It’s Time For Your Fall Home Maintenance Review

Regular maintenance and repair comes with owning a home.  It’s something I touch on regularly in this space because it’s something that requires regular attention.  Periodic reviews, both inside and outside the home, are the best way to be aware of your needs so you can best manage them.

Just as regular oil changes, tire rotations and looking under the car for drips and leaks is the best way to keep your vehicle performing well, regular inspections of your home is the gold standard for keeping up with maintenance and keeping costs down.

Consider a rather common occurrence, a drip under the sink.  Be this from a water supply line, the drain, or the disposal, if caught quickly you can wipe up the water and place a bucket to catch additional drips until the issue is resolved.

If that drip isn’t caught quickly it can rot the floor out of the cabinet, ruin the cabinet, and do serious damage to the subfloor below the cabinet.  If the cabinet is damaged enough to need replacement, you then need to disconnect all plumbing and remove the countertop to do this.  All because of a drip that went undetected.

You may not have any leaks under your sink, but a regular inspection is the best way to stay ahead of the above scenario, and many others like it.

Water does damage to homes in many different ways.  A crack in the stucco siding, or failing caulk around doors or windows all allow water to intrude and damage to build.  The water will intrude into the wall first, and will eventually make itself known by way of stains, blistering paint and the like on the interior drywall.  Not only will paint and drywall repairs be needed, but your wall may have wet insulation, mold or rotten wood.  This is an invitation to termites.

Given the damage water causes, this is your priority during a self-directed home maintenance review.  Do you see any stains or signs on the interior of water intrusion?  On the exterior, inspect for cracks in stucco, bricks and siding.  Inspect caulk around doors and windows. Make sure wooden decks, furniture and wood siding and trim are properly sealed with paint or stain.

Leaves and debris in roof valleys will eventually damage the roof and any siding they rest against.  Ivy and vines climbing the side of your home will grab onto the paint and wood, trap moisture and expedite decay.  If you see a greenish algae growth on the home, a damaging process has begun.

Like children, homes are precious and the center of some of our most loved memories, but they do come with some work.  Regular inspections and prompt identification of issues keep damage from building up and reduces cost and effort for resolution.

If you are not prepared to tackle some of the work identified during your home maintenance review, contact Mr. Handyman, there’s simply no one like us!