Is your home ready for winter? Ten exterior repairs worth making before the snow comes.
Most homeowners have a short mental list of exterior repairs they have been meaning to get to. Fall is the last good opportunity to deal with them, because winter makes every one of them worse.
This is the fall home maintenance list we give homeowners across Kawartha Lakes: 10 areas to walk and check before the snow arrives, and a straight answer on which home repairs before winter are worth doing now versus which can safely wait until spring.
Why an Ontario winter is so hard on a house
Winter in Kawartha Lakes is hard on a house. Water gets into small cracks. Snow piles against doors and decks. Ice builds up in eavestroughs. Freeze-thaw cycles turn minor deterioration into expensive repairs.
That freeze-thaw pattern is what makes pre-winter home maintenance matter more in Ontario than it does in a milder climate. Water finds a small opening in November, freezes, expands, and makes the opening bigger. Do that a few dozen times between December and March and a soft board becomes rotten framing, a hairline gap becomes a leak, and a repair you could have booked in October becomes a much larger job in April.
The good news is that almost all of it is visible from the ground, if you know what you are looking at.
1. Rotten deck boards, stairs and railings
Decks take a lot of abuse from rain, snow and repeated freezing and thawing. Walk yours and look for:
- Soft or spongy deck boards
- Rot around stair stringers
- Loose railings
- Cracked or deteriorated stairs
- Fasteners that are pulling out
- Areas where water sits instead of draining
A few damaged boards may only require a repair. But if deterioration has reached the framing underneath, the problem can be more serious. This is especially worth checking before the deck gets covered in snow and ice.
Deck repair is one of the most common calls we get in Kawartha Lakes through the fall, partly because so many homes and cottages here have a deck that has stood through fifteen or twenty winters. Sometimes the answer is a handful of new boards and a properly re-anchored railing. Sometimes the framing has gone and it makes more sense to rebuild. You can see the kind of deck, porch and outdoor work we do on our outdoor living page.
2. Damaged fascia and soffits
Fascia and soffits protect the edges of your roof and help keep water and animals out of areas they shouldn't be. Look for:
- Rotting wood
- Loose or missing soffit panels
- Gaps around the roofline
- Water stains
- Signs of birds, squirrels or raccoons getting into the attic
A small opening can become a much bigger problem once winter arrives.
3. Eavestroughs and downspouts
Your eavestrough system has one important job: get water away from your house. Check for:
- Sagging sections
- Leaks
- Blocked downspouts
- Extensions that discharge water too close to the foundation
If water is consistently being dumped beside the house, it can contribute to basement moisture and foundation problems.
4. Exterior doors and weatherstripping
Fall is a good time to check exterior doors before cold weather arrives. Look for:
- Daylight around the frame
- Damaged weatherstripping
- Doors that no longer close properly
- Gaps at the threshold
Sometimes a simple adjustment or replacement seal is all that's needed. Other times, deterioration around the door means the problem goes deeper.
5. Basement windows and other water entry points
Walk around the outside of your house and look closely at basement windows, window wells and areas where additions, decks or other structures meet the house. You are looking for:
- Obvious gaps
- Deteriorated sealants
- Damaged materials
- Areas where water can collect
If you've had water in the basement before, fall is not the time to ignore it and hope for the best. Sealing up the outside is also the first step if you are thinking about finishing the basement at some point. There is no sense putting drywall over a wall that still gets wet.
6. Exterior stairs and walkways
Loose steps, deteriorated railings and uneven walkways become much more of a safety concern once they're covered with snow and ice. Pay the most attention to the areas you use most often during the winter.
If a stair is already loose or a walkway is settling, it is worth addressing before the first freeze.
7. Drainage around the house
Look at where water actually goes when it rains. Does it drain away from the house, or does it collect beside the foundation? Check:
- Areas around decks
- Additions
- Walkways
- Downspouts
Good drainage can prevent a lot of headaches later. Where the ground has settled beside a deck, a walkway or an addition, regrading or a bit of hardscaping usually solves it, and that is work we handle as part of an outdoor living project.
