The spring checklist exists because winter is brutal on a house. Freeze-thaw cycles open gaps in caulk and grout. Salt and snowmelt corrode metal. Wind drives debris into gutters and onto roofs. Pests start scouting entry points as soon as temperatures climb. Spring is the catch-up window where small fixes prevent summer emergencies. The list below is not theoretical. Each item maps to a specific failure mode that gets expensive if ignored, and they are grouped by the order an efficient homeowner should tackle them across two weekends.
Weekend one: exterior and structure
Start outside while spring weather is dry but cool enough to work without overheating.
1. Walk the roof line from the ground with binoculars. Look for lifted, cracked, or missing shingles, exposed nail heads, sagging gutters, and damaged flashing around chimneys, vents, and skylights. Note any concerns. If the roof is over 10 years old or shows multiple issues, book a professional inspection.
2. Clean gutters and downspouts. Remove leaves, seed pods, and roof grit. Flush downspouts with a hose. Verify water exits at least 4 feet from the foundation. If downspouts dump within 2 feet of the foundation, install extensions.
3. Walk the foundation perimeter. Look for cracks wider than a credit card, efflorescence (white powdery deposits), wood-to-soil contact, and grading that slopes toward the house. Cracks under 1/8 inch can wait for a sealant fix in summer. Wider cracks or any sign of horizontal displacement need a structural inspection.
4. Inspect siding and trim. Lifting, soft spots, peeling paint, and gaps around windows are signs of moisture intrusion. Probe suspicious areas with a screwdriver. Anything that gives easily is wet rot and needs repair before summer humidity worsens it.
5. Re-caulk windows and doors. Inspect the perimeter caulk on every exterior window and door. Cracked or pulled-away caulk is an air and water entry point. Cut out failing caulk and apply paintable silicone or polyurethane sealant.
6. Check the chimney. From the ground look for missing mortar, cracked crown, and damaged cap. Inspect inside for staining or odor that indicates a flue or flashing leak. Schedule a sweep if you used the fireplace more than 20 times during winter.
Weekend one: HVAC and mechanical
7. Replace the HVAC filter. A winter filter is full of dust and pet dander. Fresh filter at the start of cooling season improves airflow, reduces strain on the blower, and improves indoor air quality.
8. Clear the outdoor AC condenser. Cut back vegetation to 2 feet on all sides. Remove leaves and debris from the fins. Gently rinse the coils from the inside out with a garden hose (not a pressure washer, which bends fins).
9. Schedule a professional AC tune-up. Refrigerant level, capacitor health, contactor, and condensate drain are inspection items beyond DIY. Spring tune-ups before peak demand are 20 to 30% cheaper than emergency service calls in July.
10. Test the smoke and CO detectors. Press the test button. Replace batteries in any that beep weakly or are over a year old. Detectors over 10 years old should be replaced entirely regardless of test results.
Weekend two: plumbing and water
11. Turn on exterior hose bibs. Open each bib and confirm flow. If water sputters, drips inside the wall, or fails to flow, the freeze-protected internal section may have cracked over winter. Cracked bibs need replacement before summer use.
12. Test the sump pump. Pour 5 gallons of water into the sump pit. Confirm the pump activates and discharges. A pump that does not start, runs but does not discharge, or cycles too quickly needs service before spring storms.
13. Flush the water heater. Sediment buildup reduces efficiency 10 to 20% per year of accumulation. See our water heater flush article for the procedure.
14. Inspect washing machine hoses. Rubber hoses over 5 years old should be replaced with stainless braided hoses. Burst washer hoses are a top-three source of homeowner insurance water damage claims.
15. Check toilets and faucets for leaks. A single dripping toilet flapper wastes 200 gallons per day. Drop food coloring in each tank, wait 30 minutes without flushing, and check whether color reaches the bowl. If yes, replace the flapper.
Weekend two: yard and exterior cleanup
16. Inspect trees. Look for dead limbs, splits, and bark damage. Limbs over 4 inches diameter within 10 feet of the roof should be evaluated by an arborist. Storm season is approaching.
