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While the idea of spending the whole day, stripping leaves out of your gutters isn’t exactly ideal for anyone, your home is still your absolute biggest investment.
More than that, maintaining it regularly can mitigate or reduce future issues of wear and tear, rot, mold overgrowth, and it may help you spot any problem areas that can evolve into bigger problems without being checked in time.
If you are a new homeowner, it can be daunting to take on home maintenance, especially if you have never cleared out your gutters alone, drained your boiler, or have no clue what the beginnings of mold growth may look like.
Not to worry – here is your complete home maintenance checklist for peace of mind and to help you keep on top of all the odds and ends in your house.
Springtime Cleanup
Spring means a lot of things, and a good clean-out is one of them. This is a great time to give your home a thorough once-over now that it is warm enough to spend prolonged pears outdoors.
Start by raking up any excess leaves left out on your lawn and lay down mulch to protect your plants from drought and weeds.
Check your hoses and faucets to see if there is any damage from the winter. You may even consider hiring a professional to help you maintain your property even better.
If you have a snowblower, time to put it in storage! Be sure to drain any remaining fuel and clean its motors beforehand.
Then, inspect your trees (or ask a professional to do it for you.) Reseed your lawn and patch up any bald spots before the heat really gets to them.
Have a patio or deck? Sweep it clean and give it a good inspection. Look for loose boards, cracked wood, and wiggly nails.
Take out any debris left between the boards. For a more thorough clean, consider washing it down with a garden hose, then treating it with borate for any algae. Let it dry, then stain and seal it after a few days.
Do an Exterior Inspection
A great way to ensure there has been no damage from the harsh winter weather is to walk around your home and do a casual inspection for any cracks, signs of wear, and loose or broken shingles.
If your roof is getting up there in years, you may want to hire a professional roofer to do an inspection themselves to assess if the foundation of your roof is holding up and if your roof needs any additional supports or if it’s time to lay down new shingling altogether.
Your gutters are also an integral component of your house, protection for the foundation, siding, and more. They control the flow of rainwater.
If they are clogged, water may build up and infiltrate your house! For this, it is a good idea to clean them out once or twice a year or more, if there are plenty of trees that hang over your roof. Assess for damage following wintertime.
Do you have a pool? If so, the spring and/or summer is a good time to do a quick clean and check the water quality and filter systems.
You may even consider hiring a pool service to clean out your pool before you decide to take a dip. If the average temperature is beginning to drop, it’s time to cover your pool up and settle in for the colder weather!
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Check Out your Home’s Interior Systems
If the idea of checking out your HVAC and plumbing system deters you, call a technician for checkups and services! Otherwise, you can clean the vents and ducts yourself if you are the know-how.
For your pipes, check under sinks for any indication of leakage your ceilings may even show signs of dripping.
Check your faucets for any drips and the flappers in your toilets. If there are damages you cannot fix yourself, call your local plumber for help.
It is also important to check out your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors regularly to ensure they are working properly.
Fire deaths are largely contributed to homes without smoke detectors or with detectors that were faulty/out of battery.
If you are especially concerned about the threat of carbon monoxide leak or fire, consider swapping your existing detectors out for their “smart” versions that offer voice alerts.
Get Insured
Sometimes, things happen, no matter what we do to prevent them. We can look after our homes as much as we would like, but that will not always thwart disaster.
If an unexpected, heavy storm batters your windows and damages your roof, you would be left to pay out-of-pocket for the damages if you did not have insurance.
Thankfully, home insurance is a small price next to what it could cost to replace everything in your home or repair your home’s structure as it stands today.
Depending on where you live, you may have different coverage needs. For example, Belleville home insurance may be catered to reflect the more “traditional” homes that populate the area, whereas Toronto homes may benefit from packages that reflect the replacement value of newer buildings.
An insurance broker may be able to work with you to discuss your coverage needs. Remember that home maintenance is crucial to ensuring your claims are not denied if something should happen as “wear and tear” due to a lack of care or normal aging is not included in a home policy.
A Professional Can Help
If you have no clue what to look for or if you are concerned about your home’s systems, exterior, or landscaping, call a professional! It is much better to spend the money upfront to inspect or repair your home than to let the issue sit and worsen over time, potentially leading to greater problems that can put you in the hole for thousands of dollars or result in you having to make a home insurance claim which may impact your future rates.
It is best to be proactive and put it back into your home so that you can have peace of mind knowing it is properly looked after.
