Preparing Your Windows for Spring

Thus far in our spring preparation series, we’ve covered preparing your deck, roof, siding, and gutters for spring. In this installment of the series, our focus is on windows. In addition to providing your home with light, and a view of the outdoors, windows are an integral part of keeping your home protected from the elements. One way to extend the life of your windows, and ensure they are doing their job efficiently, is inspecting and maintaining them after winter.  To help you prepare your windows for spring, we’re sharing the following seven highly effective tips … Check Window Insulation Insulation has a great effect on the efficiency of your windows, which is why it’s important to make sure your insulation is in good shape. As a windows contractor, we’ve seen many instances where a homeowner’s windows are fine, but the insulation is not, so it’s definitely worthwhile to inspect the insulation yourself or have a professional do so for you. If you do decide to have a professional inspection, please note that you should

Read More »

Preparing Your Gutters for Spring

Gutters aren’t something homeowners think about much — unless they’re not working right. That said, spring is the perfect time to ensure that your gutters are in good shape to function well after the winter months. To help you check for proper gutter functionality, we’re sharing five tips … 1. Trim Those Trees If there are branches overhanging or in contact with your roof and/or gutters, have them trimmed ASAP. This will ensure that once leaves start to appear on your trees, they don’t wind up in your gutters. This also makes sure that branches and bark don’t break off and damage your roof or gutters, which can happen during heavy rain storms, or when winter weather causes branches to bow or break due to ice and snow accumulation on them. You can trim branches yourself with the right tool, hire a tree care company, or even a local experienced handyman. If the branches are large, we recommend hiring out the job to a professional for safety reasons. 2. Inspect Your Gutters Take a look

Read More »

Preparing Your Siding for Spring

In the third installment of our series on how to prepare the exterior of your home for spring, our focus is on your home’s siding. As a local siding contractor, we’ve seen just what a Wisconsin winter can do to a home’s exterior, which is why it’s important to review the following list to make sure your siding is in good shape.  Clean it Up with a Power Wash Take a good look at the siding on your home to see if it needs a cleaning. If it does, you may want to give it a good wash and light scrubbing with a power wash. If you don’t have a machine of your own, you can rent one to handle the job. Just note that doing this on your own could cause damage to your siding — like dents and pitting — so if you’re not experienced with power washing, you might want to hire a local siding contractor to do the job. Another important thing to consider is that vinyl siding has “molded-in colors,”

Read More »

Preparing Your Roof for Spring: 5 Steps to Keep Your Roof Healthy

A healthy roof is what keeps the rest of your home protected from the elements, which is why it’s so important to follow some simple steps each spring to see what maintenance, if any, your roof may need. In the following article, we’re going to cover five of the most important steps you can take to keep your roof healthy and extend its lifespan. 1. SCHEDULE AN INSPECTION FROM A PROFESSIONAL ROOFING CONTRACTOR This may sound like a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be. To begin, you don’t need to pay for a roof inspection. At Legacy Exteriors, we don’t charge for a roof inspection because we want to make it as easy as possible for a homeowner to keep their roof in tip-top shape. A complimentary inspection gives a homeowner peace of mind without any financial obligation. That said, we also take pictures of any issues we identify during an inspection and share with the homeowner so it’s clear to see what’s happening on the roof. Identifying any damage from the winter —

Read More »

Preparing Your Wood Deck for Spring: Stain vs. Sealant

In April of 2023, we shared Six Tips to Prep Your Deck for Spring. This year, we’ve decided to do an entire series of spring prep tips for the exterior of your home, and we’re starting off with a deeper dive into one of the six tips we spoke about last year … protecting your deck with stain and sealer. Both stains and sealers are crafted to protect wood decks, and this protection is critical if you want to keep your deck looking good — and in tip-top shape for years to come. Wood decks need maintenance, there’s just no two ways about it. That said, let’s define the difference between sealants and stains, and why you might want to highly consider using BOTH on your wood deck, or at least use a product that is a combination of the two. These two terms are often confused with each other, which makes sense since they are both used to protect wood. But as you’ll see, it comes down to thinking about these products as, “stain

Read More »