As a homeowner, you’re given the responsibility of caring for and maintaining the functionality and safety of your home. By doing so, you’re able to keep your house in good working order and prevent problem areas from eating up your savings.
A maintenance checklist ensures that you’ve covered every facet of your home from the roof to the heating and cooling unit to the smoke alarms and carbon dioxide detector.
Structural Repairs
If there is damage to the structure of your home, it can affect everything else in a truly negative way. By regularly examining the outside and inside of your home by checking out the foundation, support beams, floorboards, walls, and more, you prevent your house from caving in on itself. That means that you won’t be surprised by a structural repair that eats up your emergency savings.
Roofing
To ensure that your roof, gutters, and drain spouts and in excellent shape, it’s going to require some work each year. First and foremost, you’ll want to see if you can detect any issues with the roof from outside. Next, you’ll need to keep a record of any leaks you have in the ceiling. Last but not least, you’ll want to regularly clean the gutters of leaves, fallen branches, and other debris that clogs them up and allows water to accumulate.
Heating and Cooling
Before turning on your heater for the winter or air conditioner for the summer, you should have them inspected to make sure there aren’t any problems that could lead to costly repairs in the future. Something as simple as being low on Freon can cause your AC to work twice as hard and burn out its motor. Taking the time to change out filters can improve the efficiency of both the heater and the air conditioner and lower your home energy costs.
Plumbing
“Without proper maintenance, the plumbing in your home can be one of the costliest repairs you encounter,” says Peter Graham, a plumber from Wilco Plumbing. When plumbing lines get obstructed by overgrown roots or other debris, they can lead to clogs in the system. Your toilet or bathtub may get backed up. By routinely checking your pipes, you save yourself from the unfortunate lesson that comes with a costly plumbing bill.
Pest Control
Pests such as insects and vermin can wreak havoc on your home quickly. That’s why it’s important to check your house’s foundation for signs of termites and other unwanted visitors. You’ll be able to easily see traces of mice, roaches, and other unsavoury pests. You can then do what is needed to control these pests including calling an exterminator.
Smoke Alarms and Carbon Dioxide Detectors
Among the most important tools you have in your home are smoke alarms and carbon dioxide detectors. They can literally save you and your family’s lives. That’s why you should test them regularly and replace their batteries whenever the need arises. There are countless stories of families who have been saved by smoke alarms and carbon dioxide detectors that were working properly.
Regular Decluttering and Cleaning
By putting yourself on a regular decluttering and cleaning schedule, you maintain the beauty and comfortability of your home long-term. Chores don’t get out of hand because you stay on top of them. When decluttering your house, you can simply create three piles for things to Keep, Sell or Donate which helps you decide which items stay and which ones need to go.
The Benefits of Having a Complete Maintenance Checklist
Addressing the different areas of your home on a regular basis allows you to identify potential problems before they worsen. You’re able to schedule repair work and take care of minor fixes without them costing you a fortune financially. You keep up the beautiful appearance of your house and at the same time, make it functional and comfortable.
This maintenance checklist is meant to be added onto and reviewed regularly. It’s a resource that you can use for years as you maintain the appearance, comfortability, and safety of your house. It helps you identify the problems that might take place inside and outside your property while giving you ideas of the steps to take next to remedy them.