8 Signs You Might Need New Gutters

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Gutters are extremely important in protecting your home from water damage. They direct water away from the windows, doors, and exterior of your home and make sure water doesn’t leak inside. Cleaning your gutters regularly is helpful, but eventually gutters need to be replaced. How do you know when the time has come to replace and not repair? Here are 8 signs you might need new gutters.

Cracks and Holes

Some of the most blatant signs of wear and tear on your gutters are cracks, holes, and rust spots. These can be occasionally fixed with sealant or other patch-up techniques, but if you start to see too many problem spots, you’ll want to invest in new gutters. Small cracks may not seem like a big deal, but even the smallest cracks become big issues, eventually.

Hardware Issues

Noticing nails and screws on the ground or broken fasteners (those pieces of metal that hold your gutter to your roof and keep it level)? While a few random instances don’t mean you need to bother with a full gutter replacement, if you start seeing many nails and screws scattered below your gutters or constantly find yourself fixing gutter fasteners, there may be an underlying issue with your gutters that could warrant a full replacement.

Gutter Separation

If you see that your gutters are not holding together in a continuous channel, it might be time to replace them. After all, gutters are meant to hold together and carry rain water away from the home, so if the gutters are constantly separating and dumping water in unwanted spots, you may spend more money on home repairs than a gutter replacement!

Gutters Pulling Away from Roof

If you notice the fasteners aren’t quite doing their job as they should and the gutters aren’t flush with your roof anymore, you should be concerned that your fascia boards (the long board that runs along the lower edge of the roof and what the fasteners are attached to) may be rotting. Replacing your gutters includes new fascia boards.

Sagging or Incorrectly Pitched Gutters

You might see water pooling in or spilling over your gutters; this can be caused by your gutters not having proper pitch (the angle to have the water run down and away from the home). If you can’t fix this, you’ll need to get new gutters to protect your home from water damage.

Peeling Paint or Flecks of Orange

Leaky gutters will cause water to seep down onto siding and trim which in turn will cause your paint to peel if the water is a consistent problem. Notice weird flecks of orange? That’s a sign of rust! If you see flaking, of paint or rust, look into the issue a little further. You may be in need of new gutters to save you from re-painting your home.

Basement Flooding

A major red flag is water damage in your basement. Water damage could mean your gutters aren’t getting rid of water efficiently and instead are pouring it near your home’s foundation, where it leaks into the basement and causes flooding. If you have to repair your basement due to flooding, you’ll want to double-check your gutters and replace if necessary.

Landscaping Problems

Noticing more mud around your home than usual? What about pools of water or mildew? Maybe your flower beds appear eroded? Gutters that aren’t properly doing their job can cause all kinds of landscaping issues by dumping water where it shouldn’t go. If your weekend gardening just got more difficult, take some time to investigate your gutters at the potential cause.

Gutters, as mentioned, are integral to keeping your home from water damage. Despite their importance, it’s easy to forget they’re even there, which in turn makes it easy to forget they could be the cause of any number of issues with your home if they aren’t taken care of properly! If you think your gutters need to be replaced, contact Select Home Exteriors. Our experienced gutter contractors can evaluate your current gutters and make any necessary recommendations for replacement or repair. Schedule your consultation today!

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Easy Care & Maintenance for Your Vinyl Siding

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Vinyl siding is known as an easy-to-care-for housing material, especially compared to wood and some other materials. While it is much more low-maintenance, there are a few steps you can take to make sure your siding remains looking as good as the day you installed it.

Cleaning Tips

Your vinyl siding is so low-maintenance that it only requires occasional cleaning with mild soap and the water from your garden hose! Use a soft bristle brush or a soft cloth; the bristle brush will be best for textured siding to that the grooves remain stain-free.

If you think you want to use a power washer, check the instructions on your washer and the siding manufacturer’s instructions first. If the manufacturer gives the OK, make sure you aim the power washer straight at the top of the siding. Aiming upwards could cause the water to be forcefully driven behind the siding.

Mold or mildew may appear on your siding; luckily, there are easy ways to clean that off. For a small spot, using a cleaner such as Windex will do the trick. If the mold or mildew is more widespread, you can make a solution yourself. Mix 30% vinegar with 70% water and use that for the large affected area.

General Maintenance

After awhile, your siding may become discolored. To prevent this, you’ll want to make sure you cover the siding while you do any home renovations and when you apply certain insecticides and herbicides. Check the labels of any chemicals you use around your home. They should mention if they will have any negative effects on your siding.

Never have any open flames around your siding. Vinyl can melt when exposed to significant heat. In fact, no matter what sort of siding you have on your home, you will want to keep grills and ignitable materials (dry leaves, mulch, etc.) away.

Finally, if you are planning on updating your home and want to paint the siding you have installed, make sure you check with the manufacturer first! Some brands may void the warranty if you paint your siding.

Maryland’s Vinyl Siding Installation & Repair Experts

For more than 20 years, Select Home Exteriors has provided exceptional vinyl siding installation and repairs to customers throughout central Maryland. We offer a variety of colors, styles, and brands to meet your individual needs. Contact us today for a free estimate!

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5 Top Signs Your Siding Needs to Be Replaced

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Your home’s siding is like its skin – It protects the delicate interior structure from the harsh outdoor conditions. Because your siding takes a beating from the elements, it can show signs of wear and tear if it’s old or if it hasn’t been properly maintained. Eventually, all siding needs to be replaced to keep the rest of your home protected.

