Renovations & Repairs
Homeowners who tackle home maintenance and renovations consistently, will save money over time while protecting the investment they’ve made in their home. Exterior home maintenance keeps your home’s curb appeal up to date while interior repairs provide you with a safe and comfy lifestyle. When it’s time to sell your home, you’ll be ready to put your house on the market and attract offers quickly.
It’s easier to spot small problems requiring repairs inside your home … but only if you’re looking at things with a critical eye. By taking care of small repairs quickly, you will save the time, stress and cost of larger repairs. When you realize you’ll be staying in your current home longer, it’s time to consider updates to your home that will improve your lifestyle and the value of your home for a future sale.
Maybe you don’t have money for larger remodeling projects but that doesn’t mean you can’t make smaller changes to your home. This makes even more sense when you’ve got to make repairs as that might be the perfect time to combine that project with a new appliance, lighting or flooring that you’ve been dreaming about.
Ideally you should set aside 1 to 2 percent of your home’s value, to cover these planned and unplanned interior home maintenance and upgrade costs.
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Electrical and plumbing repairs should be completed quickly for safety and comfort.
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Heating/air conditioning and cleaning all vents and filters come next to insure the air you’re breathing is healthy.
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Lighting and appliances also affect your day-to-day life so don’t ignore them.
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Miscellaneous repairs that can be annoying including cabinets, flooring, painting and more.
Renovations, Remodeling or Repairs
Renovations and remodeling are used interchangeably by most people. To clarify these terms:
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Renovations refer to replacing a home feature like a new roof or siding. Renovations typically don’t include changes to a home’s configuration although a new roof is sometimes coordinated with a home addition.
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Remodeling describes upgrading and/or adding space to your home. These changes often involve moving walls or equally critical, relocating electrical wiring and/or plumbing pipes. The most popular remodeling projects are kitchens and bathrooms.
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Repairs are smaller than renovations or remodeling projects, focusing on a specific problem. Examples include re-caulking a sink, cleaning out the dryer vent or painting the front door.
Maintaining Your Home’s Exterior
Roofing repairs are critical to exterior home maintenance, keeping water, snow and ice out of your home. Repairs should be completed immediately after storms with high winds, falling debris, hail storms and/or excessive snow loads. Roofing and siding materials are also subject to natural wear and tear, especially as they reach their end of life which is generally after 15 to 25 years, or sooner if you live near salty air.
Here are some of the most common exterior maintenance projects:
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Painting (or stain) all things wood from doors to decks and fencing.
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Caulking seams between materials exposed to the weather, like siding & window trim.
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Siding weakened by weather, water damage or the occasional baseball.
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Window sills and door kick plates with wood rot should be repaired quickly to minimize damage
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Prompt repairs to roofing and siding can delay when you have to replace these materials.