Spring is the most important time of year for your home's exterior. London, Ontario's freeze-thaw cycles are brutal, and what they leave behind — cracked concrete, warped wood, stained siding — only gets worse if ignored. Here's the professional checklist we use when assessing homes across London, St. Thomas, Strathroy, and Dorchester every spring.
Your Complete Spring Exterior Checklist
- Gutters & downspouts — Clear debris, flush with water, check for sagging or separating joints. Look at where downspouts discharge — erosion is a sign of a blockage problem. London's maple seeds alone can clog gutters within days of opening.
- Roof inspection — Look for missing shingles, damaged flashing, and moss growth. Use binoculars from the ground — you don't need to get up there yourself.
- Siding wash — A soft wash removes winter grime, mould spores, and road salt before they cause staining or penetrate the cladding. Essential for London homes near high-traffic roads.
- Deck assessment — Check for rot, loose boards, unstable railings, and faded or peeling finish. Spring is the best time to refinish before summer humidity. See our full guide on deck warning signs.
- Windows & screens — Clean glass inside and out, inspect seals for fogging, and replace torn screens before bug season.
- Driveway & walkways — Pressure wash to remove salt staining and check for new cracks caused by the freeze-thaw cycle. Salt damage is particularly common in London's older Wortley Village and Old South neighbourhoods.
- Interlock & patio — Re-level any shifted pavers, re-sand joints if sand has washed out, and apply a fresh sealant if it's been 2+ years.
- Exterior caulking — Inspect and replace cracked caulk around windows, doors, and where siding meets trim. This is your first line of defence against water infiltration.
When to DIY vs When to Call a Pro
Ground-level pressure washing, basic gutter scooping, and caulk inspection are all manageable DIY tasks. But anything above one storey, involving structural concerns (deck boards, interlock levelling), or requiring specialized equipment or solutions (soft wash, deck stripping) is worth leaving to professionals. The cost of a proper spring service almost always comes in below the cost of repairing damage caused by improper DIY technique.
Tackling this list in April or May means you spend the summer enjoying your outdoor space — not scrambling to fix preventable damage that got worse all season. Core Exteriors can handle as much or as little of this as you'd like, across London and Southwestern Ontario.