Is your house ready for a new President?! As citizens of this great country, we have the privilege of voting. Every presidential election is important, and our country is at a critical place in history. Election day in Tuesday, November 8 … make sure that you fulfill your obligation and exercise your right to vote!
You may be thinking, “What’s the President got to do with the maintenance of my home?” Nothing really, that I can think of … I just wanted to get your attention. However, every four years comes around so quickly and the older we get, as my mom says, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper – the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.”
Life is BUSY (amen?!) … and it’s so easy for a few years to go by without doing some of the needed simple maintenance items that should be done around a house to keep things in optimum condition. Screws, nails, nuts, and bolts get loose. Chimney’s need cleaning. Septic systems need maintenance and pumping. Electrical systems need a check-up. Switches and receptacles need to be replaced. The smoke detectors batteries go bad. Caulking cracks and needs to be stripped and reapplied. Weather stripping around doors get deteriorates. Air filters need to be changed … and changed again! And the list goes on and on…
Don’t try to do everything all at once. Tackle one or two items at a time. You can do some things in a matter of few minutes. A few simple projects can be batched together, and other things might take you a good day or longer to complete. As an inspector, I see my fair share of homes that are just a few years old that are in much worse shape than 30-year old houses. I just had the pleasure of inspecting a 21-year old home that was one of the most well-maintained homes I’ve ever seen. My job would be easy if all homes were like that, but they’re not.
May I offer a suggestion for you please? Get a cup of coffee or whatever you drink, and sit down with a note pad or your computer … start writing down (in no particular order) all the things you can think of that need to be done to maintain your house. You won’t think of everything on the first try, but your list will be started … then you can add to it as you come across another (and another) item that you need to jot down.
Some things should be done monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, annually, or every 2-3 years. For example, due to the varying lifestyles and home characteristics (pets, carpet, location, HVAC design, filter sizes and styles, and more), the air filter(s) in one home may need to be changed monthly, whereas in another home, they won’t need to be changed but every six months. And there are many other items that vary from house to house. You need to get to know your home and when the needed items should be done. Keep things maintained on regular schedules and you’ll have fewer repairs (just like on your vehicles).
So … here’s just one quick item you can take care of right now. It’s one of my pet peeves. Don’t wait … go ahead, get up and do it now. Get a Phillips head screwdriver (that’s what is usually needed the most), and go throughout your home and tighten all the knob and hinge hardware on all your cabinets and drawers. Do your door knobs and dead-bolt hardware too (generally just two screws per knob). Be careful and don’t overtighten anything! You can strip out the hole … simply tighten until it gets snug. You’ll get the feel for it very quickly.
It’s our pleasure to help you with any inspection / building related question. If you’d like what we call a “Peace of Mind” inspection, we give our clients a Home Maintenance book as a thank you for doing business. Whether you’re going to live in your home the rest of your life or buy a home in a newly developed area or a home in an older established neighborhood, please send us your question on any home related topic. Stay tightened my friends.
