You work hard for your home, you don’t want to feel like it’s a second job. For too many people, it is. There’s always something that’s falling apart; the gutters need cleaning, the paint is chipping, that weird sound your furnace started making three days ago. Everything you fix or patch is just another temporary fix in time until, before you know it, you’ve spent your entire weekend merely playing catch up of what should be done.
But homes don’t fall apart due to the apocalyptic work outside. They fall apart one piece at a time due to a million-minute inconveniences until it’s too late – and too expensive – to maintain. They don’t need constant checks every Saturday; they just need a new system put in place with preventative care focus so the boring stuff becomes easier.
Focus On What Matters To Prevent Disintegration
Not all repairs are created equal. Some need to get done for equity gain cheap appeal and some are merely suggested. But by understanding the difference, you can save yourself time – and money – when it comes to what’s truly necessary.
For example, water is the bane of a home. If you can prevent water from getting into your home or accumulating around your home, you can help avoid major repairs. A clogged gutter that does not allow water to drain away will create flooding; a buckling roof will create mold; grading that directs water toward your foundation instead of away will lead to an inability of the house to sit on its original bones over time. These all become complicated repairs from something that’s relatively easy to control. Clean your gutters twice per year – once in spring, once in fall – and check your roof once the snow melts or after major rainstorms to see where the water is going. Other than that, as long as it’s going away from your house into drainage systems, it’s fine.
With HVAC, if you know you need an air filter change every few months – do it! Don’t wait seven months until someone reminds you – or it’s the sweltering middle of summer and your unit has broken down because it’s been overworked without attention. Get it serviced each year – these repairs shouldn’t cost you over the summer when it’s 95 degrees; they are low maintenance during the months that they are most used.
Make The Repetitive Easier
Some areas of owning a home are inevitable. Dust accumulates; trees shed leaves; grass grows. No one can escape from the realities of living so what’s best for you is to make your responsibility as simple as possible so that you would overexert yourself enough that ignoring would seem easier than doing something.
When it comes to lawn care, maybe you’re scared to death with an antiquated gasoline-powered lawn mower that runs out of gas half way through or one with a pull cord that gets stuck – even dead of summer – it’s been sitting for too long with no attention. Instead, get the best battery powered lawn mower; charge it every few weeks and leave it alone. Save yourself time – it’ll take ten minutes if it’s an electronic option as maintenance; you’re more likely to maintain it before your lawn gets knee-deep in grass anyway.
Same goes with decks – for washing if it takes three hours on your hands and knees scrubbing away with soap trying to get rid of dirt that accumulates over the winter then buy a power-washer – ten minutes for an annual check up in spring (bonus if you do it every now and then during summer).
Catch Small Things Before They Become Big Things
Most repairs can be the most expensive that start as small things that grow exponentially from negligence over time. A small crack in the roof becomes rotting decking; a small crack in the foundation becomes pervasive structural disrepair; sink draining becomes backflow into your pipes.
From time to time, walk around your house and just look at it without stress. Look at it mindfully so if something’s new – a crack appearing in a new place, telltale signs of moisture – or if things have become amiss but you haven’t touched it since your last quarterly check up – you can acknowledge it sooner than later. This should take no more than 20 minutes every few months and it’s two-fold worth it – one: to catch things early while they’re inexpensive and two: to not wait until sub-zero temperatures in January when you need repairs or pre-flooding alerts to get those repairs started.
Even inside pay attention to water pressure (or lack thereof) and smells. Doors that suddenly stick could mean settlement in the foundation; musty smells mean there’s moisture where there shouldn’t be any (like under cabinets). Investigate further but don’t panic – see what’s up.
Calendar The Boring Stuff So It Actually Happens
People forget annual physicals; people forget annual physicals because they’re not on their calendar as alerts. The same goes for homeownership – unless things know they’re coming or unless everyone delineates appropriate intervals, things get forgotten about or neglected with good intentions until it’s too late.
Seasonal and annual tasks become easy additions onto actual calendars. For example, reminders will be sent for gutter cleaning in spring and fall; HVAC checkups will be scheduled once all systems are put together and not competing with any holidays (the holiday season is crazy enough, don’t blow fuses!). Monthly reminders can become recurring ones for smoke detectors (should be done monthly) and water heater flushing (once a year).
A whole comprehensive set of items can be added this way with little complaint – HVAC systems checked twice a year in ideal conditions, gutters checked twice yearly, smoke alarms monthly, flushing the water heater once a year, checking weather stripping thresholds before winter sub-zero temperatures set or checking the sump pump if there’s excess rainfall forecasted (to prevent flooding).
Know When Replacement Might Be Better Than Maintenance
Sometimes it’s better to not fix something again – but instead – get something new that requires little management. While this seems counterproductive since new replacement costs more upfront than maintaining old reliable (which really isn’t reliable), old reliable costs time – and time is money so it makes sense, long-term, to nip things in the bud faster with new products instead of constantly fiddling with old ones with new parts always needing replacement.
That lawn mower that’s 15 years old but needs fixing twice per season adds up over time – not only do parts need replacement but due to high heat operating days or mixed gas instead of stable gas over time costs homeowners more than just getting something new up front would have been more beneficial in long-term savings. Same goes for appliances and appliance repair.
But this doesn’t mean constant replacement; this means those things which are annoying day-to-day because they keep needing attention when attention isn’t meant to let them go – the shame in doing math isn’t there because getting something new will simplify long-term ownership costs for everything involved.
Have Basic Supplies Available For Most Issues
No one needs an entire workshop taking up their entire garage – but having access to the right level of basics means that when minor issues arise with minor-to-no-cost options instead of just going out and buying everything needed (or making something unlivable as is), you’re better off dealing with basic repairs at least.
A proper drill, a basic saw set – from wood cutting to metal – basic wrenches/screwdrivers/manipulators at adult height and child height used access (as needed) plus some excesses, a ladder that’s tall enough for inside/outside of homes (at least one or two stories but stable enough to access basement windows should flooding occur) plus access to shop vacs will cover 80% of situations most people find themselves wronged with regularly.
Beyond this make sure access is available stud finders/levels/nails/screws/hardware essentials for whatever advanced repairs might otherwise linger or await someone else without good intentions.
Finally, Expect That Some Things Can Wait (And That’s OK)
Finally – and this is where people go astray – this isn’t about making your home perfect; it’s about making it tenable. Not everything has to be urgent and giving everything minutiae high crisis management levels will only burn someone out over time.
For example, cosmetic issues don’t necessarily need urgent attention unless it impacts structural quality down which prevents it; paint chipping can wait until peeling or no-hold chipping; squeaky doors can wait until they’re askew. But logical expectation means there’s no need for excess pressure unnecessarily except for things which genuinely matter.
Homeownership isn’t meant to be easy – but it’s also not supposed to complicate someone’s sanity either. So pay attention more often than not – but do it with purposeful consideration – and it’ll make all the difference when you’d rather enjoy your time inside than fight daily battles outside of it!
