How to Create a Maintenance Schedule for Your Home
Taking care of a household is often overwhelming, even if more than one person is involved. There’s a lot to do, so it’s essential to be organized in managing all the tasks. New homeowners are often puzzled about everything it takes to run a tidy, healthy, and debt-free home. This often results in additional problems that cause budget loss or lead to a house in poor condition. And an unmaintained house loses its precious value once you put it on the market. That’s why it’s essential to have a schedule from the moment you move in, even if you don’t plan on selling soon. If you want to prevent problems and get your home in order, this guide is for you. Here’s how to create a maintenance schedule for your home and avoid unnecessary issues and costs.
Figure out the way to do planning
There are several ways to plan house maintenance tasks. You can group them by season, frequency and priority. Find the best way for you, and create columns that will help you keep track of your progress. You should include the name of the task, how often you should do it or when exactly. Also, if there’s any additional information you shouldn’t forget, write it down. By the next time you need to do a particular task, you can forget about something important.
Remember that frequency is important when creating a maintenance schedule for your home. Specific tasks need to be done every month, while you should do some others once a year or per season. These will depend on the condition of your home, the climate in the area, and other factors.
Tasks to include when trying to create your maintenance schedule
Now let’s go through some main tasks that you should include in your schedule to keep your home in good condition. Surely, you will adapt them to your home’s needs and its condition.
Prevent water damage with regular maintenance
Water damage is one of the most severe issues you can have in your home. The reason is that not only the source of water or pipe is broken, but the flood will do damage all over the house. These are costly repairs and will disrupt your life for a while. To prevent that, be sure to make a schedule of maintenance of water sources to avoid such problems. Here are some tasks to include:
- Recaulking – you should recaulk bathroom fixtures every five years or even earlier if there’s damage. Recaulking helps prevent the leaking of tiles and fixtures, so it needs to be in excellent condition.
- Clearing gutters – it is essential to do an outdoor inspection before autumn and spring. Heavy rain and stuffed gutters result in leaks, roof damage, and even erosion of the soil around your home.
- Sump pump inspection should be done once a year, but if there’s more rain or snowfall in your area, do it more frequently.
- Check for a running water sound when all the faucets are turned off – this is a sure sign of some internal leaking;
- Take a look at your water bill every once in a while – if it’s suddenly increasing, turn off the water valve and start looking for the leaking location.
Electrical system maintenance for maximum safety
Things in your home that use electricity need regular maintenance to avoid problems and improve safety. Check the big appliances and be sure to clean them thoroughly. Also, it would be best if you replaced any old bulbs with a more energy-efficient solution. Choose bulbs that provide equally strong light but spend less energy. Also, test any alarms or smoke detectors. If there hasn’t been an opportunity to see them work in the past year, test them to see if they work.
Pests
Not only are they gross to see, but certain pests can also heavily damage your home. Termites are probably the biggest enemy of the structure of your home, so make sure you do regular annual checkups. Also, termite inspections should be an essential part of the home inspection before purchase. Contact professionals who can ensure your home is safe and ready for new residents.
Moving experts from reputable relocation professionals such as Roadway Moving witnessed people give up on moving and buying a home because of problems like this, so they suggest buyers inspect their future homes in detail before they start planning the move. Relocation is a process that consists of many steps, so planning everything carefully is the way to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Protect the foundation and the roof
Even the best builders can’t precisely predict the climate, seismic moves, and other conditions your home will experience over the years. Regular checkups are essential for noticing any issues as early as possible. Wall or foundation cracks, uneven floors, and unstable windows and doors are all signs of a troubled house structure, so check it out at least once a year. Furthermore, the roof is an essential part of your home, requiring regular maintenance. You should check the roof before winter and get it ready for cold days and spring to repair potential damage that happened during autumn and winter. Also, if you’re moving into a new home, checking the foundation should be an essential part of the house inspection before the purchase.
What to do in case of damage?
If you discover severe damage, you should immediately start planning the repairs. Renovations are often loud, make a lot of dust, and therefore may require you to move out until everything is finished. Removing the furniture and other items is a great idea to minimize the damage. This is not a bad thing, though. You’ll get your home fixed and protect your belongings from dust, scratches, and water damage. To protect your belongings, as well as make it easy on yourself, think about finding reputable packing services in New York. Just be sure to get reliable assistance for this task, as many packers won’t get the job done quickly and efficiently. And that’s what you need.
Deep cleaning
Another task you shouldn’t forget when trying to create a maintenance schedule for your home is deep cleaning. Experts advise you should do it twice a year. However, some people enjoy doing monthly deep-clean sessions, which can be more efficient and less time-consuming. The bottom line is that regular maintenance of your home will keep it in good condition, help you feel good, and stop your home from deteriorating. This will reduce your repair costs over time, but also make sure your home is ready for buyers any time you decide to put it on the market. Finally, don’t forget to add reminders to help you go through with your plan.
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