Your home is one of the biggest investments you will ever make in your life, be sure you take care of it all you can. If necessary get assistance from professionals to help you make the most of your investment and ensure it is the little paradise you have always dreamed of for you and your family by ensuring it provides both safety and comfort. Home maintenance makes this possible as it involves inspections, adjustments, cleaning or replacements that are done on regular basis. Lack of maintenance will cost more due to higher costs associated with repair or with replacements to be made later.
It requires discipline and aptitude to repair and maintain a home in good condition, but it is a satisfying experience to perform even seemingly minor repairs. It can be an expensive process for a home owner but one that is worth it. It is always important to focus on maintaining both indoors and outdoors as you may miss the root cause of a problem that has started from outside and rectify the it from inside but always seem to be faced with the same problem over and over again. Some of the areas one should really focus on include;
Indoors
Repair is one of the most inevitable tasks a home owner has to face, not only from repairing the little things such as cracked windows but to urgent ones like broken pipes that may leak water and cause damage to the house including forming water stains on the wall and rotting wood. One common emergency problem experienced by many is over flowing toilets. It is repaired by either removing a clog or repairing a broken mechanism.
Some problems may seem petty at the beginning but may end up costing you your life time savings if not taken care of earlier. One should ensure they repair all broken electrical switches or outlets before they are electrocuted, patch all holes before they become a home to “unwanted guests” (pests), repair all broken door/ window latches as this may be used as an easy access to the house by thieves and also take care of leaky roofs and water tanks to avoid living in a flooded house.
Periodic maintenance also falls under the general class of home repairs. It includes simple replacement of worn and used components intended to be periodically to ensure proper functioning of all systems in a house, and to avoid costly emergencies. This includes, cleaning out rain gutters and plumbing traps, replacing warn out batteries and burnt out bulbs or refilled vacuum cleaner bags, annual testing and adjustments of alarm systems, central heating or cooling systems, replacement of water treatment components, purging of water tanks /heat radiators and repainting where necessary.
Pest infection can also be more than a nuisance therefore, it is important to ensure that your house is not infested with these little annoying creatures as they may cause allergens, foundation damage or even diseases due to food contamination. Ways of getting rid of them include;
- Starving them out by keeping a tight lid on your trash can and emptying it often, cleaning up spills and storing food in air tight containers.
- Some pests such as cockroaches can survive long without food but depend on water therefore, ensure that you dry them out by shutting off their supply by fixing leaky faucets, radiators, dishwashers, washing machines and empty flowerpots and plant stands of excess water.
- Keep them out by sealing cracks and openings along baseboards, behind sinks and around pipes and windows. Repair holes in doors and windows.
Outdoors
Aerating your lawn is a great way to reduce thatch, loosen up compacted soils and pave the way for water and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass. It is wise to ensure you do this so as to have a fertile land for starting up a garden or a beautiful lawn with healthy grass.
It is also important to trim and get rid of hanging branches on your tree since inclement weather can cause weak trees branches to break and damage your home, car, utility lines or worse cause death by falling on a person. Keep an eye out for dead branches, cavity or rotten wood along the trunks or branches.
When it comes to pest control, it is important to know that pests enter your home from the outside. It is wise to prepare the exterior of your house to keep pests away. Just like the interior, you need to seal any holes and cracks you find in your compound. Trim back tree branches and bushes so they do not make contact with the house. Ensure that your compound is neatly kept as litter may attract certain pests such as rats and termites. Head up to the roof and look for any rotted or decaying shingles and always clean your gutter.
These steps might save you a lot of headache and money down the road from unwanted expenses.