Just like a routine health check-up, home maintenance is crucial to ensure a home is safe and healthy for people to live in. Thus, keeping a close eye on household appliances, such as exterior appliances and heating and cooling, is essential. This also includes security, plumbing, and electrical systems.
This article will guide you through seasonal home maintenance, helping you take care of minor repairs before they become serious breakdowns.
Why Is Regular Home Maintenance Important?
Neglecting regular maintenance checks can have significant consequences for homeowners and landlords. Here are four main reasons to maintain your home, especially as the seasons change.
1. Preserving property value
Timely property maintenance enhances the value of your property because a well-kept home is more attractive to potential buyers. Maintenance also affects the price of your home on the market, how much to extend your lease, the depreciation rate of your home, etc.
2. Safety and Security
Maintenance plays a crucial role in detecting deteriorating structures, faulty wiring, and malfunctioning security systems> Regular inspections help mitigate potential hazards and identify factors that pose severe risks to your family and property.
3. Prevent Expensive Repairs
Regularly checking your home for potential issues and fixing them before they become major issues can save you a lot of money. Thus, preventive care is much more cost-effective than extensive repairs.
4. Curb Appeal
Everyone wants to live in an appealing house, and regular cleaning and upkeep help transform a property’s interior and exterior appearance. It also shows pride in ownership and responsibility as a homeowner.
Taking The Seasonal Approach To Home Maintenance
One of the most efficient and effective ways of tackling home maintenance tasks is to divide them seasonally. This way, you can take a systematic approach by creating a year-round maintenance checklist.
Apart from monthly maintenance checks for HVAC systems, water heaters, or garbage disposal systems, here are common tasks that need seasonal checks:
Spring – Prepping Your Home For The Entire Year
Spring is the best time to revive and refresh your home.
- Roof check for any winter wear and tear or moss growth.
- Check the chimney stack for debris, missing grout, growing plants, or animal nests, and clear them out.
- Inspect gutters and drainage system; clear any dead foliage, moss, or anything clogging up the pipe to avoid moisture retention in your walls.
- Clean the interior and exterior of window panes and glass. Check for rot or damage on panes and consider replacing them if needed.
- Check the exterior paint and patch up any flakey areas. Similarly, check the interior walls for signs of water intrusion.
- Spring clean your house, including every dark space underneath beds and tables. Move heavy couches or furniture as well to aerate the space. Check the flooring for moisture or any other damage.
Summer – Focus On Outdoor Maintenance
The maintenance checklist is mainly related to the outdoors as the warmth sets in.
- Using a jetwash, clean your garden furniture and outdoor living spaces like decks and patios.
- Fix and repaint outdoor woodwork like window frames, doors, fascias, fencing, etc.
- Take care of the garden by pruning trees or shrubs, mowing the lawn, mulching roots, and clearing dead leaves.
- Get the boiler serviced and check the seals around sinks or baths for leaks. If you notice discolored sealant, it’s time to replace it.
- Consider washing heavy upholstery like duvets, curtains, pillows, etc. Plus, it’s easier to dry them when there’s sufficient sunlight.
Autumn – Preparing For The Cold
Once the leaves fall, it’s time to cold-proof your home.
- Start on top of your house. Check the roof for damage or stagnant water, and sweep the chimney.
- Bleed the radiators to ensure they work correctly and sufficiently heat your home.
- Wipe down and pack your garden furniture because leaving them out in the cold will destroy them.
- Once again, clear the drainage and gutters of dead leaves and ensure all the pipelines function correctly. Insulate exterior pipes and taps to prevent freezing.
Winter – Protection From The Elements
As the winter harshness kicks in, it’s time to be proactive with maintenance.
- Clean the garden of debris or leaves and trim large trees to prevent loose or dead branches from falling in strong winds.
- If you experience storm—or blizzard-related home damage, make the repairs as soon as possible to prevent further issues.
- Check the roof for any cracks from fallen branches or slipped tiles if the weather is extremely windy.
- When the weather is relatively pleasant, open your windows and turn on extractor fans to remove extra moisture inside the home.
- If you notice heavy condensation on walls, flooring, or furniture, wipe it off immediately to prevent rot.
- Tether down large items around your yard to prevent hazardous situations during extreme weather conditions; this includes furniture, heavy garden tools, trampolines, sunshades, etc.
In Conclusion
Homeowners will discover different tasks associated with every season. While some get done monthly, others require yearly inspections. Plus, every home has its distinct features. With the tips mentioned above, you can adjust the checklist based on your home’s requirements to keep it well-maintained and beautiful all year round.