Transitioning from the cold winter months to the milder weather of spring is a joyous thing marked by longer days and vibrant blooms. The care and attention required to get the exterior of your home ready for the rising mercury is just as important as freshening up the inside.

Dean Bennett, president of Dean Bennett Design and Construction, Inc. in Castle Rock, Colo., told weather.com that many people are already motivated by spring cleaning, which makes it the perfect time of year to tackle these necessary tasks around the home. 

One of the first places you may be inclined to look for winter weather damage is the roof, but according to Bennett, “usually not too much happens [to your roof] in the winter unless you’re in an area prone to a lot of big wind.

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Instead of pulling out the ladder and risking personal injury, he says, "you just want to inspect and if you do see one missing, you might want to talk to a roofing professional, it’s a little tricky to get that new shingle to sit in with the old shingles.”

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Change Filters

According to Bennett, “you really want to [change filters] during the heating or cooling season.” The reason? It helps with the efficiency of the air conditioner and heating system. Since you're exiting a prime heating season, Bennett recommends that this is a good time to do any required maintenance your system may require so it keeps performing at its optimal level. 

Next: It's time for some touch ups

Re-Paint Trim

A long wet, winter can take a toll on your house, especially where the exterior is painted. “A lot of time the snow will sit on painted surfaces, that would include decks and railings, and also specifically the trim on the house,” Bennett said.

“If it’s sits there and goes back and forth, between freezing and thawing, it can get under the paint and the paint can come off. So this is the time to inspect what touchups you need to do, and if you need to, repaint the deck or railings.”

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Gutters

Winter weather can also be harsh on your rain gutters. Bennett says to “look and see if any have been pulled sort of down and away from the house, by just looking at it you’ll see if there’s a sag in it and a lot of times that’s caused by a big chunk of ice sitting on it and weighing on it for a while.”

The best way to fix any sags is to “nail it in to get it straight,” Bennett said.

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Stock Up on Cleaning Supplies

Before spring gets fully underway, this is a good time to take inventory on your cleaning supplies and replace anything you’ve run out of. In additional to the usual suspects like bleach (which Bennett highly recommends adding to your arsenal because of how well it fights off mold) and degreasers, Bennett suggests checking your leaf rake and replacing it.

“You want to make sure you have a leaf rake,” he said. “At least where you have snow on the grass, you can get snow mold, so you want to fluff the grass back up.”

Bennett noted that this is also a good time to buy some spray foam in case you see any gaps that need fixing. Caulk is another important item to have on hand this season. “If you have some holes starting to form between the trim and the windows,” Bennett advises filling them in.

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Prep Your Yard

While you might not start landscaping or working on your garden for a few more weeks or months, this is a good time to prep your yard. For the most part, that means checking your equipment to make sure you have no surprises when it’s time to get to work.

The first thing Bennett recommends doing is simply to test your lawn mower. “A lot of times oxidation will build up on the spark plugs,” he explains. If you can’t get the mower to start, he suggests taking it to a professional who can fix it.

Next up is your sprinkler. “A lot of people like to have a sprinkler professional there because [any problems] may not be apparent to them,” he said. For instance, “if there’s low water pressure in one section it can evade homeowners, but a professional would see that there’s a break in that line somewhere.”

The last key to preparing the yard for spring involves getting the ground ready. “It’s nice to get that initial fertilizer,” Bennett said, adding that there are fertilizers made specifically for spring because they’re not as harsh on the ground. He also recommends removing broken tree branches.

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Restain Your Deck

Before you start to celebrate warmer weather, take a look at your deck. If it’s looking a bit weathered, this is the perfect time to restain it -- before the rainy spring season starts and you want to put out your patio furniture.

“The trick is finding at least three of four days when it’s going to be dry out,” Bennett said. “When you do this, you want to make sure that the snow during the winter hasn’t loosened or degraded the stain.”

Next: Give your chimney a clean sweep

Chimney

If you burn wood in your fireplace during the winter, Bennett advises having a chimney sweep out and clean your chimney. He recommends getting in the habit of doing this regularly and, naturally, the best time to do this is either right now, after the winter season, or in the fall before you start using it again.

And while they’re working on the chimney, Bennett added, “they can also inspect the cover at the top of the chimney to make sure that hasn’t been damaged.”

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Check Ventilated Eaves

Ice damming, which is when you get water damage right at the top of the walls and ceilings at the edge of the house, can be a big concern in the winter. If you see this problem in your own home, Bennett advises ventilating your eaves.

“The eaves keep the whole roof cold so that you don’t get any ice damming,” Bennett said. “It’s one of those things, if you’ve had ice damming in the winter, you want to think about doing it.”