Maintaining the exterior of your home helps prevent water intrusion and is an important part of sustaining the beauty and value of your home. The extent and nature of maintenance will depend on the design of your house, its geographic location, the amount of weather and sun exposure, and the landscaping near your house. As a guide, it is recommended that normal fiber cement maintenance tasks and care include: Installing gutters and downspouts on your home—if they are not already present when you purchased the home.Cleaning out your gutters, blocked pipes, and overflows of any debris, leaves, twigs and dirt.Keeping vegetation such as shrubs, bushes, and small trees trimmed back and away from the home and siding.Adjusting sprinkler systems so they do not excessively spray on siding or continuously soak the ground near your house.Avoiding direct contact with deicing salts, as these salts may prematurely damage the finished look of the siding. We recommend the use of sand or gravel to manage snowy or icy surfaces near siding.Ensuring required external ground clearances (typically 6 in.) and drainage slopes are maintained.NOTE: Do not in fill landscaping up to the siding.