Home maintenance is an important part of keeping your home in good condition and increasing its value. It can seem like a daunting task, especially for a new homeowner who has never seen a boiler up close, let alone a depleted one. But with the right knowledge and tools, you can easily keep your home in top shape. This comprehensive guide will help you understand what maintenance needs to be done on a home, how to budget for it, and how to create a home maintenance schedule. To start, it's important to find your water and electricity controls.
Check your water softener and heater to make sure they are working properly. If your property has any trees, have a certified arborist inspect them. The untrained eye could miss signs of damage, and a dead or dying tree poses a danger to your safety, home, and neighboring properties. Even if you don't use the chimney regularly, the chimney still needs regular monitoring. A chimney transports hazardous gases from the fireplace, wood stove, or oven outside your home, helping to keep indoor air breathable.
According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, your chimney should be inspected annually and cleaned regularly based on how often you use it. Once the leaves fall, call your gutter company to clean and inspect them. Any repairs that need to be done to gutters or downspouts must be done before winter arrives. Your workers should also inspect the roof for loose or broken shingles. Schedule work before heavy snowfall, which could leave frozen leaves and debris in gutters, faucets, and hoses. Before the first freeze, drain and turn off the outside faucets so they don't freeze.
Roll up the hoses and store them for the winter. Have Your Furnace and Ducts Serviced. A clean system will be more energy efficient and an inspection will alert you to problems. Check and replace air filters, as needed.
Test the thermostat to make sure it works properly. Make sure that the heating grilles are open and that nothing blocks them. If you didn't clean and inspect your chimney in the spring, call a chimney sweep now and do it before you start using the chimney or oven. Clothes dryers cause 2,900 fires a year, and many fires occur in the fall and winter, according to the U. S.
Fire Administration. Lint is a major culprit, so an HVAC specialist who specializes in dryer vents or ducts inspects and cleans annually. Inspect the roof for missing, loose, or damaged tiles and leaks. Spring is a big month for home maintenance. They don't call it “spring cleaning” at all.
Focus especially on the outside of your home as you have just wintered and you are preparing for the summer heat and, in some parts of the country, brutal humidity. To turn an overwhelming requirement into manageable parts, we've divided home maintenance tasks into monthly, quarterly, annual and seasonal checklists. Just like regular oil changes in your car keep your engine happy and healthy, keeping up with regular household maintenance tasks will save you from future headaches and wasted money. A study by the University of Connecticut and Syracuse University reveals that regular maintenance increases the value of a home by approximately 1% each year. Use this home maintenance checklist to schedule your upgrades, repairs, cleaning and some monthly seasonal tasks. A good rule of thumb is to budget between one and three percent of the purchase price of your home each year to cover typical homeowner maintenance. To take your home maintenance care to the next level, dedicate more tasks and exclusive appointments each year or five to ten years.
But one of the things you may not consider is what happens after the sale, and that is the money you should set aside for home repairs and maintenance. In many regions, autumn is the perfect season to tackle general home maintenance projects because the climate is generally dry and temperatures are moderate. When the sun rises and the warm weather is finally here to stay, the last thing you need to worry about is maintaining your home. If any of the home repairs and maintenance go beyond your skill level or lead to more complicated projects, consider hiring a professional to help you. Regular maintenance of your home can help prevent costly repairs over time, allowing appliances to work properly and lower utility and energy bills. To maximize your efficiency and perform all of these tasks, you may want to create a home maintenance schedule for yourself. This will help ensure that all necessary tasks are completed on time so that you can keep your home in top condition for years to come.
