice that your mulch beds look uneven.
Changes are normal, so don’t waste your time on every little thing you notice.
Look for patterns – if you see that one corner seems to get lower every spring, you need to pay attention. The soil could be pulling away from a retaining wall, and that could point to pressure building around it.
Trip Hazards
The very idea of tripping in your own backyard seems ridiculous, but it happens all the time.
Concrete slabs can settle on one side and make you break your nose, and raised pavers, loose stones, and exposed tree roots can do the same or worse. Cracked stairs are dangerous, as well, especially when it’s wet outside.
Again, all you have to do is pay attention. Walk around your yard every once in a while and look for problems.
Conclusion
The checklist for outdoor maintenance you currently have is perfectly fine.
Everything on it needs to be taken care of. But perhaps you should think about the parts of your outdoor area that don’t get as much attention. You might say that looking at your driveway and checking for cracks is overkill, but just wait until you trip on it, or a crack becomes so huge that you need to hire a contractor to fix it.
And that’s exactly the point – looking for small trouble you can take care of on your own before it becomes something big that’ll cost you your savings.
