Don't wait too long to get your house exterior ready for winter

Kya deLongchamps suggests getting outside now to finish those last few winter-battening jobs before the weather turns and the distractions of the season begin.

The insulation in the attic is fluffed up to 300mm, the boiler has been tuned to sing like a siren, and every dastardly draft has been tailored, stuffed and sealed — but what about outside the envelope of your house?

Is the good ship ready for anything that the cold, blustery weather may hurl at it?

Before you suit up and boot up, do take a quick visual survey, put on the kettle, draw up a chair and take a good look at your home insurance policy.

I mean — really read it.

Get to grips with the fine print and exclusions and nebulous terms like “gradual deterioration”.

Up on the Roof

Look aloft (or more probably pay someone else to physically do it), and check that roof. Use binoculars if necessary.

Full scale ascents of a two story house with soft shoes and roof ladders are for the fit, experienced and I would say, slightly mad.

Remember 1970s comedian Rod Hull and his aggressive Emu? He died as a result of just such an adventure.

So, from your vantage point on the ground are there are signs of dislodged slates, damage to flashing, and any marked build up of algae and moss?

Missing slates or damaged ridge tiles should be dealt with immediately by a reputable roofing contractor.

Holes in the fascia or soffits can admit vermin, birds and bats, quite part from introducing damp and condensation to your attic — have this dealt with right away.

A troublesome growth of moss can dislodge slates, age tiles and drop down into gutters and the ground — it will spread and stain as it colonises other surfaces such as paving.

If you have a satellite dish, this is a good time to check the mount is safe and secure.

Even a small dish can be a dangerous missile falling to the ground.

Guttering

Out of sight and mind, it’s easy to forget the vital role of your gutters — conducting water quickly and cleanly away from vulnerable areas of the house.

If you don’t maintain your gutters, they can actually increase the problems of water ingress, holding pooling water against the fabric of the building, including timber elements, or spilling it out of cracks and breaks, in generous rivulets down exterior walls where the moisture can not only soak in, but will settle and freeze in cracks damaging the render.

In summer PVC guttering can get very hot, and this can allow inadequate joints without a suitable expansion gap to simply spring apart.

Take a look up the outside walls for signs of persistent drips in white or green vertical marks on render or brickwork.

Most guttering problems can be sorted out with an application of a flexible, waterproof mastic. If lengths of gutter need replacing and you’re not fit for fiddling on the roof — call in the professionals.

Some window washing firms offer guttering, fascia and soffits cleans in a full package from around €100.

Going DIY

NEVER lean a ladder against plastic guttering or any downpipe. PVC-U is relatively brittle and certainly an unsafe support.

Cleaning your gutters not only ensures that water gets off the roof and down to the drains efficiently — it cleans out the expansion gap of mouldy silt which can clog, and push the sections of gutter apart.

This is a two person job — one on the ground to steady and foot the ladder, the other to lift the rubbish out of the gutter using something like a plastic (never metal) gardening trowel.

A bucket suspended from an ‘S’ hook from the top rung is ideal. Don’t lean out while you work, and don’t mount the top two rungs of the ladder. Wet down clinging muck rather than gouging at it.

Once you have finished one run of gutter, flush out the downpipes with water.

Use a hand mirror to check behind downpipes for cracks.

If someone comes to your door saying your neighbour is having their gutters cleaned and have recommended them — don’t hesitate. Close the door and call the neighbour.

This is a common scam in winter months.

If you make an insurance claim related to guttering and they are discovered to be already neglected, it’s down the drain.

Clear and certain

One thing that power washers are excellent for, is cleaning paths of slimy moss, lichen and algae.

Shaded areas to the north and east are especially vulnerable to greening up. Wear goggles and keep the area clear of slime with a stiff broom.

The damp proof course (DPC) of any modern building is there to stop damp creeping up via capillary action through the blocks and bricks of the house, where (with any sort of material including cavity fill insulation) it can then bridge the cavity and cause damp inside.

If soil and debris is piled up around the base of your house, wet can also splash up, by-passing the DPC. Check for any areas where soil may have raised ground level against the house.

New steps for example without an individual DPC may allow bridging of the DPC of the house. If your DPC is clearly failing, it’s possible to have a course of the base of your house drilled and chemically filled, not cheap, but better than long term damp.

If you see any significant cracks in the exterior walls, even slender ones that appear to be migrating, and significant loss to any pointing, have a chartered engineer check these issues out. Most will be minor settling cracks and easily sorted.

Green giants

Scanning up and around the garden, are there any trees that could potentially fall on the house or outbuildings in high winds?

Don’t trim or cut down any large trees, employ a registered arborist who not only knows their job, but the law.

Generally you don’t need permission to fell a tree (on your land) within 30.5m (100 feet) of a property. If leaves from trees close to the house are constantly blocking the gutters, consider having guards fitted — an investment but a seasonal relief.

Creepers such as Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus) are self supporting and apart from looking a bit sad over winter will not damage the render.

Irish or English ivy (Hedera) supports itself by aerial roots and looking for purchaseso can work its way into cracks, behind render and pipe-work.

Any stout climber will also provide a jungle gym for mice and rats. Consider trimming the growth to well below the roof and upper window line.