It is a no-brainer that you need to do a few tasks here and there to keep your home in top shape. Taking good care of your home is sometimes an uphill task. That is why most people in time for maintenance normally hire professional home maintenance companies for quality work within a short time. Even before you hire an expert, you need to be aware of home repairs that need to be done. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry; here is a comprehensive home repair checklist to keep your home functioning well throughout the year; read on.
Let’s Talk Pipes, Valves, and Fixtures
How annoying is a dripping faucet or tap? We all know the problems of even minor leaks- water damage, rotting boards, mold growth. How about the frustration of having a clogged drain and the horrible smell that emanates from it? The drainage unit is one of the most important systems in our homes and can be incredibly costly if left unchecked.
You can address the issues of pipes, valves, and other plumbing fixtures when it’s time for maintenance by simply checking for anything amiss and even attempting to fix it when you’ve all the necessary types of equipment. If not, there are plenty of professional companies that offer extensive plumbing services, and you can hire them regularly to perform routine maintenance on your plumbing system. They’ll easily spot any defects before they escalate into costly money-eating repairs. Additionally, the same plumbing experts will also clean your drains, inspect pipes, and fix leaky ones. Depending on the problem at hand, expect to spend anything between $175 to $450, less or more. It is worth it!
The Roof-Maintenance and Repair
You might underestimate how important the roof is until it rains hails and stones or when the sun is so strong you want the shade of your home. It is a significant structure to consider when it’s time for maintenance. Because of where it is situated, we normally forget about it until things get out of hand, with a leak here and there during heavy rains and a groaning sound when a part of it unhinges. Over time, the roof gets damaged because it’s continually taking the wear and tear of different weather conditions. Your roof is your first defense; we cannot emphasize enough that it must be in good condition.
Typical residential roofing repair can run into hundreds of dollars of up to $1,000, so it’s important to watch for signs of a roof leak, such as water stains on the ceiling or missing shingles. When you do, immediately contact a professional residential roofing expert to assess the damage and make the necessary repairs to keep you and your family safe and dry and, of course, lengthen the lifespan of your roof.
A leaking roof means water damage, structural damage, mold growth, and, more importantly, a lot of money going into roof leak repair. It’s crucial to hire a professional roofing service to repair any leaks as soon as possible if the damage is substantial and you cannot effectively handle it. Expect to spend some good money as the repairing price of a roof leak is between $300 and $1,000, depending on the extent of damage and your type of roof.
The Surface We Walk On-Floors
Admittedly, floors take a lot of abuse, stains, spills, and cracks as we walk on them, play on them, lie on them, and put stuff on them. In light of that, they make our list of tasks to do when it’s time for maintenance. However much you take care of your floors, eventually, they may need to be repaired or replaced. Now you can choose to tackle these repairs; for example, replacing a damaged tile may be a walk in a park for some homeowners or patching up a section of your carpet or varnishing your wood tiles.
If you don’t know much about your floors- be it the hardwood type, carpet, tile, or any other type of flooring it’s best to leave it to the professionals. Avoid doing more damage than what is already there. Contact a company that provides flooring services to be sure your floor looks spick and spans throughout the year. When it comes to cost, be prepared to spend anything from $100, especially if the damage is extensive.
Everything HVAC Related
Relaxing in your house in the hot summer with a defective air conditioning system can be quite a headache. How about the cold winter months, and the heat just doesn’t get the work done? Your HVAC is the problem, and it’s the next item on our checklist for tasks to do when it’s time for maintenance.
Routine maintenance of your HVAC system includes cleaning the filters and menial tasks like unclogging the condensate drain you can easily undertake. However, suppose your air conditioner begins to malfunction, and you cannot pinpoint exactly what the issue is. In that case, it is time to look up local air conditioning repair companies around you. Depending on what you need to be repaired in your HVAC system, you will pay the specialist between $150 and $1,000.
Stump and Roots- Removing a Tree or Two
When do the cons of having trees outweigh the pros? When they are diseased, damaged, hard hit by a storm, and on the verge of collapsing or a home for pesky animals. Furthermore, when it becomes a safety hazard, especially with kids around, instead of providing shade, ambiance, and beautifying your home’s landscape.
When the time for maintenance comes, and you need to remove this huge tree in your backyard, what do you do? Hire a professional who provides tree removal services to complete the job by removing the stump and deep-situated roots. The size and location of the tree are factors that the professional will consider when charging you for tree removal, and they may invoice anything between $500 and $1,500.
Mold Growth and Remediation
Mold grows anywhere wet or moist, with leaks or flooding, so you’ll find it on your walls, windows, floors, clothes, pipes, and even on paper, just as long as the conditions include moisture. Scary, right? Mold is a health hazard that can lead to grave health problems, especially respiratory ones. It can cause severe allergies that may ultimately lead to death. That is why it makes our list of tasks to check out when it is time for maintenance.
