Mr. Handyman Suggests ‘Keeping Up’ to Keep Costs Down

The start of the New Year often brings reflection and resolutions.  Taking care of your home can be stressful and may be a place you want to make a change this year.  Life gets busy with work, family and outside commitments, and if you don’t schedule in your home’s upkeep it will get away on you. 

Owning a home takes an investment in upkeep.  Whether you do it yourself or pay somebody to handle these things, you need to have a plan.   Most of us have a calendar where we pencil in a trip for a family wedding, school graduations, and family members coming to visit around a holiday.  If we still have kids at home we also pencil in sports schedules, the school play, and related events.

Rarely do any of us get out the pencil and ‘schedule’ upkeep of our home.  This is a good habit to start.  First, once a quarter, schedule a morning on your calendar for a Home Maintenance Review (HMR).  This is a thorough walkthrough, inside and out, of your home.  Methodically go from room to room and note what needs to be done.  When you find something, write it down.  Do this in every room, walk the exterior, and pay attention to sheds, driveways, fences and parts of your property that are not specifically your home.

The important things to note when building this list is the urgency of the need.  If wood trim needs paint, delaying this will lead to greater damage and greater work.   Failing caulk around doors or windows, or in the shower, can allow water to intrude into walls.  Even small drips under the sink can quickly ruin a cabinet.

Once inspected, you can prioritize and plan.  Again, get out the calendar and actually budget time to do things prior to the next quarterly HMR.  This ensures they get done, and by dealing with needs that arise immediately they are as simple as they are going to be.  Delay will only cause the need to grow, or to get more expensive if you plan to hire a service provider.

By having a clear list, you can decide what you want to do and where you might need help.  If you don’t have the time, tools, skills, or the interest in doing something on that list, Mr. Handyman would love to discuss your needs with you.  Even if you plan to deal with the majority of items, we can assist with the rest.

And, as an incentive to make that resolution to get caught up on your ‘To do’ list, and to start now while your motivation is strong, Mr. Handyman is offering 10% off labor costs for work done in January and February of 2017.  This is our best rate of the year and your opportunity to tackle your ‘to do’ list economically with Jacksonville’s most trusted name in home improvements.

Happy New Year, and we look forward to serving your needs in 2017.