Regular home maintenance is crucial for all homeowners. Conducting regular inspections of the exterior and interior of your home as well as its major systems can help you identify minor problems before they become major issues and can help extend the life of your home.
If you neglect basic home maintenance, it can easily lead to major safety hazards, decreased property value, costly repairs and so much more. If you aren’t consistently checking your home, and also performing regular maintenance, things such as water damage and even electric fires can occur.
Luckily, regular maintenance can help to prevent these issues and save money in the long run. This might seem daunting to some people, but you can stay on top of ensuring your home is well-maintained throughout the year by creating a home maintenance checklist.
Here are some ways that you can do that, and also how to spot some signs of poor masonry work.
Preparing for a Home Inspection
On a regular basis, you should conduct general home inspections, where you look to identify signs of issues. This needs to be done on the exterior of your home, the interior as well as the major systems.
A good place to start is to create a home maintenance checklist, which can help you stay on track and organized. This checklist should prioritize the essential tasks and help you to schedule inspections on a regular basis.
If you’re unsure what you should be looking for, go online and grab a home maintenance calendar. This can help you ensure that each part of your home receives the necessary attention it needs.
Once you have created the checklist, it’s time to prepare for your home inspection. Gather together all necessary tools that you’ll need, including a ladder and flashlight.
Decide whether you can handle the inspection on your own, or whether you need to hire a professional who has specialized knowledge. Hiring a professional is usually a good idea, for example, for major systems such as your HVAC and even outdoor installations such as brick patios.
Exterior Inspection
Outside of your home, you should be checking for signs of damage. Inspect all brick and mortar, looking for things such as cracks or gaps. Check to see if there are any loose or missing bricks and mortar, which would require some sort of immediate repair.
Look at the foundation of your home and walls to see if you spot any gaps or cracks. You also should look for things such as leaks and water damage.
It’s also advisable to check the condition of fireplaces and chimneys in your home, again looking for gaps or cracks.
If you spot any of these issues, you should consider hiring a professional who’s skilled at making repairs the right way. Making sure you do so immediately is important, as you don’t want further damage to happen.
Roof and Gutter Inspection
Next, turn to your roof, looking for signs of any wear, damage and/or leaks. This could be in the form of missing, loose or lifted shingles.
You also want to inspect the gutters and downspouts, as they have a direct connection to the integrity and performance of your roof. Make sure that they’re clear of all leaves and other debris, and make sure that they are working properly.
If you find that there are holes in your gutters or that they are pulled away from your home, they’ll need immediate repair.
Some of these repairs you might be able to handle on your own. Again, though, it’s always a good idea to hire a professional to ensure the fixes are done properly.
Window and Door Inspection
While outside, check all of your doors and windows to make sure that they are sealed properly and are well-insulated. Look for common signs of air leaks or water damage as well.
Look all around the doors and windows, too, searching for any cracks or gaps, as well as any missing or loose parts. Sometimes, these issues are relatively straightforward fixes, such as adding more insulation or caulking.
If you are unsure of how to make the fix, or if the issue is major, a professional will know exactly what needs to be done.
Interior Inspection
After you’ve finished up outside, it’s time to turn to the inside of your home. Look at the walls and ceilings of your home for any cracks or gaps, as well as any signs of water damage.
If you see dark spots on your ceiling or wall, touch it gently to see if it’s wet or soft. Either of those things could indicate that you have a leak in your pipes behind the walls.
In this case, you might need to call a plumber, contractor or other expert to assess the damage and suggest a fix.
Systems Inspection
The major systems of your home should also be inspected and maintained regularly. The HVAC system is one of the major ones that needs to be maintained at least twice a year.
During these inspections, you should look at air conditioning unit filters and vents for signs of any damage or wear. Make sure that there is proper airflow in and out of the system, and that it is well insulated. Filters should also be changed regularly, according to the product’s description — most of the time every 30 or 90 days.
You can conduct a basic plumbing inspection of your own, looking for cracks and leaks in pipes and faucets. Most of these you’ll have access to under counters, sinks and tubs.
However, you might not be able to directly inspect all aspects of your plumbing system without opening walls.
Basic electrical inspections should be conducted, too. This includes testing all detectors and alarms to ensure they’re in working order. You should also check for signs of electrical wear or damage.
If there are problems with plumbing or electrical, it’s advisable to hire a professional to handle the fix.
Seasonal Home Maintenance
There are seasonal home maintenance tasks that every homeowner should complete, no matter where they live.
In Michigan, a lot of the heavy maintenance comes in the spring, after the harsh winters. Once the thaw has completely finished, head back outside for a general inspection.
Look at your roof and gutters for any signs of damage or wear from the winter, and clear the gutters of any debris or blockages.