As soon as you notice it, it is important, vital even, to address it and to do so promptly and professionally. You cannot take a chance on this one- get a mold inspector ASAP who will remediate the condition and restore your house to a safe place. It will be costly if the mold growth is widespread and your house is big; we are talking between $500 to $6,000. To prevent this, schedule routine mold inspections to ensure no mold growth is present. You can take this upon yourself to check then when you spot signs, call mold inspectors immediately.
Check the Garage, Doors, and Hinges
Your garage serves more than just a house for your car: a storage space, a man’s cave, your teenage child’s den, your toddler’s playhouse, an entrance to your house, and even an additional living area. It, therefore, needs to be routinely checked, repaired and maintained. How do you do this? Regular maintenance and garage repairs include inspecting the door opener, tracks, and rollers. You must also do the simple fixes, such as replacing a worn-out spring or hinge, to more extensive repairs, such as replacing the entire door in case it’s wobbly or whatnot.
It’s recommended that you hire a professional garage repair service to perform any necessary repairs or maintenance to prevent any costly repairs in the future and keep it functioning properly. The garage repair cost will be between $150 and $700, according to the factors the repairperson mentions. However, if your garage door is beyond repair, it may be time for a replacement, a worthy investment to keep the burglars away.
Getting Rid of Pests- Cockroaches, Rodents, Bedbugs
How embarrassing is it to have visitors over when a huge cockroach shamelessly crawls in front of them? Pests are an embarrassment, a nuisance, and a safety hazard to you and your family. When it is time for maintenance, scheduling pest control is a must. Have routine and regular inspections conducted by an exterminator, and you might stop these pesky little creatures from multiplying in your home. You can also set traps for the rats, use sprays and turn up your hygiene and cleaning routine a notch higher to eliminate the pests.
If you already have a pest infestation, exterminators will come up with effective treatments to keep your home pest-free. They will charge you anything between $150 and $500, the cost varying with the type of pest you have and the size of your home.
Fencing and Maintaining Your Fences
First, a fence for your home will reduce the chances of a burglar sneaking into your home and wreaking havoc, so security check. If you’re big on privacy, you know that fencing your home will go a long way in keeping your things, your things. And also, fencing adds to the aesthetic appeal of your property. With all these benefits, why would fencing miss in your list when the time for maintenance approaches?
Over time, you’ll notice little and not so little damage to your fence brought about by the changing weather conditions or simply wear and tear, as is nature. Maintaining your fence will need you to inspect the posts and panels regularly, or if you opted for a live fence, look for overgrown plants. Trimming your fence can be easy if you have the basic know-how. But if you want shapes and patterns on them, you’ll need fencing services from a professional. One is needed, too, for your non-live fence, for any repairs or replacements at the cost of about $250 to $700.
Professional Cleaning Services
Once in a while, you will need a professional cleaning crew to polish your home from top to bottom with their range of cleaning services. Besides normal cleaning, their package includes pest control, mold inspection, and air duct cleaning. Hiring a professional cleaning service has many benefits; one- they have the technique, expertise, gear, and chemicals that you may not have access to. You may be surprised to see some stubborn stains they’ll easily remove.
With their help, the quality of your indoor air will greatly improve, and in so doing, you’ll prevent any health complications arising from any unhygienic conditions that, most times, you may be oblivious to. Most of all, they will help prolong the lifespan of your home’s systems and components. It is a costly service, especially when you want the whole package, but we assure you, it is worth every $150 to $500 you spend.
Upgrading Your Home
When the repairs and maintenance are consuming a huge chunk of your finances, sometimes the sensible choice is a complete overhaul, a home upgrade. New stuff requires minimal maintenance and almost no repairs; we don’t want you repairing something every other week. A home upgrade will get rid of the insistent repairs and maintenance, it will also increase the value of your home, and overall, it will translate into a happier you and a general improvement in your quality of life.
Home upgrades range from getting new appliances, acquiring a new floor or HVAC system, a new roof, a new fence, or replacing your entire plumbing system. Upgrades are costly, but when you compare that against the benefits you’ll receive when you get one, they far outweigh the cost. You can list the things you’ll need to upgrade your home and then start replacing them one by one if you don’t have enough money for all. We are talking something between the ranges of $500 to $5000 or even more, depending on how much of an upgrade you aim for.
You can now see that maintaining your home at its best requires significant time and money. Investing in routine maintenance and repairs is always better than waiting until something goes wrong and requires an expensive fix. Any day is time for maintenance!