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Spring in Toronto is short. The window between the last hard frost and the first real heat of summer is only a few weeks long – and it’s the best time of year to walk your property and look for what winter left behind. Here’s what we check every spring, and what to look for.
1. The Roof
You don’t need to get on the roof – you need binoculars and a willingness to look. Walk around the perimeter and look for shingles that are curling at the edges, cracked, missing, or have lost significant granule coverage. Check the ridge line for sagging. Look at the flashing around chimneys, vents, and skylights – lifted or cracked flashing is one of the most common sources of leaks. If you had ice dams this winter and noticed water staining on your ceiling, the roof is where to start.
2. Eavestroughs and Downspouts
Walk the perimeter after a rain and watch where the water goes. Eavestroughs that are pulling away from the fascia, sagging in the middle, or overflowing during a moderate rain are telling you something. Check downspouts for blockages and make sure they’re directing water away from the foundation – at least six feet out. If the downspout is dumping at the foundation wall, you’re watering your basement.
Look at the fascia board behind the eavestroughs too. If the paint is peeling or the wood feels soft when you press it, water has been getting behind the eavestrough and the fascia needs attention.
3. The Foundation Perimeter
After the snow melts, walk the foundation and look for new cracks, efflorescence (the white chalky residue that indicates water is moving through concrete), and areas where the soil has settled away from the wall. Check window wells if you have them – leaves and debris accumulate over winter and can hold water against the foundation.
In East York and North York, many homes have parging on the foundation walls – a thin cement coating that seals the block. Parging that has cracked, spalled, or detached over winter should be repaired before next fall.
4. Windows and Doors
Run your hand around the interior perimeter of every exterior window and door frame and feel for drafts. Check the caulking on the exterior – caulk that has cracked, shrunk, or pulled away from the frame over winter is letting water and air in. Look at the bottom of exterior door frames and window frames for soft wood, which indicates moisture has been working at the frame over time.
Check that every window opens and closes properly after the freeze-thaw cycle. Stuck windows are sometimes a sign of frame movement; sometimes they just need the track cleaned and lubricated.
5. Exterior Paint and Siding
Walk the full exterior and look for paint that is peeling, bubbling, or cracking – these are signs that moisture got behind the paint film over winter. On wood siding, look for boards that have split, cupped, or show dark staining along the bottom edge. On brick homes, look for spalling (where the face of the brick is flaking off) and cracked mortar joints.
On stucco homes, look for new hairline cracks along corners and around window and door openings – these are common after a hard winter and should be sealed before they widen.
The Rule We Live By
A problem caught in spring is almost always a maintenance job. The same problem ignored until fall is often a repair. And ignored another season after that, it’s frequently a renovation. The cost curve on deferred home maintenance is steep, and it’s almost entirely avoidable.
If you want a professional set of eyes on your property, ask about our Homecare Plan – we do exactly this kind of seasonal assessment as part of the service.
Ready to Talk?
If you have questions about your home – or you’re ready to get started – call us at 647-427-7366 or request a quote at thehandyforce.com. We serve East York, North York, and the surrounding Toronto neighbourhoods.
– The HandyForce Team