Here are the top 5 signs your home’s siding needs to be replaced:

You Have High Heating & Cooling Bills

If you’ve noticed the slow creeping up of your heating and cooling bills, and rising energy prices aren’t the culprit, your siding could be to blame. Over time, siding can shift or develop spaces that cause air from the outdoors to leak in and outside air to sneak indoors. As a result, your heating and cooling systems need to work harder, meaning your bills go up. Replacing your siding with something newer can decrease your bills within the first season after installation.

>>Vinyl: The #1 choice for residential siding>>

You See Cracking or Warping

Your siding can be damaged by falling branches, animals, or heavy winds. If you notice cracked or warped pieces of siding, that means you’re not getting the best protection from your siding. Cracks and warped boards can take on water, leak air, and allow animals and pests to infiltrate your home’s interior, causing all sorts of problems. Getting your siding repaired or replaced promptly is the best way to prevent further issues.

>>Identify the 5 major types of home siding>>

Your Interior Paint or Wallpaper Is Peeling

Though it isn’t an obvious connection for many homeowners, peeling wallpaper or paint inside a home means there’s something going on behind the walls. Often, that’s siding in ill repair allowing moisture to build up behind the siding. This moisture can lead to all sorts of interior problems – mold and mildew, sagging walls, or damaged drywall – and can spell expensive repairs if the source of the moisture isn’t corrected.

You Find Fungus, Mold, or Mildew

Fungus, mold, or mildew – either inside your home or on your home’s siding – means a moisture issue that needs correcting. These growths not only cause damage to your home, but they can cause health problems for you and your family. If your siding is the cause of your mold problem, it likely means a replacement is necessary to correct a moisture problem

>>Choosing the right siding for your home>>

You See Holes

Like cracking and warping, holes can happen for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, small holes can be repaired and the rest of your siding is none the worse for wear. But if you find multiple holes, or holes that appear to have been there for a while, you could be dealing with moisture leakage or pest infiltration. The best way to take care of these problems is to strip off all the siding and replace it.

Experienced Residential Siding Contractor in Frederick, MD

At Select Home Exteriors, we take pride in making our clients’ homes as beautiful from the outside as possible. We offer a wide variety of vinyl, insulated, and fiber cement siding to match your home’s style. Contact our experienced contractors today for a free consultation.

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Choosing a Roof Color: 7 Tips for Finding the Right One

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You know you need a new roof; maybe your home is older and you want to update, or you might have a creative itch to redesign. You may even need a new roof out necessity because of structural damage from a storm. No matter the reason, picking out the proper color for your roof is an important step in this process. Follow these simple guidelines to help you make a great decision!

Hot or Cold?

Believe it or not, the color you choose for your roof could have an impact on the temperature of your home. Roof color can actually change the temperature of your attic from 20-40 degrees. A lighter color will reflect sunlight and keep your house cooler, ideal for hot and sunny climates, while a dark roof will absorb sunlight and trap heat in, making it a good choice for homes in colder climates.

Coordination is Key

Some colors just work better together. A gray, blue, or white home will be a better base for dark shingles. For brown, cream, or tan homes consider a brown shingle or mix of brown and tan to add some texture. If your home is a color like green, red, or yellow, you have some more flexibility with shingle colors and could opt for a brown, grey, or black.

What’s Your Statement?

Color is one of the best ways to show off your personality. What do you want your home to say about you? If you want a more neutral, down-to-earth look, consider sticking with tans, creams, browns, blacks, grays, and clays.

Sticking with safe roofing colors is also a safer bet for people who are looking to sell their homes in the near future. If you want something trendier, consider palettes that combine tones of browns or employ a mix of blues, blacks, and greys. If you have a specific area of your home that you want to highlight, use a high-contrast color to make it stick out. If you have an area that you’re not particularly fond of and want to minimize, use a low-contrast color to hide it. You can also use dark colors to make your home appear smaller, or lighter colors for the opposite effect.

Be a Good Neighbor

If you live in a neighborhood, check with the homeowners association or neighborhood association to see if there are any rules regarding roof colors. Even if there are no rules, you’ll want to consider what the homes close to you look like. You don’t want the monotony of identical roofs, but you also don’t want to clash.

Consider the Style

Some homes lend themselves better to different roofing types and colors depending on the architectural. Spanish-style homes tend took look better with reddish clay shingles, while a ranch may look good with a combination of colors. Traditional Colonial houses need a completely different design approach. If you’re at a loss for what may work, drive around neighborhoods to get ideas from similar houses or utilize Google to brainstorm.

Think Material

Shingles come in a variety of materials, and different materials produce different looks.

  • Clay shingles commonly are red or tan, but can come in other colors. Make sure they are fired in a kiln so that the colors will withstand weather.
  • Slate can be used, but is expensive and the colors are limited to what you will find in nature.
  • Concrete can be made to appear like wood, slate, or clay and can come in a large variety of colors.
  • Metal roofing can be made to look like other roofing options or, in it’s typical sheet form, will give your home a distinctive look with vertical lines. It also has the benefit of being energy-efficient, fire-resistant, and strong.

Explore your options for materials and don’t be afraid to go outside the box!

Utilize a Professional

You may have a grand idea for how you want your home to appear, and that’s fantastic, but remember that a professional may be a great resource to make sure the design choices you make are viable. Once you have your plan, reach out to someone in the industry who has a history of success in roofs for some help. Between your ideas and their experience, you are on your way to a beautiful new roof!

Central Maryland’s First Choice for Roofing

For more than 20 years, the professionals at Select Home Exteriors have provided exceptional roofing products and installation to homes throughout central Maryland. Why trust just any contractor for your roofing project when you can work with the best? Contact us today for a free estimate!