Absolute Home Solutions
At Absolute Home Solutions, we’re more than just home improvement contractors. We want to help you take care of your home and in many cases that means educating homeowners on the parts and pieces that make a house a home. We’ve been upgrading, remodeling, repairing and installing new roofs and siding on homes throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland since 2001. Our owner Steve, an Army Reserves Veteran, started Absolute Home Solutions to bring honest home solutions to homeowners and businesses. We never subcontract our work. Steve still oversees every single project that we work on. We want to be a part of the investment into your home. We want to help educate you on how to take care of your home. Your roof and your siding are the two largest most exposed areas of your home. They are responsible for protecting everything! So, shouldn’t you know how to protect your siding and get the longest possible lifespan out of it?
What Not To Do
We love helping homeowners, even the ones that are slightly embarrassed to need our help. Here are some easy things to not do that will protect your home’s siding as well as things to watch for and inspect:
- Grill Heat – While this seems like something we shouldn’t have to say, it’s very easy to not think about the amount of heat your grill is giving off. A beautiful spring day, a slow roasting grill, and a melted portion of siding….ahhh, a quick way to ruin a BBQ! Grills can cause melting, breakage, cracking, and discoloration. Harmful elements damage can occur at one time or after years of use. Make sure your grill is a safe distance away from your home’s exterior walls.
- Water – the bad word of any home damage! Siding doesn’t go all the way to the ground for a reason. Water can damage your siding and especially the wood behind the siding.
- Make sure foundation plants, bushes, or trees are cut back from the side of your home to allow for proper clearance. Create airflow so that the siding can dry when it does get wet.
- Proper attic insulation can also protect the siding of your home from extreme heat fluctuations and cold weather.
- Sprinklers or your garden hose should never continuously spray your homes exterior.
- Mold – What does water cause? Mold. Another very bad word in home ownership. There are ways to prevent mold on your siding.
- Regular cleaning, whether with a power washer or with a bristle brush and hose. Your home’s exterior does in fact need regular cleaning.
- Gutters – clean them regularly and have them inspected. Gutters can cause a lot of damage over time and you may never know about it until it’s too late. Water can seep in behind siding where you won’t be able to see the problem until mold or rot show up on your interior walls. You should also inspect your existing insulation for further damage every 6 months.
- Good Insulation can prevent mold growth on your home as well.
- Check sprinkler heads and keep bushes trimmed for air flow.
- Weed Eaters, like Grills, seem like an easy thing to avoid, but time and time again, we get calls about fixing damage caused by repetitive weed eater hits. Watch for rocks and guard your siding if you know you have a spot that’s easy to hit with your trimmer.
Maintaining Your Homes Siding
At Absolute Home Solutions we can help you repair or replace siding, even do a full upgrade of siding for your home, but we’d love to help you maintain and protect the siding you have now. Here are a few things you can do to maintain your siding:
- Regularly inspect your siding for Cracks or Discoloration – cracks and discoloration will both happen over time with siding. It should be addressed to ensure water is not penetrating your home’s inner wrap. An easy walk around your home while inspecting your siding should be done about every 6 months.
- Look for Water Damage
- Wood Siding will start to crack and peel from water damage
- Stucco will break apart and chip
- Brick will show damage in the mortar joints
- Vinyl siding is a little harder to spot water damage. If you suspect a problem area, give us a call.
- Check your home after a storm. Actually walk around your home and look for damage. A lot of times storm damage isn’t noticed for months without a visual inspection.
- Paint or Seal your siding. Yes, you can paint vinyl siding but you should follow your manufacturer recommendations with the proper acrylic paint and sealers. Check with your manufacturer and ensure you do this correctly. Using the wrong products or applying incorrectly can void manufacturers warranties.
If you notice any damage, cracks, discoloration or causes of concern, reach out to our team. Whether you have wood siding, vinyl siding, fiber cement siding, stucco siding or brick, we can help you address your concerns and take care of the siding on your home. We’ll be happy to do a full inspection and answer any questions you may have. Repairs can be done fairly quickly and inexpensively when addressed early. Ignoring a problem or noticing it after the damage is done, will cost a lot more to repair.
Let Absolute Home Solutions Protect Your Home & What Matters Most
Our team at Absolute Home Solutions prides itself on treating our customers just like family. We want you to depend on us and tell your neighbors about the great work we completed for you. If you have questions, we are here to answer them and help in any way we can. We offer free estimates or inspections as well. How can we help you take care of your home and increase your home’s value? Your curb appeal directly affects your home’s value. Take good care of your siding!