House Maintenance that Goes Ignored

Owning a home can be a very liberating thing, but there is no denying that it is also a lot of hard work and responsibility.

If you want to keep your home from falling in value and keep it as a nice place to live, then it is important to take steps to ensure your home’s upkeep.

It may seem at first like an unnecessary expense, but the truth is that regular maintenance will prevent you from having huge unexpected expenditures in the long run.

Although many people have usual things that they will fix every year, there is always a list of things that tend to go unnoticed. The issue is that each of these small problems can become a lot bigger, if they are unattended for a long time.

Here are some examples of home maintenance that tend to go ignored…

Plumbing buildup

The first thing to note is that plumbing maintenance in a home is usually one of the first things to go unnoticed for a long period of time. This makes sense, as the mindset that is associated with plumbing is usually “out of sight, out of mind.”

However, this is definitely an aspect of home ownership that should be kept up on. Slate buildup in drains and pipes happens slowly, over time, but can end up causing pipes to burst, especially if they freeze.

When this happens, you’re going to end up with a problem that is a lot more expensive and difficult to fix than it would have been to get your pipes cleaned (or use chemicals to burn away the buildup).

Typically, right before winter is a good time to do this, or even right before the holidays (as this article explains).

Clear out gutters

Because people rarely get up on their roofs to see the status of their home up there, gutters are an aspect of routine maintenance that are frequently forgotten.

Over time, leaves and materials will build up in a home’s gutters, which can cause clogs and blockages. Although this might not seem like a big deal to some, it can cause your gutters to shatter, when the cold season hits and water begins to freeze.

It can also cause icicle buildups on the front of your home, and may even increase the risk of a flood coming from your home’s roof.

Prevent sidewalk cracks

Because a sidewalk is outside of the lawn of a home, many homeowners tend to think that it isn’t their problem.

While it is true that they don’t have any obligation to do upkeep on their sidewalk, it is actually in their best interest.

Busted up sidewalk that is cracked and uneven has a disproportionate effect on a home’s curb value, which means that it can hurt your investment in your home.

On top of that, your neighbors will appreciate you a lot more if you take the time to ensure that your sidewalk is well-maintained, as it is a community amenity, as well.

Weatherproofing

This often goes ignored because many people consider it more of an optional luxury than a necessity. But the truth is, no matter where you are, weatherproofing is a worthwhile investment that pays for itself within a few years.

Weatherproofing your home will make your heating and cooling bills lower, keep your house more comfortable overall, and make your house more energy efficient.

Weatherproofing will include a lot of different jobs around the house. It might be a matter of increasing the insulation in your attic, adding stripping to your doors, or you might be ready to embark on a big job like redoing your windows so that they keep out the cold or heat better.

This page has more about what weatherproofing might entail.

Landscaping

When you are struggling to handle issues that arise on the inside of your home, issues that are on the outside of your home may have a tendency to go ignored.

Particularly, many homeowners may give up on their landscaping plans, and allow their yards to be unmaintained. The trouble with this is that it causes the exterior of your home to be unappealing, which greatly reduces the curb value of your home, as well as that of your neighbors’.

 

Tags: house maintenance

Category: Housing