DIY Sealing the house

Another chore that should be accomplished in the first weekend (or as soon as possible) is to seal up the siding and any other holes you may find in your house.  Remember the bird?  Well he made his nest in our dryer vent...see the first picture below.  Not good.  All sorts of creatures can get into your house from a hole that big!  Also, check the siding everywhere!  Any holes or chipped paint must get re-sealed ASAP.  Our house appears to have had a big dog chewing on the siding at some point...also not good.  Additionally, make sure to repaint any spots where the paint may be chipping.  These unsealed points are not waterproof and the moisture can seep into the woodwork/siding and suddenly you have mold growing in your walls or crawl space!

Tools you will need:

• Screwdriver
• Utility knife
• Drill
• Lots of waterproof, paint-able caulk
• Much paint, various colors
• Paper towels/wipe-alls/rags

Difficulty Level:  Moderate

Step One:  Fix the Dryer Vent
Immediately get the hole closed off as well as you can the first chance you get. Here was my closing day fix...not pretty but keeps the birds out!  I re-drilled the (one) screw which was holding it up and used some masking tape to keep the metal mesh in place.  Duct tape would have been much better but I didn't have any on hand.

For a real fix, go to any home improvement store and buy a new vent cover!  They come white and with a grill in place.  Removing the old vent is simple enough.  To make sure the new vent has a good seal, put a generous bead of caulk around where the new vent will go.  Press the new vent on firmly and then drill the new vent into the siding/wall.  It will be messy, use some towels to clean off the extra caulk.  The best way to get a good seal is to run your index finger along the seams of the caulk, between the siding and the vent cover.  Again, wipe away excess.  When finished, my new cover looks as shown. Much better!

Step Two: Fixing the Siding


Again, anywhere the siding has been chewed up or even where there are simply poor joints, these need to get re-sealed to prevent moisture from getting into your siding/framing.  Our house has pressed cardboard siding which has many seals and joints that are coming apart or just poorly sealed.

My plan, which may not be the best, is to re-caulk all the openings.  Many of the joints have old caulk that needs to be removed before putting new in.  There's not much that can be done about the picture to the left...where the siding is all but destroyed (a chew toy for a big dog?).  These panels need to be replaced entirely.  Unfortunately, we want to spend our money elsewhere on the house and cannot afford to re-side.  As long as the joints are sealed and repainted, the siding will keep out the elements just fine.

Make sure to get caulk that is made for outdoor use and is paintable!  If it is desired to repaint, then get a caulk that will dry white to make it easy to see where the touch-up paint needs to go.  If painting is not in the plans, then get caulk that will dry clear.  This way the holes and creases will get sealed even though it may not look sealed.  Plus, no more painting!

Step Three: Painting the Trim

Not only will poorly constructed siding let moisture in but also peeling paint.  Make sure to examine the entire house including the trim.  Scrape off any paint that is obviously peeling and get a new coat of paint on ASAP!  This will prevent mold and keep the wood from rotting.  Candice and I have decided to repaint a nice deep green color instead of this purplish-magenta.

More pictures are to come once we get some of these projects completed!