Owning a house can give someone pride and joy. It’s a hallmark of one’s life and a major milestone that not everyone gets to experience.
When you have a house, you can make and create your dream home and experience permanent residence, which you won’t feel when renting. However, owning a house also comes with several responsibilities, one of which is maintaining your home’s exterior.
As per a survey, most homeowners spend over USD$6,000 every year for home improvement projects and maintenance. Home exterior maintenance isn’t necessarily all about the aesthetics of your house but rather about ensuring your home stays in great shape to endure any disaster and can last for a very long time.
When one neglects the upkeep of their house, they’ll likely encounter plenty of home repairs and replacements which can cost you a lot.
If you’re unsure how or where to start, here are five exterior maintenance tips for homeowners to get you started.
The roof is one of the easily neglected parts of the house simply because it’s above your eye level. You can only see your roof when you intentionally look above or climb on a ladder.
Your roof is your home’s first line of defense against outdoor elements and harsh weather. For your roof to function at its best, it needs to be inspected and maintained regularly.
So, inspect your roof regularly, preferably at least once a year or after an extreme weather event (e.g., snow, heavy storm, wind). You can use binoculars to check for any loose or missing shingles.
For a much more thorough inspection, it may be best to find information from sites like www.braunsroofing.com. They have the proper equipment and safety gear to climb roofs and navigate elevated areas. Plus, this option is better than climbing a ladder yourself, which is highly dangerous.
When cleaning your windows, you must also focus on the exterior sides, especially because they’re the most exposed to dirt, dust, and other outdoor elements. As they say, the windows are the eyes of your house.
With dirty and foggy windows, your neighbors and even the passersby will get the impression that your interior house is just as dusty and messy as your exterior windows.
Furthermore, dirty windows won’t only affect your home’s appeal but also pose some health risks. Dirty windows can be a perfect place for mold to thrive and multiply.
When uncleaned and undetected for a long time, the mold will eventually spread into the interior windows and infect your indoor air, causing the household members to experience allergic reactions like cough, runny nose, headache, and itchy eyes.
To avoid these problems, clean your exterior windows at least every month or two for optimal performance.
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For houses with window screens, it’s also imperative to inspect these screens regularly for any damage or dirt.
Window screens function as extra protection to keep leaves, debris, bugs, and other insects from entering your home through your windows. Eventually, each screen will be filled with leaves, debris, and bugs.
So, before the debris fills up all your window screens and ruins your home’s exterior appeal, remove the screens from time to time and clean them thoroughly with water and soap.
If some parts of the screens are torn, cracked, or too dirty to be cleaned, replace them immediately for a cleaner and fresher look on your windows and overall exterior appeal.
Your pathways and driveway take up a significant area in your landscape and are also an essential part of your exterior home’s curb appeal. It’s easy to ignore cracks and holes on your pathway and driveway when they’re too small and, sometimes, unnoticeable.
However, they can develop into bigger cracks and holes when left unrepaired, making your driveway and pathways unsightly.
These cracks and holes can be an ideal spot for mold to spread, causing the concrete path to becoming green, slippery, and even more unappealing. Moreover, cracks and holes also pose a tripping hazard for people and can damage your car wheels if they’re too deep.
Thus, as part of your exterior maintenance, inspect your pathway and driveway regularly and see if you can find any cracks and holes.
For cracks or holes that are less than ¼ inches, you can patch them yourself. Meanwhile, if they’re larger than ¼ inches, you’ll need to hire a professional contractor to repair them.
If your yard has fences, check them from time to time. Fences will likely weather, break, or become unstable over time due to the long-term effects of the sun, rain, wind, and other environmental factors.
Sometimes, your fence may also become damaged due to accidents (e.g., getting hit by wild animals or children playing) or improper installation.
When your fence is damaged, not only will it affect the appeal of your yard, but it’ll also defeat the purpose of keeping your space enclosed against any outside elements. So, clean and inspect your fence regularly to keep it in its best shape.
These exterior maintenance tips are easy and will help you create your own exterior maintenance checklist. Exterior maintenance is a combination of simple tasks that can be done daily, weekly, monthly, or annually.
The more frequently you check and maintain the exterior areas of your house, the more peace of mind you’ll have, knowing your home is functional and ready for every season of the year.
