One of the places this water damage can show up is in your siding. And the siding isn’t the only thing that takes damage. The areas covered by the siding can start to rot as well. And once you start seeing damage to your siding chances are you’ve already got a pretty serious problem beneath.

Still, it’s important to know the signs.

You’re seeing water stains.

Siding can take on water stains just like your ceiling or walls can. They’ll show up as grey, brown, or black spots. You may also see streaks that are a slightly darker version of your siding color.

You should also be really concerned if you see algae growing all over your siding. Algae can’t grow without the presence of water. If your home is shedding water like it should be, this shouldn’t happen. The same is true for moss.

Mold and mildew aren’t unheard of either. If you’re seeing either of those you’ve got a serious issue, one that needs to be addressed right away.

Your paint is peeling.

If you have vinyl siding you won’t see this sign, of course, since you typically don’t paint vinyl. It’s just whatever color it is. The same is true if you’ve chosen to stain your wooden siding.

But if you’ve got painted wooden siding then this could be one of your earliest signs that your siding’s getting way more exposure to water than it should be.

Of course, the exterior of your home isn’t the only place where you might see this symptom. If your interior paint peels or stains there’s a good chance the water has already worked its way under the siding and to the interior house structure. The same is true for wallpaper which randomly starts peeling away.

Here in Florida, there’s a good chance mold, mildew, or both will be trapped between the wallpaper and the wall surface, adding another layer of trouble.

The nails no longer look right.

One of two things could happen here.

The first is nails could start popping out. The second is nails can start sinking deeper into the siding, because the water is causing it to swell.

Either way, nails that don’t look normal just aren’t a great sign.

You see warping or bubbling.

Siding that’s severely water damaged can start to visibly warp or bubble up. However, water damage isn’t the only reason siding buckles or warps. When you’re looking at vinyl siding the cause is more likely to be poor installation than water damage.

Your gutters are in bad shape.

The signs may not be showing up yet, but if your gutters aren’t in good repair there’s a great chance your siding is taking water damage, along with many of the other vital structures in your home.

We recommend doing a visual inspection of your gutters at least twice a year, right around the time you clean them, or get them cleaned. That way you can spot any problems.

Are your gutters in need of repair or replacement? Don’t forget to call us for a free estimate. Fixing your gutters is more affordable than you might think. It’s certainly more affordable than dealing with the consequences of water damage!