Home Improvement & Maintenance Checklist for Your Home
“home improvement & maintenance”
Your home is a big investment….probably one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make so properly maintaining your investment is vital to keeping up it’s value. But homes are much more than an investment…they are where we take shelter and spend much of our time in and are our living environment and to a degree determine much of our quality of life.
The health of a home is a lot like our own personal health. If it is regularly checked and maintained, the chances of problems arising are less. With proper home improvement & maintenance, if and when problems do occur, there is less chance that they will blossom into major problems.
So here are some of the things that should be checked periodically:
Water leakage:
Water leaks are really serious trouble and should be remedied immediately before they become major issues and cause some serious damage. Water leaks can not only lead to toxic and costly mold issues but can also damage walls and sub flooring and other items in your home.
Water leaks can be caused by prolonged rain, heavy snowfall, old water hoses from appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, icemakers, air conditioners and garbage disposals.
Water leaks can also be caused by frozen or corroded pipes, clogged drains, damaged and cracked seals from extreme heat or cold, heavy usage and a multitude of other reasons as well.
Some of the items to check for leaks are obviously the areas most prone to leaks from heavy use such as the caulking and grout in the bathrooms around the toilets, tub and shower area, under sinks in the bathroom and in the kitchen. Any water damage marks on ceilings or walls will obviously indicate a water leak from somewhere and should immediately be checked out and repaired.
Inspect your plumbing water lines and waste lines for leaks, damage or corrosion. If you notice problems, hire a licensed plumber for further inspection and repairs. You should also check around your water heater for any pooling water. Water heaters should ideally be periodically drained to remove any sediment. In areas with hard water, you should drain every 3 months.
Vent exhaust ducts for the clothes dryer and cooktop to the outside and keep the drip pans from your air conditioner clean and the drain lines unobstructed and flowing properly. In the kitchen you should clean the dust from refrigerator condenser located at the rear of unit.
Keep indoor moisture low (ideally between 30-50% relative humidity). Consider purchasing an inexpensive humidity meter, available at local hardware stores. Periodically inspect your foundation walls and floors for cracks that might allow water seepage, especially if you live in an older home or an area with poor soil drainage. If you have a basement or crawl space prone to leaks or flooding you might want to keep a sump pump handy.
You should also inspect your roof and roof flashing periodically for missing, worn or broken shingles and any flashing that may have separated from adjacent surfaces allowing water leakage. A licensed roofer can inspect these areas and make necessary repairs. You should also inspect your gutters and downspouts and remove any debris to assure unobstructed water flow away from the foundation.
Additional Items:
Some exterior items that should be on your home improvement & maintenance checklist are the veneering and siding. With brick, watch for deteriorating bricks or masonry. For siding, watch for warping or rot. Check caulking around doors and windows, glazing around window panes. Make sure your cooling and heating unit is free from obstructing debris. On the heater change the filter and check the coils for any buildup.
You should also get periodic termite inspection done. Check for any evidence of termites or wood eating insects. Watch for accumulation of tree limbs, branches, debris that can attract wood eating insects. And if you have a wood burning fireplace never store wood in or near the home as the wood often contains termites.
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Home Improvement & Maintenance
Floor Sanding Experts have been involved in the restoration and repair of properties, specifically flooring; for nearly twenty years. As a family business we have always believed in maintaining a friendly, hands-on approach when dealing with our customers. As a result, we have many satisfied home and business owners in and around London who have been delighted by our customer service, professionalism and the outcome of the work we’ve undertaken for them.
The point about regular maintenance of everything in your home is a big one. Many people don’t put enough care into their homes, they service their cars but how often do you check that everything in your home is doing what it should be. We have many cases where people come to us for replacement radiators because there was never any service done on their old ones so home owners treat your home like the asset it is, and if your house is rented out, make sure that you check your tenants are monitoring things as well.
Ahh, you made some very good points in this article that I love. Very good job of portraying typical problems associated with home deterioration and water leakage. I really hate when things fall apart and start to rott and leak water everywhere. It just creates a mess for everyone, so I hope that the world is one less leak, because of this great post!
It is amazing to see how some people just do not realize the type of damage that water can cause. As a Realtor I have seen many occasions where a simple water leak has turned into a very expensive mold problem. Often the issue could have been remedied very cheaply but turns into a major headache for the home owner!
I agree with this article. Homes are our most important investment and we should be taking care of it, not letting it slip.
Once again a great post, I could not agree with this post more ones home is the biggest investment that you are ever going to make, and one should really look after this and when something happens it get sorted out straight away
“Your home is a big investment….probably one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make so properly maintaining your investment is vital to keeping up it’s value. But homes are much more than an investment…they are where we take shelter and spend much of our time in and are our living environment and to a degree determine much of our quality of life.”
This is the best quote, this is so true and its amazing how many people out there actually don’t see their homes as being an investment and it really gets to me, they would rather spend that money on something like a car that looses its value straight away. Thank you for this article and I am going to share it with others so that they can see that their property is an INVESTMENT.
Water is the number one thing that will destroy your house outside as well as inside. Keeping water where it should be in the shower, near the sink, and at the dishwasher is going to help keep the interior of the home looking like new. Choosing durable materials like stone and tile around wet areas, and sealing cabinets well around dishwashers will keep things looking new longer. And running bathroom fans for at least 1 hour after showering will help reduce mold in the home.
Great article. We recently replaced our bathroom and discovered that there was a small leak under the tub that seemed to be there for a while. Luckily we discovered it when we did otherwise we would have winded up with a lot of damamge to our home. Now we do routine checks every couple of months to all areas where there are pipes running just to make sure there are no leaks.
A very well written article.. There’s a lot of tips provided here.. I agree our home is our most important investment. so it is always better to have regular maintenance and home improvement.
- Kim
Very Nice issue!my husband and i recently purchased a new home (first house), but now he’s gone for military reasons. i’m looking for a good guide/checklist of what maintenance to do when and maybe some how-to’s. most of the things i’ve found are for older homes and don’t explain things very well.
Great article and great advice, your home is a huge investment and you really have to look after it, there is nothing worse that having a water leak as this causes such damage to the rest of the home, this problem has to be sorted out straight away as not only will it cause damage but also damp. The better you maintain your home, when it does come to the day that you want to sell and get something bigger the home will be more valuable.
This is the best quote, this is so true and its amazing how many people out there actually don’t see their homes as being an investment and it really gets to me, they would rather spend that money on something like a car that looses its value straight away. thanks…