No matter what kind of home you live in, big or small, in the country or the town, or anything else, come to that, there’s one thing you’ll definitely have to do - you’ll have to keep up with the maintenance on the property. If you don’t, you’ll end up living somewhere uncomfortable, unpleasant, and perhaps even dangerous, and of course, it’s going to mean the property loses value. Plus, when you do get around to fixing things, the longer you leave it, the more time, effort, and money it will take to get right. So with that in mind, here’s a useful guide to great home maintenance to keep you on track and ensure you don’t get into difficulties - follow the guide and you’ll find you can enjoy your home to the utmost.
Seasonal Maintenance Tips
One place to start is to consider the different seasons and how they’ll mean different things when it comes to home maintenance - the fact is that each season brings its own set of challenges, and if you know what you’re meant to do and look for at all times of the year, it does tend to make things less overwhelming and daunting, and ensure you don’t miss anything important that could come back to haunt you later on!
Let’s start with spring - it’s the perfect time to give your home a really good clean and when you’re cleaning, you can also give it a good look over and inspect it to make sure that nothing too bad has happened over the long winter months. By spotting things as early as possible, you’ve got the best chance of handling them more easily. Spring is the right time to clean the gutters, check the roof, and get your HVAC unit serviced ready for when the weather gets hotter, so put these tasks on your to-do list and get them done as soon as you can.
Then comes summer, and although we might all be celebrating the better weather, there’s still work to be done when it comes to the home. It’s easy to remember the summer maintenance tips you’ll need to carry out because they tend to be about the outside of your home, and you’ll be outside a lot more when the weather’s nicer. So we’re talking about taking care of your lawn by mowing it regularly and watering it during dryer spells. Plus, you’ll want to keep up with your deck or patio maintenance and perhaps jetwash these areas to make them look good. Sadly, summer is also a time when you’ll get a lot of pests in and around the home, so you’ll also need to tackle pest control - that can sometimes be best handled by an expert, so take that into consideration as well.
In the fall, you’ll want to prep your home for the colder months ahead, and this is the perfect time to get your chimney cleaned if you want to use your open fire at all. It’s also a great time to do some weatherproofing around your doors and windows to keep the cold air out, plus, this is the best time to check your plumbing for leaks and get some help if you need water line repair, otherwise you run the risk of your pipes freezing, which can cause all kinds of stress and costly damage.
And now we’ve reached winter, and although you might want to just hibernate inside, there’s actually still plenty of work to do - this is the time of year to ensure your home is warm and safe. You can start by checking your insulation to make sure it’s as good as it can be (good insulation means your home will stay warmer, there’s less chance of damp and mold, and you’ll save money on your energy costs, so it’s well worth looking into).
It’s also a good idea to put an emergency kit together, just in case the weather gets really bad. That can include water, food, flashlights, even a snow shovel if you want - include anything you think you might need that will keep you safe if the power goes out and it’s cold outside.
Unexpected Repairs
So you know what to do at all times of the year (there will be other tasks, of course, but these are a good place to start making your list), but something that most, if not all, homeowners are going to face is the fact that unexpected repairs will be needed from time to time, and although the very fact that they’re unexpected means you won’t know precisely when they’ll pop up, you can still help yourself and know what to do when they do happen.
We’ll start with plumbing issues because they can be truly problematic and leave a lot of damage behind - knowing where your main water shut-off valve is can save you some valuable time if there’s an emergency, and even if you don’t know what to do next, switching off the water until the plumber arrives to fix things is an excellent thing to do. It’s also wise to call an expert at the first sign you notice an issue like strange noises or low water pressure - it might be nothing, but it’s safer to have it all checked over than run the risk of something bad happening.
We should also mention electrical issues because they can cause damage as well, plus they can be dangerous to the people in your home. If you notice flickering lights, outlets that don’t work anymore, or the breaker keeps tripping, these are all signs that you need to call an electrician as soon as you can.
Finally, we’ll mention your roof because it’s so easy to overlook it (you can’t see it most of the time), but if something goes wrong, it can cause a lot of problems - missing tiles, damaged shingles, and weak spots can all lead to water getting inside your home or heat getting out - in either case, you’re going to have a problem. Make sure you check your roof regularly (or get a roofer to do it) and fix even the smallest issues as quickly as you can to help stop any bigger problems taking place.
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