Spring Home Maintenance Checklist

Exterior

1. Do a roof damage walk-around — Circle the house looking for shingles lifted or stripped by winter wind, granules piling up in gutters, and bent flashing. Check ceilings inside for new stains. Price small repairs with the roofing calculator; if damage is widespread on an aging roof, start with our new roof cost guide.
2. Repair driveway cracks and assess sealcoating — Freeze-thaw cycles widen every crack that went into winter open. Fill cracks over 1/4 inch with asphalt crack filler now, and if water no longer beads on the surface, it's due for sealer once temps hold above 50°F. The sealcoat calculator converts your driveway's square footage into buckets.
3. Clean gutters and check downspouts — Clear out winter debris and confirm downspouts discharge at least 4–6 feet from the foundation. Spring rain is your free drainage diagnostic: if water pools against the house or the yard stays swampy, size a fix with the french drain calculator.
4. Wash and inspect siding — A garden-hose rinse with a soft brush removes winter grime and reveals problems: cracked vinyl, woodpecker holes, peeling paint, or warped boards. Estimate replacement for damaged sections with the siding calculator, and check whether your siding is near end-of-life in our siding lifespan guide.
5. Inspect the deck and test the stain — Probe for soft spots and popped fasteners, then do the water-drop test: sprinkle water on the boards, and if it soaks in within a few seconds instead of beading, it's time to re-stain. Get gallon counts from the stain calculator — and if the structure itself is failing, see our deck building guide.
6. Check the fence for winter damage — Frost heave tilts posts and snow load loosens rails. Push on each post; anything that moves needs its footing reset before the lean gets worse. Pricing a section replacement — or a whole new run — takes a minute with the fence calculator.
7. Check foundation grading — Winter settles soil. Walk the perimeter and confirm the ground still slopes away from the foundation, about 6 inches of fall over the first 10 feet. Low spots that collect water are the cheapest basement-leak fix you'll ever make: a few wheelbarrows of soil now versus waterproofing later.

Systems & Interior

8. Service and test the AC before summer — Run the system on a warm day and have it professionally serviced ($75–$200) before the first heat wave, when every HVAC company's schedule evaporates. If the unit is 12–15+ years old, size a replacement with the BTU calculator and get realistic pricing from our HVAC cost guide.
9. Test the irrigation system — Run each zone, watch for heads that don't pop up, spray sideways, or geyser from a cracked fitting, and adjust coverage before summer watering starts. A single broken head can quietly waste hundreds of gallons a week.
10. Clean the dryer vent — Pull the duct and clear the full run to the exterior hood, including the flap outside. Lint buildup is a leading cause of house fires, and a clear vent also cuts drying times noticeably.
11. Re-hang window screens and check seals — Repair or replace torn screens before bug season, and while each window is open, check that it slides freely and the weatherstripping survived winter. Screen repair kits cost a few dollars per window.
12. Refresh exterior caulk — Winter movement cracks caulk joints around windows, doors, and trim. Scrape out anything failed and re-run the beads on a dry day above 40°F — it keeps both water and summer-cooled air where they belong.

Yard & Garden

13. Seed and feed the lawn — Cool-season grass repairs best in early spring while soil is moist and temps are mild: overseed thin patches, then fertilize once the lawn is actively growing. The lawn calculator gives you seed quantities and the fertilizer calculator converts your square footage into bags.
14. Refresh mulch — Rake and fluff last year's layer, then top up to a total of 2–3 inches — enough to suppress weeds and hold moisture, not so much that it suffocates roots or piles against trunks. The mulch calculator tells you exactly how many yards or bags to order.
15. Prep garden beds — Clear winter debris, turn in compost, and repair or expand raised beds before planting weekends arrive. Building new ones? The raised bed calculator figures lumber and soil volume for any size.
16. Plan your summer projects — Decks, fences, patios, and sheds all build best in summer weather, and materials and contractor slots go fast. Pick your project now, walk through the relevant step-by-step guide, and get quotes lined up before peak season pricing kicks in.