Home Maintenance Checklist

Being able to afford a home doesn’t mean that you’re ready to become a homeowner. You see, once you start owning property, you will also be responsible for its management, regardless if you’re living there or if you are renting it out to someone else. However, what does home maintenance constitute? Generally speaking, the best way to divide the maintenance of your home is based on the preferred frequency of maintenance. So, you have monthly maintenance and seasonal maintenance, the latter being determined by the season in question. All in all, here’s a brief rundown.

1.      Monthly

The first thing you need to do is make sure that your home is functional on a day-to-day basis, which is what monthly checkups are there for. For instance, by ensuring that your furnace filter, aerators, and air vents are functional, you will increase the overall quality of life and health in your household. Other than this, you also need to focus on safety within the place, which is why smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and fire extinguishers also need to be checked out on a monthly basis. This way, you know that you can properly respond in a moment of crisis.

2.      Spring

A roof inspection is at the very top of the list when it comes to the spring inspection of your home. Why is that so? Well, first of all, this is due to the fact that a downpour is more likely to occur in spring, which means that a missing shingle may pose as a potential leak spot. Keep in mind that if you have any indoor work that may require venting the place, spring is the best time of the year to do it, seeing as how the outdoor-indoor temperature equilibrium is optimal in this period. If there are any gaps in construction, spring is the time to close them. The project, nonetheless, will depend on the type of construction that was used originally. This is why sheet metal design is so popular in construction nowadays.

3.      Summer

Come summer, you might want to check your kitchen exhaust fan filter. Why? Well, due to the fact that you want the maximum efficiency from your AC unit, you will, most likely, avoid opening kitchen windows. This means that you will either avoid using your kitchen altogether or figure out a way to keep your kitchen filter, fan, and exhaust at the peak of productivity. Also, if you want some work done on your plumbing system, now might be the time to do so.

4.      Autumn

Autumn is the time for you to rake leaves and aerate the lawn. In fact, the bulk of landscaping work is to be done during this period. Other than this, the early autumn might be your last chance to check your heating system. If you aim to make the place more energy-efficient, now’s the time to do so. One of the things you can do here is to replace all your old windows with the double-glazing ones. Also, if you had plans to rejuvenate your home’s exterior by power-washing it, you might want to do so. Lastly, before the season of rains starts, you may want to tend to your gutters.

5.      Winter

Finally, once the winter is here, what you need to do is cover your air-conditioning units in order to protect them, move all your outdoor furniture to a safe space and check once more if your outdoor plumbing is winterized properly. Other than this, seeing as how temperature would prevent you from doing the work around the premises, you might want to focus on indoor maintenance (kitchen and bathroom maintenance, for instance).

In conclusion

While there are some inspections that should be done once every several years, the truth is that this is usually something that requires professional assistance or something that you will notice on your own. Features that you use every single day is an area where you will notice trouble as soon as it occurs. Therefore, the above-listed maintenance plan is mostly there to allow you to be more proactive when it comes to the upkeep of your own home. Why wait for things to start being a problem? Why wouldn’t you notice an issue ahead of time and fix it while it’s still frugal and convenient for you to do so?

About The Author: Zac Walker – He is both a teacher and a student. His passions are teaching and researching. He’s also eager when it comes to learning new stuff. Has done some cooperation writing a series of English learning books. His motto in life is: “Discipline, commitment, and attitude will lead you to the peak of success and reputation.” The books he loves are: “The Magic of Thinking Big” by Dr. David Joseph Schwartz and “The Art of Negotiation” by Michael Wheeler.

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay