The most common exterior problems on houses, apart from the roof, are hail damage to siding, water getting behind siding at flashings, fiber cement installed too close to roofs, decks and soil, rotted trim, gutters that ice up or pull away, paint that peels, chalks or grows mildew, stucco cracking, and leaks at windows and deck ledgers. Each guide below covers the signs, the causes, what you can check safely from the ground, the correct fix and the common wrong ones, the code or manufacturer basis, and when to call. This is general information; your contractor and building department make the call on your home.
Jump to: Siding · Gutters · Paint · Stucco, windows and decks · Roof-side problems · Safety
Siding and wall moisture
| Problem | Typical sign | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Hail on vinyl siding | Cracks and holes along panel bottoms on the storm side | Hail-damaged vinyl siding |
| Hail on fiber cement or wood | Chipped paint, crushed edges, split boards | Hail on fiber cement and wood |
| Water behind siding | Swelling, stains and peeling in one area | Water behind siding |
| Fiber cement clearance and caulk | Crumbling bottom edges; failed caulk at butt joints | Fiber cement clearance and caulk |
| Rotted trim | Soft sills, corner boards and window head trim | Rotted exterior trim |
Before a storm claim, read our hail damage checklist. If you are in a wildfire area, re-siding can trigger state rules; see WUI siding and deck rules.
Gutters and ice
| Problem | Typical sign | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Ice in gutters | Packed ice, big icicles, bent hangers after winter | Ice in gutters |
| Gutters pulling away | Gap at the fascia; sag; water running behind | Gutters pulling away |
| Overflow and wrong pitch | Water over the front lip; standing water | Overflowing gutters |
Our Colorado Springs gutter page explains the gutter types we install.
Exterior paint
| Problem | Typical sign | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Peeling and blistering | Bubbles; paint off to bare wood near water sources | Peeling and blistering paint |
| Chalking and fading | Color rubs off on your hand; sunny walls washed out | Chalking and fading paint |
| Mildew | Dark spots on shaded walls that lighten with bleach | Mildew on paint and siding |
For fiber cement, see painting Hardie board siding and our Colorado Springs painting page.
Stucco, windows and decks
| Problem | Typical sign | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Stucco cracks | Hairline webs, corner cracks, stains, buried weep screed | Stucco cracking |
| Window flashing leaks | Stains below sill corners; rotted sills and head trim | Window flashing leaks |
| Deck ledger leaks | Rot at the rim joist behind the deck; rust at bolts | Deck ledger leaks |
Problems that start at the roof
Many wall problems begin where the roof meets the wall. These are covered in our roof problems guide:
- Missing kickout flashing, the most common cause of rot below a roof-to-wall corner.
- Roof-to-wall flashing leaks at step and headwall flashing.
- Rotted fascia and missing drip edge behind the gutters.
- Our ice dam guide, which explains what fills gutters with ice.
A word on safety
Every check in these guides can be done from the ground or from inside. Stay off ladders on ice, do not chip ice from gutters, do not sand or scrape paint on a pre-1978 home until it has been tested for lead, and never mix bleach with ammonia. When a check finds soft wood, a sagging gutter or a growing crack, take photos and call.
Get an exterior inspection
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews. We install siding and gutters, paint exteriors and replace roofs, so one inspection covers the whole outside of the house. Colorado Springs area: call (719) 488-2800 or book a free inspection. Denver metro: call (303) 209-0152 or book a free Denver inspection. Austin: call (512) 610-5897 or book a free Austin inspection. We reply the same business day.
Sources: John Straube, BSD-013 Rain Control in Buildings; 2021 IRC Chapter 7 (UpCodes); Cassens and Feist, NCR-133 Paint Failure Problems and Their Cure; U.S. EPA, Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program.
