A lot of leaks are caused by gutters that don t work. Leaking box gutters will deteriorate the wood cornice support. Unfortunately, people don t seem to want to get up on ladders and do this sort of cleaning. Painting is one of the major exterior tasks. A wood frame house will need to be painted every six to eight years.
Loose paint needs to be scraped, and the wood needs to sanded and spackled.
Masonry, on the other hand, doesn t need to be painted if it has not been painted. But it does demand special attention when pointing mortar deteriorates. The joint needs to be cleaned out at least a half to three-quarters of an inch before repointing with a mortar mix of a strength appropriate for the masonry. It is also important to match both the color and pointing joint profile so that the resulting work looks like brick rather than a pattern of mortar joints. Roofing is generally more durable.