Long-term maintenance projects like refinishing your garage floor can keep your home in great shape and increase its value.
Owning your own home comes with lots of responsibilities, as well as lots of benefits. You’ve got to mow the lawn, clear the sidewalks and driveway if it snows, change the furnace filter, and clean out the gutters on a regular basis. Some home maintenance projects don’t come up as often but are just as important. Because they aren’t monthly, seasonal, or even annual tasks, it can be easy to overlook them. But if you do forget them or put off doing them, problems can snowball until you have a huge issue on your hands. Here are five essential homeownership projects to keep in mind.
Refinishing Your Garage Floor
You know it is time to refinish the floors in your house when they start looking dull and lustreless or when scratches and stains start driving you crazy. It’s much easier to overlook refinishing the garage floor or giving it a coat of resin for the first time. Look for a reputable company like Fusion Coatings for a durable resin product that will be long-lasting and increase the value of your home.
Replacing Your Hot Water Heater
Hot Water Heaters generally have a lifespan of around ten years, but your mileage may vary, as with many things. Look out for these signs it might be time for a replacement. Replacing an old water heater can save you a flooded basement, so it is definitely something to plan for before it becomes a crisis.
Make Sure Water Runs Away from Your Foundation
When your house was built, the ground around your foundation sloped away at least six inches over ten feet, if it was done right. But, as the years go by, dirt gets shifted around or packed down, especially if your gutters have overflowed. It may be time to make sure your gutter spouts extend at least five feet away from the house, and that stormwater runs away from your foundation. Keeping water away can save you from extremely costly repairs to the foundation.
Replace Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors have a lifespan of about seven to ten years. They are inexpensive, easy to install, and could save your life. There is no downside to this quick, cheap, and easy task!
Replace Kitchen and Bathroom Faucets and Seal Grout
This is another task you can do yourself if you are a little bit handy. Sealing your grout every two to five years will not only get rid of all those stains and that ugly discoloration, but it will also prevent leaks and seepage, extending the life of your counters and sinks. Every fifteen or so years, it is time to replace the faucets themselves. The internal components just aren’t meant to last forever, and replacement can prevent costly leaks.
These are far from the only home maintenance projects that will come up infrequently. For more projects and an idea of when you might need to do them, check out this list from mortgage company HSH. Remember, the more you keep on top of these things, the less you will spend in the long run!
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