Your Year-Round Home Exterior Checklist for Illinois Weather

Midwest weather cycles are hard on homes. This four-season checklist keeps your exterior ahead of the damage — most items take minutes.

Spring

• Inspect the roof from the ground for missing or lifted shingles after winter.
• Check gutters and downspouts for pulls from ice damage.
• Look for caulk gaps around windows and siding joints.
• Walk the foundation for soil that pulled away over winter.

Summer

• Wash siding gently (hose and soft brush — never pressure-blast).
• Trim branches back off the roof and siding.
• Check attic ventilation on a hot day — it should not be dramatically hotter than outside.
• Book fall gutter cleaning early.

Fall

• Clean gutters after the leaves drop — the single most important hour of the year.
• Check flashing around the chimney and vents.
• Seal gaps before the first freeze.
• Schedule a professional roof inspection before winter.

Winter

• Watch for ice dams at the eaves after heavy snow.
• Keep downspout exits clear of snow so meltwater moves away from the foundation.
• Look for icicle build-up at seams — a ventilation red flag.

Twice a year, let us do the parts you cannot: a free professional inspection covering all of it. Call (618) 915-9736.