Spring Home Maintenance Checklist for Sonoma County Homes
Spring in Sonoma County sits in a specific spot on the calendar: the rains have wound down, the ground is starting to dry, and we’re a few months out from fire season. It’s the single best window of the year to take stock of what winter did to your house and prep for what’s coming next.
This is the checklist I run for my own customers every year. Most of these are 10–30 minute checks. Catching the small stuff now saves hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars later in the year.
Walk the exterior first
Before anything else, do a slow walk around your house. Bring a notepad. You’re looking for what changed over winter, not what’s perfect.
Roof — from the ground
- Look for missing or shifted shingles, especially after the wind storms we get through March
- Check for sagging spots in the roof line
- Note any tree branches now overhanging the roof — winter storms grow them inward
- Look for staining on fascia boards (sign water has been spilling from clogged or damaged gutters)
Don’t climb up unless you know what you’re doing. A binocular check from the ground is enough to flag whether you need a roofer to take a closer look.
Gutters and downspouts
- Pull leaf and needle debris out of gutter channels (oak and redwood drop both year-round in Sonoma County)
- Flush downspouts with a hose — if water backs up, the downspout is clogged
- Check that downspouts direct water at least 4–6 feet away from the foundation
- Look for sagging gutter sections or gaps where the gutter pulls away from the fascia
This one is so important we wrote a whole post on it: how often to clean gutters in Sonoma County.
Siding and exterior paint
- Look for cracked, peeling, or bubbled paint — this is where moisture is getting in
- Check for soft spots in wood siding (press with your finger; it should feel solid)
- Look for staining beneath windows and at corners
Fence lines
- Push on fence posts — any wobble means the post is rotting at the base or the concrete has shifted
- Look for split, warped, or rotten boards
- Check gates for sagging hinges or latches that no longer line up
Foundation and crawl space vents
- Walk the perimeter looking for new foundation cracks or shifts
- Check that crawl space vents are clear and not blocked by mulch or planting
- Look for soil that has eroded away from the foundation due to winter runoff
Defensible space — do this before fire season
Sonoma County learned the hard way how fast wildfires move here. Spring is when CalFire wants you to do your defensible space work, before everything dries out.
- Clear leaves, needles, and debris from the roof and gutters (already on your list)
- Remove dead vegetation within 30 feet of the house
- Trim tree branches that hang within 10 feet of the chimney
- Move firewood stacks at least 30 feet from the house
- Clear leaves from under decks and porches
- Check that attic vents have screens (1/8" mesh) to keep embers out
This isn’t just an insurance issue — it’s the difference between a defensible house and one that catches fire from drifting embers. Take it seriously.
Move inside
HVAC
- Replace your air filter (this should be a quarterly habit, but spring is the universal reminder)
- If you have AC, schedule a tune-up before peak summer rates kick in (HVAC contractors are slammed in July)
- Test that all vents are open and unobstructed
Smoke and CO detectors
- Test every smoke and CO detector in the house
- Replace batteries if they haven’t been changed in the last 6 months
- If any detector is over 10 years old, replace the unit entirely (the sensor degrades)
Plumbing checks
- Look under every sink and behind toilets for any sign of moisture or staining
- Test all toilets — flush and watch the bowl refill correctly
- Check the water heater area for puddles, rust, or mineral buildup
- Run all rarely-used taps (guest bathroom, basement sink) for 30 seconds to clear stagnant water
Caulking and weatherstripping
- Check around bathtubs and showers — cracked or moldy caulk needs to be re-done
- Check around exterior windows and doors
- Inspect garage door weather seals
Drywall and ceilings
- Look for new water stains on ceilings, especially below upstairs bathrooms or near the roof valleys
- Check for hairline cracks — small ones are normal seasonal movement, growing ones are a foundation flag
The seasonal-specific Sonoma County stuff
A few things that come up in this region specifically that don’t make standard maintenance lists:
Wildlife exclusion
Spring is when raccoons, squirrels, and rats look for places to nest. Walk your roofline and check for new gaps, missing fascia screens, or chewed wood at attic vents. Once they’re in, they’re expensive to get out.
Concrete and pavers
Sonoma County’s expansive clay soils swell and shrink with winter rain and summer drought. Walk your driveway, walkways, and patio looking for new cracks or shifted pavers. Small issues are easy to seal in spring; large ones become trip hazards by fall.
Decks and outdoor wood
- Push on deck boards looking for soft spots
- Check railings for stability (this is a safety check, not just a maintenance one)
- If your deck hasn’t been sealed in 3+ years, spring is the right time before summer UV does another year of damage
Earthquake straps
Verify your water heater is still strapped to the wall (two straps, top and bottom). California requires it; lots of older Sonoma County homes are missing one or both.
What to actually fix vs. what to monitor
This list will probably surface 5–15 things that need attention. Not all of them need to be done now. My rough rule:
- Fix immediately: Anything letting water in, any safety issue (smoke detectors, deck railings, gas, electrical concerns)
- Fix this spring: Caulking, gutter work, paint touch-ups, defensible space, anything that gets harder once it’s 90°F outside
- Monitor: Hairline cracks, minor cosmetic issues, things that haven’t changed in years
- Plan for fall: HVAC tune-ups, weather sealing, anything that prepares for the next rainy season
Getting help with the checklist
If you’d rather have someone walk through this with you and fix the small stuff in one visit, that’s exactly what I do. A typical spring maintenance visit covers gutter cleaning, fence touch-ups, caulking, drywall patches, weatherstripping, and a punch list of small repairs — usually 2–4 hours of work and one trip charge instead of three.
I serve Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Windsor, Healdsburg, and surrounding Sonoma County.