Recently I went on a bid appointment at a nice rambler in Lacey. The house was built in about 1960 with cedar lap siding. The condition was great around most areas of the house. Then came something that made me stop, pause, and put on my detective hat. The underside of the lap siding was peeling in just one area and there was a bubble visible up near the soffit. This was the only area around the house that had failing paint. If this were the south or west side of the house I wouldn’t have been surprised to see peeling paint on a house of this age because of the extra exposure those sides get. This situation was different. I started putting the clues together and went and found the homeowner to ask a few questions.

This failing paint was caused by a long shower taker and poor ventilation.

“Hi ma’am, I have a few questions for you. Do you have someone in your house that takes long showers?” I’m sure she was confused and surprised by the question, but there was a point. With a confused look she said, “Yes. Why?” I went on to inform her that the peeling I saw was right outside of her bathroom, and that moisture from INSIDE her bathroom was causing failing paint on the outside of her house!

The average household of 4 can add 2-3 gallons of water into the atmosphere of your home per day! Things like doing dishes, showering, cooking and just breathing contribute to the moisture. As this person found out, an overabundance of moisture in the interior of a home can cause the paint on the exterior of your home to fail!

All this to say, be sure that you have good ventilation in your bathrooms. Always use a fan, and if possible open a window to help get the moisture out of your house. Then you can avoid the awful conversation I had to have with this wonderful homeowner where I had to inform her of the $850 of added cost caused by a kid that likes hot long showers!

Peeling paint can be caused by issues INSIDE the house too!