Home Maintenance Checklist: Areas to Consider for Home Improvement

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Given an option, most homeowners will avoid home maintenance for various reasons. Cost is one of the most challenging factors in home maintenance as it increases year-on-year. But, with the huge monies invested in purchasing your home, keeping it in good shape is a must. Home maintenance has numerous benefits; avoiding it will be a crazy and dangerous financial decision. You may be asking; how do you fund this expensive expenditure?

There are various ways to fund your home maintenance, from personal financing to assessing a home maintenance loan. When buying a new home, you can sign on for a home warranty or a home insurance policy, to assist you in future maintenance works. While a home warranty is optional, home insurance is mandatory, especially when buying your new home with a mortgage. Aside from having different monthly premiums, the extent of coverage of from even the best home warranty differs. We will talk more about this later, but, for this piece, we focus on areas to consider for your next home maintenance.

Areas to Prioritize During Home Maintenance

Depending on your maintenance schedules (seasonal or annual) there are specific areas you need to prioritize. However, this is a general home maintenance checklist.

HVAC systems

The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC system) controls the flow of quality air in your home for the needed comfort. The system needs routine maintenance for better performance and also save you some energy cost. Routine maintenance will also save you from a high repair cost when it breaks down. As you roll out your home maintenance plan, call in an HVAC technician to check on all possible faults.

The technician will inspect the ductwork for damages, check the thermostat for the right calibration, tighten various connections, and lubricate the moving parts. They will also inspect the condensate drains for clogs and clean them when needed, and clean the blower components and evaporator and condenser coils, while ensuring the refrigerant charge is working properly. Other works include change of filters, and keeping the outer unit clean. All these inspections and maintenance ensure you don’t get any surprises.

The Grounds

Most homeowners prioritize the interior of their home during maintenance, leaving most areas overlooked for cleaning and maintenance. But before anyone sees your beautiful interior decor, they pass through your front yard. Therefore, pay more attention to your hedges, lawns, and trees on your compound. Mow your lawns as frequently as possible, while also trimming all hedges to aesthetic appearance. Don’t forget to cut dead tree branches, and rake all weeds that survived the winter causing mess on the compound. In addition, inspect your drains and remove all materials blocking the flow of water. You can do most of the ground work by yourself without hiring related service providers.

Paint

If your old paint is faded add paint works to your maintenance checklist. Adorning your home with a fresh coat of paint will breathe new life into your home and makes your home maintenance complete. Both the interior and exterior of your home must feel this freshness. You can go with your old colors or choose a new set of colors that suits your personality.

Choose different colors for the living room, bedrooms, and kitchen for a visual balance. Your painter can advise on the best paint colors to choose.

Pool

If you own a pool, it should be on your summer maintenance checklist. Call in for pool service to get your filters and valves changed, and your water treated. The pool service may include scrubbing, an inspection of pool equipment, and ensuring the pool is chemically balanced to make it safe for swimming.

Plumbing works

Leaking pipes slowly cause havoc to a building. The more leaked water drenches a part of a building, the area develops molds and grows weaker. Water leaks close to the building can also cause foundation problems. It is therefore important to check the plumbing works and fix all leaking pipes. Check the faucets, under the sinks, drainage pipes, and ceiling, for possible leak signs. If any, call in the plumber to change or fix them.

Roofing

Old roofing systems are mostly leak-prone. Changing your entire roofing is very expensive and you may not be able to afford it. However, you can have your roof repaired to save cost. Badly damaged metal roofs/tiles/slates/, etc., can be replaced with new ones. Just call in a roofer near you to have your roof checked for possible maintenance. If you noticed any leaks during the rainy season, then it’s also time to get them checked and repaired.

Take home

Home maintenance is critical for the good health of your property. Yes, it is normally expensive, but avoiding it is even costlier. Your home warranty or insurance can help subsidize the cost, or you can opt to do it in phases, so you are not financially overburdened. Use the above and more as a checklist as you pursue your home maintenance project.

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