Keep-up To Keep Costs Down

Simply put, homes require upkeep. Regular maintenance will be required. For example: Caulking places where water may intrude will be required as caulk ages and fails. Caulking around doors, trim and windows, and also in your kitchen and bathroom, keeps water from finding its way into little cracks where it can cause big issues.

Left unchecked, a tiny bit of water entering your wall every time the shower is used will cause major damage over time. Tiles will start popping off the shower wall to make you aware of the issue. At that point the shower surround is compromised and must be torn out. Studs in the wall may be rotten, the sub-floor may be soft, and the repair will not be inexpensive.

A more sudden impact occurs when something carrying water ruptures. Most washing machines ship with a set of rubber hoses for connecting the hot and cold water. Those hoses should be replaced every 10 years. Many homeowners move the washing machine into the laundry room and never give those hoses another thought; until they rupture one day and flood the home. If you have no idea how old your washing machine hoses are, I suggest you go check them. If you bend them a bit and you see cracking, however minor, its time for new hoses.

Scrubbing your deck and applying a water proofing stain every few years will extend the life of the deck. Keeping your gutters clean and water flowing will expedite getting water away from your home, where it can do less damage. Keeping a good coat of paint on things prevents wood rot. The list goes on.

I can’t list every possible maintenance task that homes may require, but I can promise that every home has a maintenance list. As the homeowner you need to have a process to taking inventory of what needs doing. A quarterly reminder on your calendar is one trick that many find useful. One day each quarter make a current list of required maintenance around the home.

Whether you do the maintenance yourself, or you hire a service provider, the investment of time or dollars is small compared to the cost of an unforeseen project. Much of the work we do each week in our business is due to homeowners letting maintenance needs go unattended. As many prepare to list their home for sale and have a home inspector come and find extensive repairs that must be addressed. This is always sobering.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but if you want to avoid future costly repairs, keep-up with your to-do list to keep your future costs down.