Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snow. Show all posts

Friday, December 2, 2022

Real Estate: Winter water damage from ice dams, attic condensation

By Tricia Zwirner

Excessive snow on the roof, condensation in the attic and ice buildup can cause roof and water damage. What are ice dams? What causes attic condensation? Why is excessive snow on your roof a concern? And what to do if you’ve had these?

What are ice dams?


When the temperature in your attic is above freezing, snow on the roof will likely melt. When the snowmelt runs down the roof and hits the colder eaves, it refreezes.

If this cycle repeats over several days, the freezing snowmelt builds up and forms an ice dam, behind which water pools into large puddles, or "ponds." The ponding water can then back up under the roof covering and leak into the attic or along exterior walls.

The right weather conditions for ice dams are usually when outside air temperatures are in the low 20s (°F) for several days with several inches of snow on the roof.

Causes of condensation in your attic

Attic condensation typically occurs when warm, moist air migrates or is directed into the attic from living spaces below. Research indicates unusually high humidity in the home's living spaces is strongly associated with attic condensation problems.

Winter water damage warning signs

Recognize the signs of stress when too much snow and ice has accumulated on your roof or when you have too much condensation in your attic.

Here are a few things to watch for:
Sagging ridgeline
Drooping ceilings
Water leaks on interior walls and ceilings
Jammed doors
Cracked interior walls near the center of your home
Creaking sounds

Condensation, snow on roof and ice dam prevention tips


Building codes attempt to prevent these problems but they can't address it all. And many houses could have been built prior to their creation.
Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans and dryer vents should never be discharged into the attic space and always discharge outside. You may have an adequately ventilated attic, but this won't matter if the bathroom exhaust fan dumps warm moist air directly into the attic space. This could result in condensed water vapor freezing onto cold attic materials, which will eventually thaw creating wet attic materials resulting in damage and potentially mold in the attic and inside the home.
Minimize ceiling mounted fixtures below the attic that create the need for holes in the drywall or plaster ceiling. Properly seal ceiling penetrations to make them airtight taking care to follow manufacturer clearance requirements for flues, chimneys and recessed light fixtures.
Research shows keeping the attic air temperature below freezing when the outside air temperature is in the low 20s can reduce the occurrence of ice dams. Proper attic ventilation is key to keeping the attic cool, while adequate and properly installed insulation is key to keeping your house warm. It is critical to keep soffit vents free from obstructions to allow the natural flow of cool outside air into the attic space to replace the warmer attic air that rises and flows outside the ridge and/or roof vents. This flow of air will keep the attic cool and free of moisture build-up.

What to do
It’s recommended you hire a professional contractor to be sure that insulation in the attic space is adequate to help prevent your home's warm air from escaping into unheated attic spaces.
Remove snow from the roof to prevent the creation (or reduce the impact) of ice dams. A "roof rake" can be used to remove snow but may damage the roofing materials so be very careful or hire a professional if in doubt.
Verify soffit and roof or ridge venting exists for all roof planes and that soffit vents are neither blocked by attic insulation nor covered by newly installed maintenance free finishes outside the home.
Verify all penetrations, access panels and electrical fixtures are properly sealed and insulated to prevent heat and moisture from entering the attic space, while maintaining manufacturer's required clearances.
Verify all exhaust fans and dryer vents are discharged to the outside.
Keep gutters clean of leaves and other debris. This will not necessarily prevent ice dams, but clean gutters can help drain away ice melt as it makes its way to the gutters during a thaw.
Follow up a short-term ice dam remedy with determining and fixing the actual cause to your ice dam problem. Consult a trusted and competent professional.
If replacing your home's roof, have a self-sealing membrane installed under the shingles to help prevent water damage from ice dams.
On metal roofs, install snow guards above entrances.

If your home suffers damage this winter, contact your homeowner’s insurance agent to see if it's covered under your homeowner's policy. <

Tricia Zwirner is a State Farm agent celebrating her 21st year in Windham. She and her team would love to hear from you and can be reached via phone and text at 207-892-2864 or via email at tricia@TRICIAZWIRNER.com.

 

 

 

Friday, February 11, 2022

Real Estate: Selling this spring, start planning now

By Matthew Trudel

The real estate market continues to strengthen even with the not so pleasant weather we have been having over the last month or so. There is still an enormous issue with the lack of inventory at this point. 

The main reason for that is the weather and snow, which prevents most people from putting their house on the market. They are waiting for the snow to be gone, the grass to green up, flowers to grow, and the weather to warm up. This is generally a good idea and a solid strategy if you are thinking of selling this year and are not in a rush to sell.

It is not too early to start planning a solid strategy of how and when to best market your home, so the process is smooth and successful. This is where an experienced real estate broker can really help you achieve your goal and get you the most money for your home.

