The Most Common Home Maintenance Mistakes
Nobody tells you when you buy a home that you’re signing up for an eternity of maintenance and repairs. Even if you take care of your things, there’s always something to repair, clean, or replace. You’re not getting away from the maintenance, so you better find a way to have fun with it. We’d argue that the best way to have fun with home maintenance is getting it done properly, so you don’t have to worry about it again. Getting your projects done correctly starts with understanding the most common home maintenance mistakes. Read on to learn more.
Failing to Change Furnace Filters and Allowing Dust to Accumulate
Most homes today have a furnace that requires you to change the filter occasionally. If you don’t replace the furnace filter consistently, it can get clogged and make it harder for the furnace to push air through. This ultimately increases your energy bills. Additionally, most homeowners don’t dust enough. Dust wreaks havoc on nearly everything in your home including your electronics, appliances, and even your health. Ignoring the dust will only cost you more in repairs, and it’ll make your HVAC work harder as well.
Not Cleaning Your Gutters
We know—setting up a ladder and a hose takes a lot of work, but you need to do it. Clogged gutters will obviously result in water overflowing during a rainstorm. While the overflowing doesn’t seem like a big deal, that water has to go somewhere. Most of the time, the excess water ends up collecting around your home’s foundation which can result in foundation issues (more on that later).
Not Repairing Roof Problems in a Timely Manner
Your roof is one of the most important parts of the home, so why wouldn’t you take care of it? A lot of homeowners make the mistake of ignoring a missing shingle or a worn-out roof. We get it—replacing a roof is expensive—but it gets even more expensive if the shingles rotting and you need a professional to peel the deteriorating ones off your roof. Plus, the last thing you want is a leaking roof damaging your attic and ceiling drywall.
Ignoring Foundation Problems
Your foundation is imperative to your home’s structural integrity. Most people assume that every home’s foundation has cracks or water stains—wrong! A foundation should be solid and in good condition, not falling apart. Not to mention, water stains indicate your foundation isn’t sealed somewhere and you’re prone to basement floods. Don’t make the foundation repair mistakes that so many other homeowners make. Tackle repair projects as soon as you notice an issue.
Buy a house, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. If you avoid the most common home maintenance mistakes, owning a home will be fully enjoyable. As you probably noticed, the biggest mistake you can make is ignoring projects. The longer you put off a repair, the worse the problem will get.
