Low-Maintenance Exterior Updates for Your Home

Steins' house, after shot

This house, owned by Barker and Susan Stein, is located in Fairhope, Alabama, a beautiful bayfront town on the Gulf Coast.

The downside of this location is the threat of hurricanes. There are also some light fixtures that have seen better days, windows that need caulk, and the color scheme hasn’t really changed since the 1970s.

We’ll fix all those issues, and help the Steins make their home low maintenance.

The Projects

 

Replace the roof

 

The biggest project is replacing the roof with a durable metal roof. The Steins’ roofer is Stefan Boyer, and when his crew arrives, they begin removing small portions of the existing shingle roof.
They’re also removing the brick chimney above the roof line — just one way to make this home low maintenance.

The hip and ridge caps on this metal roof system connect just like the shingles. Each hooks on the one below it before it’s secured with screws to the roof deck.
These guys even custom-bend the metal at the valleys so everything interlocks, ensuring that wind and water stay out.

Learn more about the Metal Roofing Alliance here.

Pressure-wash the house

 

Pressure wash house

Next, we clean the house, walkway and drive, and use a battery-powered garden sprayer to evenly coat concrete surfaces with Quikrete Concrete/Masonry Sealer. That means Barker won’t need to clean the concrete nearly as often.

17 COMMENTS

    • Hi, Wiley! ‘Today’s Homeowner’ airs 6:30 a.m. Saturdays on WJKT, the Fox affiliate, in Jackson.
      That means you can see this episode tomorrow — enjoy! 🙂

  1. Dear Staff,
    I love this website and watching the how to videos. However lately I have noticed that regardless of which video I choose, it begins and runs for maybe 5 seconds, then stops. It continues to do this throughout the entire video. I continue to watch because it is such a great website I was just interested in knowing if this happens to other customers or how I can eliminate this from occurring?
    Thank your for your attention, it is appreciated.
    Pat Gress

    • Hi, Patricia! We’re not experiencing that on this end, so here’s a suggestion: first, verify that your web browser is up to date. Next, try clearing your web browser’s cache and cookies. Then restart the computer or device. That should clear up any issues. If not, verify that your internet connection is very strong.
      We’ll look into this, but in the meantime, hope this helps!

  2. Watched your video on painting a front door-very nice, BUT I have a steel door, which has apparently not been repainted since its factory finish.
    I know that this needs to be handled differently than a re-paint on a wood door, in order to have a smooth finish. Maybe a video on this one day?

  3. Many thanks for this episode. Why not come to Oregon!! we need your recommendations for home care in our climate.
    Love your show and all the ideas you offer.
    Carol

  4. The best show ever. It comes on 4:30 am on Saturday mornings and I’m up to watch it. You and Chelsea are terrific together . Thanks

  5. My little house has a problem. The birds made holes in the mesh part of the
    roof eaves. How can I remove these birds now? Please let me know.

    I cannot believe how they made the holes in the mesh part of the roof eaves.
    Mesh was installed as ventilation when the house was first built.

    Thank you. Eve

    • Hi, Eve,
      When dealing with creatures of all shapes and sizes, we recommend checking with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service office in your area.
      Good luck!

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