Many homeowners naively fall back on the adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” when referring to the care and maintenance of their home.  Specifically, if the windows still open, the roof doesn’t leak and the siding is still intact., why worry about it?  Little do they know that all of these areas have their dark side.   That’s right.  It’s the parts you can’t see that often times need the most attention.  Here’s a prime example.

Let’s look at the experience of your average homeowner. We’ll call him “Bob” (mostly because that my name and the homeowner was me!) For years I noticed a bit of swelling in my siding around the edges of a few windows.   I didn’t pay much attention to it until I noticed the siding actually was soft enough that I could poke a finger through it.   Thinking I could repair these spots, I scraped out the loose bits, puttied over the holes and repainted.  Bingo. Crisis averted.  Or was it?

Over time, I noticed the puttied areas were cracking, and the soft siding was spreading.  Out of frustration, I cut out a section of siding, intending to replace it.  To my surprise and extreme dismay, I noticed that something was lurking on the “dark side” of the siding.  Apparently, the moisture had been working away not only at the siding, but the actual plywood wall.  Black mold and rot had taken hold to the point that this was now going to require some serious intervention.  A professional was brought in and it was determined that it would be best to reside my home.  Unbeknownst to me there were several areas around the house, especially near windows, that had been impacted by moisture over the years.

The moral of this story is two-fold.

1. Don’t assume that if you can’t see it, it isn’t there, and
2. Even if you see it, there may be more to it than meets the eye.

The causes of home deterioration are numerous, ranging from lack of regular upkeep to unforgiving weather conditions to poor repairs/replacements done in the past.  Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about the weather, but upkeep and effective repairs/replacements can be controlled.  When making a decision to hire someone for repairs/replacements, say windows for example, it is extremely important that the person is fully trained and experienced for the task.  Poor quality windows or worse, poorly installed windows will create havoc over time.  Note that all contractors are not created equal.  Nor are the products that they provide. 

With All Craft Exteriors, you can be assured that the repair/replacement job on your home will be done with the utmost in quality, both in labor and materials.  Whether windows, siding, roofing, and/or gutters, All Craft Exteriors has the expertise to get it done right the first time so you won’t have to fear the dark side any longer.