What Exterior Repairs to Look for when Living in a Northern CA Waterfront Home
In addition to acquiring and maintaining great residential insurance, it’s important to keep tabs on your home’s exterior features so any problems are swiftly addressed. As premier local painting contractors in Northern CA, we at Endure Painting have seen what coastal conditions can do to homes. So, let’s go over some common exterior repairs to look for when living in a Northern CA waterfront home.
Common Exterior Repairs in Northern California
Erosion and Corrosion from Wind, Sand, and Salt
The air pressure differentials between land and sea contribute to those regular breezes found on the coast. On a temperate day, these gentle currents are relaxing, but it doesn’t take much for a breeze to turn into a gust. These strong winds carry plenty of debris with them, including salt from the sea and sand from the beaches. When directed towards the coast, these fine materials can bombard your home’s siding and roof, eroding these materials and corroding metal components. Professional exterior painters can apply specialty coatings to protect your home from coastal winds and the debris they carry, but nothing can prevent these forces from wearing down your home over time. If you stay on top of these damages, you can make minor repairs and touch-ups fairly easily -- neglecting them, on the other hand, can lead to more severe, expensive issues down the road.
Water Damage, Mold, and Mildew
Moisture is a threat to all properties, regardless of location. If you live on the water, though, you greatly increase your home’s risk of undergoing water damage by virtue of your surroundings. Not only can the ocean’s water splash onto your property or rise from below it -- coastal areas also receive plenty of precipitation, and rainfall tends to be more aggressive due to the aforementioned stronger winds. Moreover, it’s more humid on the coast than further inland. This onslaught of regular moisture can lead to rot and encourage the growth of fungi like mold and mildew on your property. Keeping up with exterior house painting and cleaning can mitigate the effects of moisture, but water has a way of finding vulnerable areas to enter. As such, it’s key to keep your home well sealed and address any underlying water problem before performing touch-ups -- simply painting over an area that’s been ravaged by water will only prolong the problem.
Faded, Peeling Paint from Harsh Sunlight
Though California isn’t always sunny, it receives more sunshine than many other areas in the U.S. While the state’s sunny disposition is a major selling point, it can also be detrimental for homes and commercial properties. Indeed, the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause even quality paint jobs to fade, peel, or flake from their substrates. And because waterfront homes are often less protected by trees and other forms of shade, they are prime targets from the sun’s rays. The greatest risk for Northern CA waterfront homes in this regard is between June and September, when temperatures are at their peak and the sun is in the sky for the longest period of time. Ask your residential exterior painting experts about UV-resistant paint when repainting your waterfront property, as these products will shield your home from the sun’s harshest rays for a certain amount of time.
Getting in Front of Waterfront Problems
It doesn’t get much better than living on the water, as long as you’re aware of the many ways in which coastal conditions can harm your home. If you need a helping hand with inspections, repairs, exterior painting, and more, you can count on Endure Painting. For more information regarding our skills and services, call us at (510) 458-2120 or send us an email at hello@endurepainting.com.
