Homeowner Maintenance – How to Protect Your Investment
I don’t know about you but the single biggest investment I’ve made in my lifetime is my home. You’d be surprised at how many homeowners don’t take care of their largest investment. Routine home maintenance not only extends the life of your home but also helps ensure the safety of your home and family, reduces energy costs, keeps small repairs from turning into major expenses and can save you money on resale not only in increased value but fewer things found to repair following the home inspection.
I see a lot in my line of business and many of the most expensive unexpected repairs could be prevented by routine home inspection and maintenance. Below I am going to outline some large and some small things you can do to maintain your home.
Every 7-8 years you should have a reputable firm take a look at your roof. The roof boots that flash the plumbing and vent pipes coming out of the roof have a gasket between the boot and the pipe. The gasket deteriorates over time and needs to be replaced before you have water seeping into your roof and atic. Once that happens the chances of detecting the leak before it causes major damage is unlikely. This might set you back $300 – $400 dollars but it is money well spent.
Dryer vents need to be thoroughly cleaned at least once a year and I recommend that you vacuum under and around the dryer as well. One of the most frequent causes of appliance fires is failure to perform routine maintenance. Lint buildup in the dryer vent lines can ignite or can cause the dryer to overheat. The pipe that runs from the wall under the house to the outside has a vent attached to the wall outside. The vent has a grill that allows about marble size objects through. That grill is there to keep out pests but also catches large lint balls and causes buildup. This vent does two things, it is a fire hazard and also puts a strain on your dryer and could cause the unit to burn out. The fix is simple depending on how frequently you use your dryer. You need to take your shop vac and vacuum out what you can from the line. Since we have a toddler we do lots of laundry and I do this once every couple of months at my house. The best way to prevent this is to have the dryer vent hard piped when your house is built.
For those of you with brick homes after a couple of years you need to cut and scrape out the old caulk and re-caulk with 100% silicone caulk. Every surface where two different products connect needs to be caulked. All windows and doors should be caulked where the frame meets the brick. Most people don’t think about it but windows shrink and move when exposed to the elements. This will help save energy costs, keep bugs out and prevent major problems where water can run in on the back of the bricks. This maintenance does not apply to vinyl sided homes that do not require caulking.
It’s a good idea to remove all interior floor vents once a year and vacuum out the vent. The buildup of bugs, dust and debris begins to smell and may cause issues with your HVAC. Any reputable HVAC person will tell you that one of the least expensive things you can do to improve the function of your unit is to replace the air filters every couple of months. The company I use for HVAC actually recommends if you or someone in your family does not have allergies that you should be buying the cheapest air filters. They do not catch as much dirt and debris but do not require your unit to work as hard to move the air. Depending on the filter the unit can work 3 times as hard and that will burn up the motor in a shorter time frame. If someone is allergic then go with the middle of the road filter.
I spray the perimeter of my home twice a year with bug spray. I go to Lowes and buy it in a gallon pump sprayer. Usually I spray all around the exterior windows and doors and any where the house meets the ground. It’s a rare occasion that we see any bugs in our house. Make sure you follow the manufacturers directions for application and safety.
For those vinyl sided homes you should pressure wash every two years. The north side of your home does not get sun and the mold and mildew can build up. You will not believe how this can stain and fade the siding. I use about 25% – 30% Clorox and 75%- 80% water in a pump sprayer to coat the siding and then pressure wash the mixture off after a few minutes. If you do this yourself then here’s a trick to prevent water from penetrating your door gaskets. Just tape the gasket with painters tape before you spray that area so you don’t also pressure wash your hardwood floor or carpet inside the house.
It just makes sense to have your carpets steam cleaned once a year. For a slab built home in particular spills and dirt can soak into the pad and if not treated can even soak into the concrete. I’ve actually had to paint Kilz on a slab floor where indoor pets had accidents and the carpets had not been routinely cleaned. This caused the slab to pick up the smell as well. I like to have our carpets cleaned on a Friday before we are going out of town for the weekend so that when we return everything is dry and we have not been walking on it while still wet.
I’m hoping there are a couple of tips here that cause you to think about things you might need to do to protect your home.
If I can help you with any of these maintenance items just give me a call.
Tags: air filters, carpet, caulk, dryer vents, home maintenance, homeowner maintenance, pressure wash siding, roof repair, roofing, silicone caulk, vents, when to replace air filters
