What Happens When You Don’t Clean Out Your Gutters?

December 10, 2014 By

guttersLet’s face it: nobody likes to clean their home’s gutters. But neglecting this important, yet unpleasant task can have some pretty nasty consequences.

1. Roof and Gutter Leaks

Although letting leaves and other debris build up in your gutters may not actually cause a leak, keep in mind that leaks are most often discovered during routine inspections (or after it’s too late and they’ve caused damage to your roof, ceiling, etc). Taking the time to clean out your home’s gutters means you can also take the time to inspect their condition. Small leaks that are discovered and repaired early usually do not cause major problems down the road. However, if you’re not making a point to perform this basic maintenance, these minor issues will likely go undiscovered until they become a big problem. [Read more…]

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Fall Home Maintenance Tasks

September 30, 2014 By

deck cleaningIn the coastal NC region, fall means the beach crowds are thinning out, the night air has a little crisp to it, and the days are getting shorter and a lot less humid! Yes, fall is a great time of year for our little corner of NC and it’s also a great time to give your home an autumn checkup. We understand that taking good care of a home is a year-round job, but there are certain projects and small tasks that every property owner should do in the fall to prepare for the winter ahead. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a short list of fall home maintenance tasks we recommend.

1. Clean those gutters!

Gutters and downspouts can get clogged and cruddy pretty quick around here. With the abundance of pine trees, oak leaves, and birds looking for a place to nest, homeowners in the Wilmington area should take special care to ensure their gutters are cleared of debris. We know most people don’t enjoy cleaning out gutters, but this simple home maintenance task doesn’t take a whole lot of effort and can save you from bigger, more expensive repair costs in the future. If the thought of cleaning gutters makes you cringe, or if you simply don’t have the time, Colour Solutions can help! We offer gutter cleaning as one of our many home maintenance services.  [Read more…]

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It’s Time to Wash Winter Grime Away!

April 30, 2014 By

Spring Cleaning ServicesSpring is here at last! We certainly had more than our usual share of frozen precipitation, high winds, and bone-chilling temps during this past winter. Did you know that aside from hurricane season, winter weather is likely the hardest on a home’s exterior?  Here are just some of the reasons why this is the case:

  • Excessive moisture may cause mold, mildew, and rot.
  • A home’s siding, trim, and foundation can suffer from too much moisture.
  • The freeze/thaw cycle causes expansion and contraction of numerous building components and an increased amount of wear and tear.
  • Wind gusts of 20mph + (we had plenty of those!) wreak havoc on the roof and fill gutters with debris at an accelerated rate.

If the north wind and Jack Frost left you with a mess, the Colour Solutions team is at your service. In addition to professional painting services, our talented crew handles a variety of other jobs. Here are a few “spring cleaning” tasks that we are happy to take care of:

  • Gutter cleaning – Are your gutters full of leaves, pine cones, and small sticks? They cannot possibly be effective until they are thoroughly cleaned out.
  • Small carpentry jobs – Do you have warped planks on the deck, loose trim, or missing pieces of siding? Perhaps you have discovered a little wood rot or moisture damage? The time to address such issues is now before they lead to bigger headaches.
  • Fence cleaning and painting  -Is your once lovely fence stained or showing signs of mildew? We can restore it back to fresh and new!
  • Pressure washing – Whether your home is dingy from months of yucky weather or it’s time for an exterior paint job, nothing does the trick like pressure washing!
  • See Our Services.

Of course you had rather be spending these gorgeous spring days in the garden, at the park, at the beach, or on the golf course. Guess what? There’s plenty of time for doing the things you enjoy most when you allow Colour Solutions to handle the big jobs!

We are a quick phone call away: 910-686-3067

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The Importance of Routine Gutter Cleaning

February 5, 2014 By

Importance of Routine Gutter CleaningWinter is the ideal time to ensure that debris left behind from the past seasons, including fallen leaves, pine straw, pine cones, small sticks, and acorns, have not clogged your home’s gutters. Clogged gutters may be unable to control the flow of rainwater,  and, as a contributor to ThisOldHouse.com observes, “An inch of rainfall doesn’t sound like much, but when it falls on an average-size roof, it adds up to a 1,900-gallon torrent sluicing off the eaves. That’s an awful lot of water that can cause an awful lot of damage if your gutters aren’t up to the task of controlling it.”

In the ongoing quest of home maintenance, routine gutter cleaning should be done at least twice a year. The good news is that the crew from Colour Solutions is up to the task. That’s right! Now, you can leave the messy and sometimes treacherous job of climbing up the ladder and clearing out that “mystery mess” to us! Even if falling leaves are not a concern, it is beneficial to have a professional examine a home’s gutters for damage and other issues.

A common problem we often encounter in southeastern N.C. is the affinity that squirrels and some birds have for the inner spaces between gutters and gutter guards. Their nests and stashes of acorns may be causing problems that you were not aware of.

When the gutters are full of debris, water becomes trapped and can leak, seep, or freeze. Any of those actions can threaten the integrity of your home’s roof, siding, and foundation. Please give Colour Solutions a call so that we can take the necessary steps to clean out your gutters and ensure they can do their intended job.

Please note that when gutters are clogged, the efficiency of the attached downspout system is severely hampered. Well-maintained gutters serve to divert rainwater away from a home. When they are not draining properly, water can pool around the foundation and too much moisture at the foundation can lead to some very expensive repairs.

To ensure that your gutters are doing their job, let us do ours! Please call the Colour Solutions team at 910-686-3067. Remember that we are also a full-service residential and commercial painting company located in Wilmington, N.C.

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Importance of Clean Gutters

September 4, 2012 By

If your home or commercial building has gutters, be sure to keep them clear and clean for optimal use. Once gutters become clogged or damaged, they fail to divert rainwater from your roof away from your home and foundation. This could possibly lead to expensive damage down the road. Gutters that are full of debris will become too heavy for the fasteners to support them, which can lead to the gutters becoming detached from the roof (sometimes pulling part of the roof away with it).

To avoid this damage, keep those gutters clean! Here are a few tips how to do so:

Create a gutter-cleaning schedule – Gutters ought to be cleaned thoroughly three or four times a year. However, your gutters may need to be cleaned more frequently if your home is exposed to higher-than-average rainfall or debris. Write down your gutter cleaning schedule on a calendar in advance so you won’t forget.

Trim back tree branches that are close to your roof – Trees that are close to your home will most likely drop significant amounts of leaves and other debris that will eventually clog up your gutters. One way to proactively deal with this is to cut back the tree branches that are close to or hanging over your roof.

Don’t just scoop out the gutters; actually CLEAN them – Although leaves and debris will clog your gutters quickly, mildew, moss or algae may grow in your gutters over time. That’s why it’s important not just to remove the debris, but to clear out the residue that builds up.

Gutter cleaning can be a headache, but it’s an essential part of proper home maintenance. At Colour Solutions, we are happy to clean your home’s gutters for you! Give us a call today for a free estimate. 910-686-3067

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