17. Pressure wash decks and siding. Use the lowest pressure that cleans. Vinyl siding cleans at 1500 PSI with 25 to 40 degree tips. Painted wood needs 500 to 800 PSI maximum to avoid stripping paint.
18. Reseal the deck if needed. Sprinkle water on the deck boards. Beading means the sealer is still working. Soaking in means the deck needs cleaning and resealing this year.
19. Aerate and overseed the lawn (cool season). See our lawn aeration article. Cool season grass benefits from spring aeration if compaction is a problem. Warm season grass aerates later in May or June.
20. Apply pre-emergent crabgrass control. Window is when soil temperatures hit 50 to 55°F for 5 consecutive days, generally before forsythia finishes blooming. Late application is wasted product.
Around the house: small but important
21. Clean the dryer vent. Disconnect the dryer from the vent. Use a dryer vent brush to clear the duct from inside and outside. Lint buildup is a fire hazard and reduces dryer efficiency 30% or more.
22. Test the GFCI outlets. Bathroom, kitchen, garage, and exterior outlets should have GFCI protection. Press the test button on each and confirm power cuts. If the test does not trip, replace the outlet.
23. Inspect the attic. Look for water staining on rafters, daylight through the roof deck, displaced insulation, and rodent activity. Spring attic inspection catches winter ice dam damage before summer heat compounds it.
24. Service the lawn mower and outdoor power equipment. Change the oil, replace the air filter, sharpen the blade. Five years of skipped mower maintenance shortens the equipment lifespan by half.
Final notes
Two weekends of focused work covers the entire list for most single-family homes. Larger properties or houses over 30 years old usually require a third weekend. Track what gets done in a simple notebook or spreadsheet so next spring you can move faster on the items that take time and skip items that were fully addressed.
See the fall winterization checklist for the companion list of autumn tasks. The methodology page covers how we evaluate home maintenance products and services we test for The Tested Hub reviews.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start spring home maintenance?+
Begin once nighttime temperatures stay above 40°F for a week and the last frost date has passed for your region. In most of the lower 48 that lands between mid-March and mid-April. Starting too early risks damaging caulk and paint jobs in late freezes. Starting too late means HVAC contractors are booked and gutters have already overflowed once or twice. Aim for two weekends of work spread over 3 to 4 weeks rather than one marathon weekend.
How much does a full spring maintenance round cost?+
DIY costs run $150 to $400 in supplies (caulk, filters, fertilizer, paint touch-up, gutter accessories). Hiring out individual tasks runs $80 to $250 each: HVAC tune-up $90 to $180, gutter cleaning $150 to $300, roof inspection $200 to $400, pressure washing $200 to $450. A full hired-out spring service package from a handyman runs $600 to $1,200 depending on house size and condition. Mixing DIY for easy tasks with hired help for ladder work is the most cost-effective approach.
Which spring maintenance task is most often skipped but most important?+
Checking the grading and downspout extensions around the foundation. Most homeowners never look at where water leaves the downspout. Negative grading or short downspouts dump rainwater directly against the foundation, which is the root cause of 80% of basement moisture problems. Walking the perimeter after a 1-inch rain and confirming water flows away from the house takes 10 minutes and prevents $5,000 to $30,000 in foundation repair costs over a decade.
Do I need to inspect the roof if I cannot see damage from the ground?+
Visual ground inspection with binoculars catches about 30% of issues. Lifted shingles, exposed nails, cracked boot flashing around pipes, and small punctures are usually invisible from ground level. If your roof is over 10 years old, get a professional inspection every 2 to 3 years even if everything looks fine from the driveway. The $200 to $400 inspection cost is trivial compared to the $8,000 to $25,000 cost of repairing decking damage from a leak that ran undetected for a year.
What spring task should be hired out instead of DIY?+
Anything requiring a ladder over 8 feet. Gutter cleaning on a two-story house, roof inspection, chimney work, and second-story window washing send tens of thousands of Americans to the ER each year from ladder falls. Tree limb removal near power lines, pressure washing painted surfaces, and septic system inspection are also better hired out. The savings from DIY do not justify the fall risk or the damage from inexperienced pressure washing on aged paint.
