Architecture, stylish trim, and fresh paint enhance the beauty of our homes, but functional water-management repairs have to be prioritized when it comes to protecting the value of our property.
Nothing wrecks woodwork finishes and painted walls like a faulty drainage system. This is your cue to have your gutter system evaluated before starting any exterior home improvements or makeovers.
Read the Clues: Stains, Peeling Trim, and Water Overflow
The exterior features of one’s home will often have tell-tale signs of problems well before the roof deck needs repairs. Here is a list of common warning signs so that faulty drainage can be corrected before addressing any superficial repairs:
Siding Stains and Streaking:
Signs that water is spilling over the front edge of your gutters and fascias or oozing through gutter seams are dark vertical stains along the gutter siding. These stains are caused by accumulated minerals and dirt over time and baked into the fiberboard, fiberglass, or vinyl siding.
Paint Peeling & Warped Trim:
Moisture that infiltrates painted fascia, for example, causes peeling, bubbling, chipping, or cracking. Overflowing gutters can cause water to flow down the wood of your fascia boards, causing it to expand and lift the paint. The paint will crack and peel if there is continued overflow.
Erosion and Foundation Splashing
When water spills from clogged or sagging gutters, or overshoots the gutter, it can wash away soil and mulch and splash dirt and moisture onto lower siding.
Paint staining or splashing is most evident on lower-level paint jobs due to water exiting the roof area and soaking into the lower siding. Splashed muck and debris on the side yard is also evidence of faulty gutter system drainage in action.
It’s important to address the source of water damage before any renovations are done to maintain a pristine home.
Control the Water Source Before Repainting or Upgrading Finishes
Trying to paint over a rust spot only hides the damage, it doesn’t stop the rust. In similar fashion, painting or placing decorative siding along gutters that still leak can be pointless due to water damaging the paint job or rotting the wood of your fascia board. To make water work for your home rather than against it, roof runoff needs to flow into the gutters, through the downspouts, and toward a suitable discharge point away from the foundation.
When rainstorms are at their peak, the volume of water moving down your roof can often rival a rushing river. The larger the water volume, the more incentive it has to find the easiest exit point (typically due to restrictions such as tree branches or pine needles blocking a downspout).
At one point or another, the water will reach the edge of the gutter channel and spill over or pool along your foundation. Assessing the gutters’ channel integrity, drop outlets, and downspouts is one of the more crucial things to take care of prior to any exterior remodeling project. Focusing on protecting exterior finishes from roof runoff ensures that new paint and trim won’t be ruined by unaddressed overflow. That being said, it’s in your best interest to follow the correct construction and home improvement sequence.
A Good Exterior Project Sequence:
The order in which improvements and repairs are made on the exterior portions of a residential structure greatly contributes to the life span of new accents. Following the incorrect physical sequence of repairs will likely result in paint or embellishment damage down the line.
Always ensure that the fascia, soffits, and any exposed or damaged rafter ends around the roof edge of your gutter system, like soffits, fascias, and rafters, are adequately inspected and repaired before priming and painting begins. Soffits and fascias, for example, serve different purposes and have to be treated accordingly before any repair.
Assess Softened Fascia and Damaged Soffits
Fascia Boards:
These are the vertical wooden/plastic boards that run along the edge of the roof rafters and provide the mounting point for gutter brackets, house the roof deck, and are often hidden.
Soffits:
These are horizontal panels found along the space between the external wall and the overhang of the roof and provide fresh air circulation.
Evaluating the Existing Fascia & Soffit Work for Repair
When the gutter system accumulates water, it wicks its way in along the bottom edge of the fascia board. The moisture will then progress across the grain of the fascia until it reaches free water channels along the fascia, causing rot. Sagging or dislodged hangers are often the result of wood rot in the fascia.
When the gutters overflow, the force of the water will reach and rot the edges of the soffits, effectively clogging ventilation sources and allowing the rot to spread. Painting over rotting wood seals in the moisture and expedites internal decay.
By following a construction sequence that prioritizes roof-edge wood restoration prior to the start of any painting, you will ensure that your gutter system has a solid, well-maintained anchor while additionally providing longevity to the home’s roof framing.
Sequence Repairs, Gutter Work, and Painting: A Step-by-Step Checklist
By completing minor tasks timeously, you protect the aesthetics of your home. Otherwise, you might run the risk of ruining a new feature or painting job.
A sample of an exterior improvement sequential checklist for homeowner:
Storm Inspection:
Take a look around your home after a rainstorm and see where overflow is occurring.
Wood Inspection:
Probe fascia boards located behind the gutters with a screwdriver to discover any rotting wood.
Proper Flashing Edge:
Have the drip-edge or gutter-apron flashing checked to confirm that it directs roof runoff into the gutter rather than behind it.
Appropriate Downspout Placement:
Ensure that the downspout leads water away from the foundation or trim of the house a minimum of 5-6 feet!
Sequential Contracting:
Ensure that the wood repair and primary gutter work are completed by contractors prior to the start of any paint and accent application.
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