Part of the joy and pride in home ownership is caring for your home. Taking care of your home does not only preserve it but even increases its value. Nevertheless, many find home maintenance a taxing job because it requires more time and effort. However, maintaining your home is vital to protect your greatest investment, and so home maintenance is not just a choice, but a requirement. It is necessary to get an idea on how to make repairs and improvements in your home.
Below are tips on how to manage the basic maintenance for your home:
Know where the control points are located. Find out where the electrical breakers and the main plumbing valves are. A blueprint of your home will help you locate them, however if you do not have a copy of your blueprint, you can ask a professional to find the necessary controls. This is a one time investment that greatly benefits you later.
Make your home safe by regularly checking on your smoke detectors. If you find something wrong with them, have them checked by an electrician immediately. Place fire extinguishers near the kitchen and bedrooms. Make it a point that everyone knows where they are and they know how to use them. You can hire a professional hazardous material inspector if your home is built before 1978 to check for asbestos, mildew, lead-based paint and molds. Check out your local Department of Health and Human Services for more information about this.
Check your home regularly and keep alert on problems like uneven flows of power and water in the wrong area.
Understand the life expectancy of your home’s components. Since nothing lasts forever, the gadgets and appliances in your home will eventually lose its useful life. Your water heater has ten to twelve years useful life, the fridge twelve to fifteen; the roof is good for twenty years and the carpets should be replaced after eight years. The paint will stay three to four years and the plumbing will last up to twenty-five years, and the electrical wiring is good for fifteen to twenty years. Your furnace should remain useful for twenty years at most.
Invest in a home warranty policy. This is valuable in monitoring and maintaining your home. The company inspects your home and appliances regularly and only charges you a small fee for repairs. The older your home, the more it needs a home warranty.
Do small repairs on your own and keep a tool kit. Ensure that you have the following: flat-head and phillips-head screwdrivers, pliers, lightweight claw hammer, small hand saw, twine, wire cutters, duct tape, stud-finder, wood glue caulk, electrical outlet tester and a 3-foot straight-edge ruler.
If you like, you could enroll in a workshop in your local home depot or hardware store. The lessons will let you learn how to tighten screws, replace damaged window screens, replace the grout in bathroom tiles, stop running toilet, clean the gutters, shut off the main plumbing valve in case of leaks and switch the right breaker for power problems.
If the need arise, call the professionals. Plumbers, electricians are licensed by the federal government for a reason. They perform difficult and dangerous work. Do not attempt to clear out backed-up plumbing, work on your furnace nor re-wire a circuit on your own. Call these professionals to do the work for you. Find contractors and handyman services and have their names and contact numbers affixed to your refrigerator or somewhere easily seen in case of emergency.
Reserve an amount for home maintenance costs. This will come in handy when you have to replace some major appliances or replace your roof or if there are major immediate repairs to be done.
Since your home is your biggest asset, you should make sure that you give it your most tender loving care.
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