Alabama houses fail in Alabama ways. Spring hail and straight-line winds, tropical storms from June to November, humidity that turns shaded siding green, and clay soils that swell and shrink under every slab. Generic home maintenance advice written for a dry climate or a frozen one misses most of that. These guides are written for here.
All guides
Which guide do you need?
A storm just came through
Start with the after-storm roof and exterior check. It puts safety first, walks you around the house in an order that catches the damage adjusters look for, and tells you what to photograph before anything is cleaned up. If you are filing a claim, our page on storm damage insurance repair explains each stage of the process and what a contractor should and should not do in it.
There is a hole, crack or stain in a wall
Drywall: repair or replace? sorts the decision by damage type. The short version is that board condition decides, not hole size, and anything wet for more than a day or two usually comes out.
The outside of the house is going green
The pressure-washing schedule for Alabama humidity covers how often to clean each surface, when in the year to do it, and why siding and roofs need a soft wash instead of high pressure.
You are planning a driveway, patio or walk, or one is cracking
Concrete on Alabama clay soils explains why slabs crack and settle here, and the base, joint and drainage decisions that make the difference.
You own a rental on the coast
Hurricane prep for Gulf Coast rentals is a four-stage plan: before the season, when a storm is forecast, during, and the first days after, including guests and insurance paperwork.
A tenant just moved out
The rental turnover checklist lists the work room by room in the order trades should run, and flags the safety items that should never be skipped.
Tools that go with the guides
Our free construction calculators handle the material math: paint gallons for a room, drywall sheets for a wall, cubic yards for a slab, shingle bundles for a roof repair, paver counts, studs and stair steps. Investors can run flip, BRRRR and rental numbers in the deal analyzerbefore committing to a property.
How we write these
- Answer first. Every guide opens with the direct answer, then explains it.
- Honest numbers only. We give ranges where they are reliable, such as slab thickness, joint spacing or drying windows, and avoid prices that would be wrong for most houses.
- Clear about limits. When something needs an engineer, a licensed trade, an insurer or an attorney, the guide says so.
- Dated. Each page shows when it was last updated, and we revise guides when the facts change.
An Alabama maintenance calendar at a glance
- March to May: spring storm season. Know the after-storm check, clean gutters once pollen drops, and do the annual siding and concrete wash.
- June 1 to November 30: hurricane season. Coastal owners should have pre-season repairs and paperwork done before it starts.
- Summer: heat and humidity. Watch bathroom fans, condensate lines and any drywall near plumbing for moisture; pour concrete early in the day.
- September and October: wash and seal decks and fences, clean gutters again, and handle exterior repairs before winter.
- Winter: freeze warnings. Protect exposed pipes and plan interior work such as drywall and paint.
Who these guides are for
Homeowners will find the storm, drywall, washing and concrete guides most useful. Landlords and property managers should start with the turnover checklist and the hurricane plan; see also our page for landlords and property managers. Agents preparing a listing can use the drywall and washing guides with our page for realtors, and investors budgeting a rehab will get the most from the concrete guide and our page for investors.