There are a lot of things you can and should do to get prepared to list your home for sale long before you actually put it on the market. We cannot discuss every one of those things in this article, but I will write about a few key things you can work on with your realtor and on your own.

One of the first things is to start packing and sorting through everything you have in your home, basement, garage, shed and anywhere else. Pack up things they you don’t need but want to keep, and the rest of the things that you don’t really use anymore should be sold, donated, or thrown away. You can have a yard sale if that is something you want to do or just sell things online.

The most important thing is to declutter so the house will appear to have ample space, closets are not over packed with coats and clothes, and cupboards are not crammed full of Tupperware and cups.

Next would be the maintenance and repair list that you and your broker should create and organize. These are all the little things that you know are wrong with the house but have chosen to either live with or have just put them off for a later date. Now is the time to attack and fix those little things. Things like the leaky faucet, the loose doorknob, the damaged trim, and the touch up painting that needs to be addressed. You don’t have to overwhelm yourself with trying to get everything done at once. Just make a list and try to tackle them one at time and maybe just get one or two done every weekend.

Perhaps there are some larger items that need addressing like a deck, porch, and railing repairs but really need to wait until the snow is mostly gone. Calling contractors ahead of time is a great idea because any of the good ones are already booking into the spring.

If you are going to do the repairs yourself, you can organize a material list and make a plan to get those materials ahead of time or at least ordered. A lot of materials are hard to come by these days so it may take several weeks or over a month to get items to complete the project.

There are a lot of other things homeowners can work on ahead of time and your real estate broker should be able to advise you on what those things are.

The goal is to get your home in the best possible shape to highlight all the amenities and benefits it has to offer potential buyers. This will help you obtain the most money for your home, possibly multiple offers, and hopefully eliminate any sort of negotiations over deferred maintenance or inspection items that might come up during the process.

This will allow for a smooth and successful transaction in the selling of your home. <

For more information or ideas feel free to contact the author directly, Matthew Trudel, Owner of Five Star Realty, Windham, 207-939-6971.

Friday, December 10, 2021

Real Estate: Tips for Buying or Selling this Winter

By Matthew Trudel

Buying or Selling during the winter is not impossible, but it can be a little more challenging.  A large majority of people tend to avoid looking to purchase a home during the holidays.  So, if you are thinking of selling and putting your house on the market right now, this means you may have a smaller pool of buyers to work with.

On the other hand, if you are looking to buy a house right now, this might mean you have less competition with fewer buyers out shopping.  Either way, there are several other things that both buyers and sellers should be aware of and take into consideration if they are going to move forward right now.

Buying a house in the winter when there is two feet of snow everywhere can present several challenges and concerns.  One is that it is pretty hard to complete exterior inspections when there is snow all around the house and foundation.  Also, if the roof is covered in ice and snow then is pretty much impossible to inspect the shingles and determine the life expectancy of them. 

Another issue is being able to see the yard, landscaping, and condition of the lawn when it is covered with snow.  There are some positive aspects to looking at homes during the snowy winter months.

One thing you will be able to see about a home when we have a lot of snow is how easy or hard the snow removal process might be.  For example, is there adequate room to plow or shovel the snow?  You will likely be able to tell where there might be issues with ice dams on the roof.  The steepness and ice build up on the driveway is another potential issue you can identify.  Does the driveway get a lot of sun light which might help melt any ice build-up on the driveway?

Selling a house during the cold snowy months of January or February has its own set of challenges and can be a lot of work.  Keeping all the walkways and driveways cleared of ice and snow is just the beginning.  Keeping a path cleared around the house so buyers can get around the house easily can be very time consuming.  Hopefully you took some nice pictures over the summer of the landscaping and yard so buyers can see what it looks like in the warmer months.  Unless of course your lawn doesn’t look so good then it being covered in snow might be a positive thing.  Keeping your house clean is a little harder when you have buyers coming in with snowy or slush covered boots. 

You will also want to keep the heat close to 70 degrees or a little higher for showings.  A warm home sells a lot better than a cold house does.

There are some positives for selling your house this time of year.  There are fewer homes on the market which means you have less competition on the selling side.  There are fewer homes on the market because most people don’t like moving in January or February when you have to deal with snow, ice, and bitter cold weather. 

On the upside, this means the buyers who are out there looking at homes are serious buyers. 

So, whether you are a buyer or a seller and think you want to get in the game now, make sure you find yourself a REALTOR to work with and assist you in the process - someone with experience and knowledge of the area who has the time to devote themselves to whatever your real estate goals might be.  Remember that interest rates are still at all time lows, so buyers have more purchasing power which results in higher selling prices.  <

This article was written by Matthew Trudel, the Owner of Five Star Realty in Windham. Call him at 207-939-6971.