Your home doesn’t just belong to you. Your family carries out their days in safety and without worry in your house, but that security can be compromised if something needs repairs.
You should always be on the lookout for anything that may be amiss in your home, but sometimes you don’t have the opportunity to notice something before it becomes a problem. In that case, you have to be prepared to make repairs, whether you allow a professional to do it or try your hand at DIYing a solution.
Unfortunately, home repairs can be costly, especially if the issue has been left untreated for a while. It’s always a good idea to have a little money set aside in an emergency fund so you can keep up with your house and enlist professionals to help whenever there is a problem.
1. Roofing
You should always keep an eye out for any loose or missing shingles. Even if it’s just looking over your home as you pull into the driveway every day, having eyes on your roof can help a lot when it comes to noticing a problem when it’s smaller rather than waiting until you have a leak.
Leaks, when left untreated, can create massive destruction. Homeowners spend an average of $3,145 on water damage cleanup, but that sum can increase to upwards of $5,000. Pay attention to your roof, especially after you’ve had a lot of rain. Spots are easy to repair, but if your roof is damaged enough, you must prepare yourself to replace the entire thing.
2. Weatherstripping
If you find that you’re losing a hefty sum to power bills every month, especially in the winter, you should check your weatherstripping. Old or rotten stripping can allow drafty winds to come inside your home and also let precious heat escape.
You can make your house more energy-efficient by replacing dated weatherstripping. Staying warm in the winter and cool in the summer without paying high bills is well worth the effort.
3. Foundation
While tiny hairline cracks might not matter much and may be a result of your house settling over time, you should still be wary of any damage you see — especially if they grow or start to look more menacing. You should keep an eye out for when doors and windows don’t fit their frame as well as they did in the past. This is a good indicator of something happening with your foundation.
Preventing foundation issues is more manageable than fixing them. Water damage can create cracks and harm your home. Always remember to clear out your gutters and ensure there’s a way for water to flow away from your home so it doesn’t threaten to damage your foundation.
4. Garage Door
Garage doors are complicated. Even a little squeak could be indicative of a much larger problem in a highly complex system. Sometimes, it’s not as simple as just putting grease on the chains and hoping the noise vanishes.
Instead of endangering yourself trying to replace a spring, you may want to call on a professional. If you have an older garage door or one that’s been known to act up, you should set some emergency money aside in case this happens.
5. Water Heater
Water heaters typically don’t cause problems, and it makes sense. If you have a tankless water heater, you shouldn’t expect to get a replacement for around 20 years. As such, people don’t think much about their water heaters until they malfunction.
You might hear some odd noises or notice you don’t have any hot water. Enlist the help of a professional to determine if it’s something that can be fixed or if you should replace the whole unit. Also, you should flush and check on the tank once a year to make sure things are operating as expected. That way, it can be a preventive measure.
6. Mold
Mold can be expected in some rooms of the house. It tends to grow in places with lots of water, like the bathroom, and it can be efficiently dealt with. Aside from cleaning it up, you don’t have too much to worry about with mold in the bathroom in most cases.
Mold anywhere else in your home is a cause for concern. It can mess with the structure of your home and hurt those who are sensitive to it. It’s best to have a professional deal with mold whenever you see it, as there may be more to it than the surface level you see.
7. Deck
Your deck is the gathering place for children’s birthday parties, summer cookouts and more. Without proper Deck Maintenance, it may start to splinter or rot if not properly taken care of, becoming a safety hazard. Luckily, you can easily avoid this issue. Decks treated with the correct chemicals can last up to 50 years, decades more than their untreated counterparts.
Replacing problematic boards as they surface and applying products to increase your deck’s longevity allows you to have cookouts and parties in your backyard for years to come. You can avoid the costly price tag of a wholly rebuilt deck.
Keep Your Home Welcoming to All
If your home is in tip-top shape, you’re more prepared to keep up with your children and appreciate the time you have together in the house that keeps you warm and safe. You can invite guests over and host playdates for your children without worrying about something terrible happening because of an untreated issue in your home.