5 spring fixes for winter's wreckage

You don't have to live in Erie, Pa., Grand Rapids, Mich., or any of the eight other highest-snowfall cities in America to be feeling winter's wrath. Deep snow and ultra-frigid temperatures across much of the Northeast and Midwest have made the winter of 2013-2014 among the most damaging for homeowners and costliest ever for home insurers, which have shoveled out  $1.5 billion in payouts so far, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

Snow and cold temperatures can wreak havoc on your home and property without your knowing it—that is, until leaks and other symptoms suddenly appear. The good news is, some of the most common winter home damage is relatively easy and inexpensive to fix and prevent. Here's what to do.

Ice dams (damage to roof, shingles). Snow melts and freezes on the roof edges above the gutters, forming a wall of ice that forces water from melting snow and ice under the shingles and into the house. Result: Leaks and—eventually—major repairs. Having a pro melt the ice dams with calcium chloride is one solution. Some simple precautions such as insulating and ventilating your attic can also keep ice dams from forming in the first place.
 
Basements flooded with snow melt. This happens when hydraulic pressure pulls water trapped between frozen soil and basement walls into the basement itself. Shoveling snow away from the foundation in winter helps prevent this nasty sequence of events. Proper landscape grading in spring—and a properly working gutter system year-round—are other smart remedies.

Snow mold on grass. Hate fall raking? Or maybe you skipped that final mowing before it snowed. Those are two common culprits behind the ugly gray circles of mold that form on many lawns when snow melts in spring. The lawn mold will often go away on its own once the weather gets warmer. But you can nudge it along by dethatching the grass and perhaps adding some grass seed at the appropriate time.
 
Salt-damaged plantings. Salt may make roads and walkways safer, but it can be murder on trees and shrubs.  Burlap barriers are one way to safeguard your precious plantings as well as planting your trees and shrubs away from roadways that are heavily treated. Come spring, rinse off your affected plants and drench the surrounding soil.
 
Frost-heaved walks and driveways. It's a lot like potholes: Water gets beneath the pavement then freezes, and expands. Repaving is about all you can do once the damage is done. Thinking of putting in a new walk or driveway anyway? Be sure to excavate 12 inches of earth, compact the soil and add 6 inches of crushed gravel as a porous layer between the soil and the new pavement.

If you need to repair your home's exterior, check the results of our tests of roofing and siding. We also test exterior paints to see which withstand weathering best.
 
—Bob Markovich