Regular home maintenance is extremely important for every household to do as often as you possibly can. The more you maintain your home and look after it, the longer it will stave off major repairs that can cost you big bucks. And the more money you save, the better the return on your investment will be if you choose to sell it in the future. With that being said, there’s plenty that you could be doing to ensure your home is well maintained and looked after going forward.
Here are eight home maintenance tasks to do this year:
1. Fix Any Gaps Or Cracks Around The Home
Gaps and cracks are something you want to stay on top of when it comes to sealing them up or replacing any brickwork that has perhaps come compromised on both the inside and outside of your home. These leaks within your home can let through the cold air, and it’s an opportunity for any of the heating that you might have on, to escape. So in order to ensure you are saving money on your heating bills and that you’re not being wasteful of energy, it’s good to identify where there are gaps or cracks around the home. It’s good to go around the whole of the house and using your hand to feel for any cold spots that may need to be covered up. The same goes for the outside of the building, but you might want to think about hiring someone to help with this.
When it comes to the exterior areas of the building, certain brickwork or masonry might need replacing, and so it’s worth finding someone who does brick repairs, chimney repairs & masonry contractors. Do your research when it comes to finding the best ones out there and make sure you’re getting them to look at all areas of the external building that might need their attention. If you’re actively looking for these gaps and cracks around the home, then you’re going to notice a big difference in how your home conserves its heat. And with more focus being on the environment and making it greener, the more you can reduce your carbon footprint, the better. Not to mention keeping out any unwelcome guests to your home!
2. Do A Thorough Clean Of The Garden
A garden is one space for homes that tends to get ignored or dismissed, especially during the colder months. Whether you’re an avid gardener or not, it’s important to spend time outside in the garden, giving it a little spring clean every now and then. It’s important to do this as there are often times where parts of the garden can become overgrown, and that can make it a less enjoyable area of the home to be in. If you’re not a fan of mowing the lawn, then you might wish to replace the grass with another material that’s more manageable. Things like stone and tiling can be a great way of covering up the grassy areas, or you can always go for something artificial.
When cleaning up the garden, make sure you trim any hedges or trees back so that they’re away from the property and won’t cause any pest problems. Any dead plants should be removed and disposed of to make way for new plants. Try to find ways to bring the outdoor space to life so that it can be a place in the home that can be enjoyed all year round. Fire pits and outdoor lighting can be good for those late nights where you want to stargaze or entertain guests.
3. Improve Any Insulation
Insulation can often be something that’s already in a lot of homes, depending on how old they are and what’s been done by previous owners. There are lots of different materials and methods that can be used when it comes to insulation, and regardless of budget, there’s something out there for everyone. If your home is lacking some form of insulation, whether that be in the wall cavities or the roofing, then it’s worth finding some time to insulate it yourself or to get someone to insulate it for you. Not only does it help to keep your home warm, but you’re likely to use the heating itself a lot less because the heat in the home is lasting a lot longer.
Be sure to do your research on what insulation is available and the costs that will be expected when it comes to getting it done. Having it done at the end of the summer is ideal if you want it to be ready for the winter. Fall is the perfect time to insulate an attic or crawl space because it won’t be extremely hot or cold to work in.
4. Deep Clean Appliances
Appliances will often run for much longer if you’re taking the time to look after them. Things like your dishwasher and washing machine, for example, all have load and weight limits which are important to stick by to ensure you’re not doing any damage to your appliance and its overall lifespan. Another way to make sure you get good value for your money in your appliances is to give them a deep clean. Taking your refrigerator as an example, you may wish to do a de-frosting of your fridge and freezer to get rid of any excess build-up of ice that’s formed over the months.
For some, if you leave the freezer for too long, it can end up making it difficult to get the shelves out of the fridge to inspect the contents of what you have. Making sure you get up any spillages can avoid the inside from being stained but to also ensure everything smells fresh and clean. The washing machine can get a build-up of debris in its filters and so it’s worth looking at cleaning this out every so often to help eliminate the threat of any breakdowns or potential fire hazards.
5. Check Exterior Drainage/Clear Gutters
The exterior areas of your home are worth looking after because if anything, they can often be the cause of structural damage. Areas like your drainage system for example and your gutters can be commonplace for problems to occur. It’s essential that you’re looking at your drainage system and making sure that the water collected is flowing out and away from the property. If it doesn’t, then this could turn into a more serious problem.
With your gutters, it’s worth giving these a clear out every six months or so to ensure there’s no build-up of debris or nests from local wildlife that might block the water from flowing properly. The last thing you want is the blockage leak into the home and cause damage to its foundations. It’s a painful thing to do sometimes so you might want to get out someone to do it for you, however, it’s important to get it done either way.
6. Look At Your Security
Security is very important when it comes to your home, and the more you can do to improve security, the more peace of mind it provides you and your family. You may already have a security system in place, so it’s always good to assess that and see if you can make any additional upgrades. If you don’t have a security system, then there’s a lot of basic cameras that you can get which can attach to your phone via an app, and that gives you the ability to see your home, whether you’re in it or away from it.
7. Declutter Your Home
A declutter is certainly helpful in making your home a bit more of an organized place. If you want to try and declutter the home, then it’s worth doing it with the rest of the household. Start off with one room at a time and work your way through it, setting aside perhaps a day or two to get it done properly. The more you can declutter, the more space you’re going to end up in. That means you’ll have a proper home for everything and hopefully very little taking up the floor space available. Find an ideal time to get busy with the bin bag so that you can rid yourself of all the clutter around your home.
8. Get The Essentials Annually Serviced
There are going to be certain parts of your home that are going to need some professional services, like your boiler/furnace and roofing. An annual service can be great to check that nothing is wrong and that anything that seems troubling can be fixed and rectified as quickly as possible.
The boiler and your roof are two of the most important places in your home, so it’s only right that you should get these seen to as soon as possible. According to the expert advice at https://cvcpdx.com/roofing-beaverton-or/, regular roof inspections enable roofing experts to identify residential roofing issues before they become costly replacement tasks. Don’t skip these annual services as it might just save you an absolute fortune.
Plus, you do want to be surprised with a necessary repair in the dead of winter. It sometimes takes days to get a contractor to come out and you may have to go without heat, water or a roof for days in sub-zero conditions!
Home maintenance can be a bit of a drag, but it’s necessary to make sure your home remains as healthy as it can be. Your bank balance is also going to thank you for looking after your home without needing to make any major fixes. Use these tips to make sure you stay on top of repairs when it comes to your property.