Welcome to 2026. If you’ve tried to hire a contractor or buy building materials in the last couple of years, you know one thing for sure: repairs are expensive. The era of "wait until it breaks" is over. The smart money in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee is now on preventative maintenance.

After the wet weather many of us experience in this region, moisture is the number one enemy of your home's value. A small, undetected leak today is a massive remediation bill six months from now.

Here is your essential checklist to stop moisture problems before they start this year.

(The 2026 Exterior Checklist: Defend the Perimeter) Start outside. Your goal is to keep water moving away from your foundation.

• Gutters & Downspouts: Are they clear of winter debris? More importantly, do the downspouts extend at least 4-6 feet away from the house?

• Foundation Grading: Does the soil slope away from your home? Winter ground swell can shift dirt, creating pockets where water pools against your basement walls.

• Roof Boots & Flashing: Check around plumbing vents and chimneys. These rubber seals often crack after a few hard freezes, creating slow, invisible attic leaks.

(The Interior Checklist: The Usual Suspects)

• Under Sinks: Run your hand along the pipes under every sink in the house. A slow drip here can rot a cabinet base unnoticed for months.

• The Sump Pump: Test it before the spring rains hit hard. Pour a bucket of water in the pit to ensure it triggers automatically.

• HVAC drip pans: Ensure your AC condensate line is clear before you turn the air on for the first time this spring.

(The Missing Step: What You Can't See) You can diligently check every item on that list and still have a problem. Why? Because mold doesn't grow where it’s convenient for you to find it.

It grows behind the shower surround that has a pinhole leak in the grout. It grows in the crawlspace hidden by insulation. It grows inside the wall cavity where a roof leak traveled down a stud. By the time you see mold stains on your drywall, the damage is already significant.

(The Ultimate Preventative Measure: The Annual K9 Sweep) In 2026, savvy homeowners are treating K9 mold detection like they treat their annual HVAC tune-up or termite inspection. It’s essential preventative care.

Our dogs (like the Shepherd pictured on our trucks) are trained to detect the scent of active mold growth through walls, floors, and ceilings. An inspection takes far less time than traditional methods and requires zero destruction.

If our K9 clears your home, you get peace of mind for the year ahead. If they alert to an area, you have caught the problem at its earliest, cheapest-to-fix stage.

Don't wait for a disaster. Schedule your annual preventative K9 sweep this spring. Let us sniff out the problems so you don't have to pay for them later.