The Northland Spring Exterior Checklist: 23 Things to Check After the Thaw

By the Up North Pressure Washing crew · Duluth, MN · Updated June 2026 · Print this checklist

A Duluth winter is a six-month stress test: 80+ freeze-thaw cycles, weeks of snow load, ice dams, and a steady spray of road salt. Every spring we inspect hundreds of Northland homes, and the same problems show up in the same places. This is the walk-around we'd do at your house — 23 checks, ordered the way you'd actually walk it. Tap items as you go; your progress saves on this device.

🏠 Roof (from the ground, with binoculars)

Shingles: any lifted, cracked, or missing tabs — winter wind + brittle cold shingles Dark streaks or moss patches, especially the north slope → biology, not age; see our roof streaks guide Granule piles at downspout exits — normal in small amounts, a flag in handfuls Flashing around chimney and vents: lifted edges, rust trails

🌧 Gutters & fascia

Sags or pulled-away sections — ice weight bends hangers Seam drips during the next rain Tiger striping (vertical black streaks on gutter faces) — chronic overflow signature Fascia boards: peeling paint or soft spots behind gutters Downspouts reattached and discharging 4+ ft from the foundation

🧱 Siding

Green film starting on the north/shade walls → wash now while it's in the cheap tier Splash-line grime along the bottom courses from snowbank melt Cracked or loose panels from freeze-thaw movement Chalky residue on older vinyl/aluminum (oxidation) — needs special handling, not pressure Caulk joints at windows/doors: cracked or pulled

🚗 Concrete & asphalt

White haze or crusty film — road salt residue, actively accelerating surface spalling New pitting, flaking, or scaling since fall New cracks (freeze-thaw is the Northland's slow jackhammer) — seal before next winter Rust stains from snow-removal equipment or furniture

🪵 Deck & fence

Gray or green film on horizontal surfaces — slippery and feeding on the finish Water no longer beading on stained wood — finish has failed; re-seal season is July–August Loose boards, popped fasteners, wobbly railings from frost heave

🪟 Windows

Hard-water spotting and winter grime film Fogging *between* panes — failed seal, cleaning won't fix it, budget for the IGU

How'd your house do? 0–3 checks: solid shape — a maintenance wash keeps it that way. 4–8: normal Northland winter toll; knock out the cleaning items this spring before they compound. 9+: worth a professional walk-around — several of those items hide bigger problems.

Want a second set of eyes?

Every quote visit includes a free exterior walk-around — we'll flag what we see (including the stuff that isn't our trade) with photos.

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The Order of Operations

If multiple items hit, sequence matters: gutters first (everything below depends on water going where it should), then siding and concrete (salt off the driveway, algae off the walls — one visit), then roof treatment (dead moss sheds over following weeks), then deck restoration in mid-summer when wood is dry enough to take stain. Bundling whatever you can into one truck visit is the biggest cost saver — details in the 2026 price guide.