Let’s talk about the least sexy part of home ownership; home maintenance. Mixed in with the joys of buying a home is the fact that you now don’t have a landlord to call when things go wrong. The best way to keep your home repair costs at their lowest, is to take care of small maintenance problems as they pop up. If neglected, small problems can and will turn into large expensive repairs down the road. Be smart and fix small home maintenance problems when they occur.
Standing water
A problem you may have never even considered is having standing water around your home. Did you know that water accumulation around your foundation can cause catastrophic results? If you have a concrete foundation, remember that concrete is porous. Rain water that runs towards your home and pools around the foundation can, over time, cause your foundation to fail. Water can seep in to your foundation and cause the concrete to break down causing cracks and ultimate failure of the foundation.
If you’ve tried to remedy this problem by grading the earth away from your home but still have water accumulating, you can use a submersible pump like the Tsurumi submersible pumps to assist with this problem. This may seem extreme, but it is imperative that you keep your foundation dry and whatever tools that can help this issue are worth using.
Failing gutters
Along the same line of keeping water away from your home, gutters are a must. If you have gutters installed but have noticed rain water pouring over the edges of your gutters; you have a problem that needs to be addressed. It’s likely that there is a blockage in your gutters somewhere down the line. Another one of those annoying home maintenance chores is keeping those gutter cleaned and flowing properly.
You can add a leaf guard to the top of your gutters that will allow water to flow but will keep leaves and other objects from getting into the gutter system. If you don’t have those, at least once a month you need to manually clear your gutters of debris. Clogged gutters can cause water to back up and seep under your roof line. This can, in turn, cause ceiling and wall damage from water. You don’t want to have to deal with replacing drywall or mold remediation which are both problems caused by water leaks.
Water stains on ceilings or walls
Speaking of water stains on ceilings and walls; if you’re already seeing these appear in room in your home; you need to find the source of the leak and repair things quickly. There is no logical reason to have a big water stain on the drywall of a ceiling in your house. There must be something leaking above that is causing it. You likely have a roof leak or you may possibly have a plumbing issue. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the pipes that carry the water throughout your home can fail. When this happens, you need to get to the source of the problem, get it repaired, then take on correcting the damage.
Again, water damage problems need to be dealt with quickly to keep the chances of mold forming down to a minimum.
Windows and doors that do not close and seal properly
Can you see daylight around your exterior doors? Do you feel the cold air seeping in around your windows? If so, you are losing valuable heating or cooling in your home, and that is costing you money in utility bills. To keep your heating and cooling costs as low as possible, ensuring the seals around windows and doors cannot be ignored. You heating and cooling systems have to work much harder and longer to heat your home if you have vulnerable areas allowing cold air to flow in.
Making these repairs may be as easy as adding weather stripping around your interior doors. Check your windows and re-caulk areas that are not sealed properly. Sometimes fixing a problem is as easy as finding a window that is simply not closed all the way. Trust me, this happens; don’t ask me how I know.
It just doesn’t small right
If you keep your home clean and tidy; including keeping you floors swept and carpets freshly vacuumed, and kitchens clear of old food sitting about, there is no reason to have stale musty odors in your home. Musty odors can be an indicator that there may be mold hiding somewhere. This is most likely going to be in your wet areas like the bathroom. Caulking around tubs and showers may need to be repaired and reapplied from time to time. If you’re seeing signs of mold, even small spots; address it. Remove old moldy caulk and reapply new. Not only will this stop the growth of the mold, but it will give your bathtub and shower area a fresh new look.
Your home should be your oasis. Don’t allow small home maintenance to become large repairs down the road. Fix small home maintenance problems when they occur.