8. Exterior trim and wood that is starting to rot
Rot rarely starts as a major problem. It often begins with one small section of trim, a window sill, a corner board or another exposed piece of wood.
Once moisture gets into the material, the deterioration can continue underneath the surface. Replacing damaged material before winter is usually much easier than dealing with what happens after another season of moisture and freezing temperatures. If rot has spread past the trim into framing or sheathing, it stops being a repair and becomes part of a larger renovation, which is a much better thing to find out in October than in March.
9. Gaps where animals can get in
Fall is when homeowners often start noticing signs of unwanted guests. Check:
- Roof edges
- Soffits
- Vents
- Other openings that could allow squirrels, raccoons or other animals into the attic or walls
If you find an access point, closing it is only part of the solution. You also need to make sure the surrounding area isn't already damaged.
10. The small problem you've been putting off
This might be the most important one.
- That loose railing.
- The soft deck board.
- The leaking eavestrough.
- The damaged trim.
- The basement window that isn't sealing properly.
- The exterior door that doesn't close quite right.
These are the things homeowners often put off because they aren't urgent. Until they are. Winter has a way of exposing small exterior problems and making them more difficult to deal with.
Exterior home repairs across Kawartha Lakes
We are a local contractor working throughout the City of Kawartha Lakes and the surrounding areas, including Lindsay, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls and Omemee, along with the cottages and year round homes on the lakes between them.
That matters more than it sounds. A contractor who works in this area every week already knows how these houses are built, what the winters do to them and which problems tend to show up on a 1970s lakeside build versus a newer subdivision home in town. It also means we can usually get out to look at something without it turning into a two week wait.
The work on this list runs across most of what we do. Decks, stairs, railings and drainage sit with our outdoor living work. Rot that has gone past the trim, water getting into a basement or a door and frame that need replacing move into renovations and remodels. You can see the full range on our projects page, and how a job runs from the first visit to the last day on our process page.
Not sure what needs to be done?
You don't necessarily need a major renovation. Sometimes you just need someone with construction experience to walk around the house with you and identify what actually needs attention.
At JB Renovations & Home Repairs, we can assess exterior problem areas, explain what we're seeing and help you prioritize the repairs that make sense before winter.
Some problems may be simple repairs. Others may require a larger renovation. The important thing is knowing which is which before the weather turns.
If you have a list of exterior repairs you've been putting off, fall is a good time to get them looked at. The in home consultation is free, and there is no obligation at the end of it.
Common questions about winter exterior repairs
When is the best time to do exterior repairs before winter?
Fall, before the first hard freeze. Once snow and ice arrive, decks, stairs and roof edges are covered and much harder to inspect, and Ontario freeze-thaw cycles turn minor deterioration into a bigger repair over the winter.
Can a rotten deck board just be replaced?
Sometimes. A few damaged boards may only require a repair. But if the deterioration has reached the framing underneath, the problem is more serious. Most deck repair work in Kawartha Lakes starts with pulling a board and looking at what is under it.
Why does water beside the foundation matter?
If eavestroughs, downspouts or grading consistently dump water beside the house, it can contribute to basement moisture and foundation problems. Getting water away from the house is the single most useful thing an eavestrough system does.
Do you handle small exterior repairs, or only full renovations?
Both. Some exterior problems are simple repairs and others need a larger renovation. We will walk around the house with you, explain what we are seeing and help you prioritize what actually needs attention before winter.
What areas of Kawartha Lakes do you work in?
We work across the City of Kawartha Lakes and surrounding areas, including Lindsay, Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls and Omemee, and the homes and cottages on the lakes in between.
Is the consultation free?
Yes. The in home consultation is free across Kawartha Lakes and surrounding areas. We walk the outside of the house with you, tell you what needs doing before winter and what can wait, and put a real number in front of you. Call (647) 505-6791 or send us a message.
