When you purchased (or built) your home, you likely performed a home inspection.
But what about AFTER you've closed on your home? How do you stay on top of maintenance items after that?
We've put this guide together to provide some good reminders about how to stay ahead of things and keep your home in tip top shape.
Here's the spring edition of "Taking Care of Your Home in All Four Seasons":
- Inspect the foundation for cracks. Dozens of freeze/thaw cycles through the winter months in Colorado can cause the ground to shift and snowmelt has likely accumulated against your foundation. Always remember the first rule of home inspections - water is the enemy of houses.
- Seal any gaps around your windows or that have developed in your siding. Keeping water out is among your most important responsibilities.
- Check for gaps or cracks that may have formed in driveways or walkways. Use a sealant to keep water from spring rains from penetrating those cracks and getting underneath the concrete.
- Clean the windows! Soon enough, things will be greening up and you've likely got months of water stains that have built up on the glass. Let the sunshine through.
HVAC
- Change the furnace/AC filters. Some inspectors recommend you do this every 30 days, others recommend you do it at least once a quarter. Air filters are cheap and do a good job of pulling dust and debris out of the air circulating through your home, especially if you have pets. And while there are some expensive hypoallergenic filters out there, my inspectors have always recommended the cheaper ones. Extra thick air filters make your furnace and AC work harder, shortening their lifespan. In this rare instance, cheaper is usually better.
- Get the AC serviced before you hit that string of 95 degree days. Doing it in spring puts you ahead of any problems and checks it off your to do list early. Your AC is full of moving parts that can collect dirt, dust and grime. And your condenser outside can and should be fully washed down at least twice a year as well.
ROOF AND GUTTERS
- Clean the gutters. Chances are you've had leaves, dirt and muck buried under snow for much of the winter, especially on the north side of your home. Wash out the gutters so they can do their job.
- Visually check your roof for any lifted flashing or torn shingles. It's not a bad idea to get the roof inspected once a year, or after one of those big spring Colorado hailstorms rolls through.
- Check your downspouts and inground drains. A functioning drainage system is supposed to take water from your roof and get it away from your house, not dump water up against it. This is one of my main pet peeves... I see so many homes with disconnected downspouts, missing extensions or backed up drains. Do you not remember? Water is the enemy of houses!
LAWN AND LANDSCAPING
- It's springtime, finally (or almost)! Trim trees and shrubs, add mulch to your planter beds, seed your lawn and aerate if necessary. Dogs can do a lot of damage to a dormant lawn through the cold winter months, so if you want to a great looking lawn in the summer, help by priming it for the upcoming growing seasons.
- Have a professional turn on your sprinkler system, preferably after April 15. Another pet peeve - I have seen countless examples of sprinkler systems being damaged or ruined by not properly being shut down in the fall. Put yourself on a six month calendar. Sprinklers off no later than October 15, sprinklers back on no earlier than April 15.
FIXTURES AND APPLIANCES
- Wipe down your (dirty) ceiling fan blades and reverse the direction so that the circulation pushes cooler air down into living areas. Nothing wrong with swapping out light bulbs after a long winter of use, either.
- Turn off the humidifier on your furnace, if you have one. If you leave the humidifier on, which circulates water through your HVAC system to create humidity during the dry winter months, it will turn to ice during the summer months when you're blasting the AC.
- Clean or replace the hood/range vent in the kitchen, if you have one. These vents have been sucking up smoke, oil and grease all winter. Like so many home maintenance steps, it's easy to do... but also easy not to do.
FIREPLACE
- If you have a wood burning fireplace, close the damper when fire season is over. No one wants critters falling into their living room. And as a matter of practice, if you store wood, don't put it up against your house unless you want to have a giant critter nest butting up to your foundation.
WATER AND PLUMBING
- Don't forget to check the sump and test your sump pump (if you have one). Spring rains can lead to basement floods. A working sump pump should eject water through a pipe and to the exterior of your home. If it empties into a drain line, it's not to code.
MISCELLANEOUS
- Sweep out the garage. If you use a garden hose, be careful. Most garage slabs will drop over time, and if you allow water to penetrate the perimeter of your slab, it increases the likelihood of it settling or sinking. I recommend that if you do use a hose, don't wash it out more than twice a year, and try to do it when the weather is warmer.
This is not an all-inclusive list, but it's probably quite a bit more than you were thinking of doing on your own. It goes without saying, but homeownership is a huge blessing, but also a huge responsibility.
And best of all... one day, when we partner together again to sell your home... chances are it will sell faster and for more money because you stayed on top of your maintenance schedule in all four seasons.
Now get outside and enjoy the spring!
