Is Your Home Ready for Spring? A Spring Maintenance Checklist

Spring is a time for renewal both for ourselves and our homes. It’s also a great reminder to check key areas around the home for defects or repairs.

Here’s a handy checklist from the nationwide experts at Pillar To Post Home Inspectors.

Interior

  • Check ceiling and surfaces around windows for evidence of moisture
  • Check caulking around showers, bathtubs, sinks and toilet base
  • Verify ceiling areas beneath bathrooms have no leakage
  • Ensure all stairs and railing do not have any loose sections
  • Test all fire and safety systems regularly, including carbon monoxide (CO) detectors
  • Know the location of all gas shut-off valves

Heating & Cooling

  • Clean or change furnace filters every three months of operation
  • Lubricate fan and motor bearings (only where indicated)
  • Check fan belt tension and listen for unusual noises
  • Keep area around heating and cooling equipment clear
  • For boiler systems, check water level and shut-off valve for leaks
  • Have system serviced annually prior to the start of the season

Doors & Windows

  • Look for loose or missing glazing putty
  • Check caulking for deterioration at the openings and joints between dissimilar materials (e.g. wood and masonry)
  • Check weather stripping
  • Check for broken glass and damaged or missing screens
  • Inspect all window and door hardware

Roof

  • Check for any missing, loose or damaged shingles
  • Look for open seams, blisters, bald areas on flat roofs
  • Clean gutters, strainers and downspouts. Make sure downspouts divert water away from the foundation.
  • Verify the attic has no evidence of any leaks
  • Check flashing (sheet metal placed on joints of the roof to prevent water seepage) around all surface projections, sidewalls and protrusions
  • Trim back all tree limbs and vegetation away from the roof
  • Check fascia (board or roof trim) and soffits (connecting the roof overhang and the side of your building) for deterioration and damage

Foundation & Exterior

  • Check foundation walls and floors for cracking, heaving, spalling, deterioration or efflorescence
  • Inspect chimney for loose, deteriorated or missing mortar or bricks
  • Check grading for proper slope away from the foundation
  • Verify basement and crawlspace has no moisture or leaks
  • Check all wood surfaces for weathering and paint failure
  • Inspect all decks, patios, porches, stairs and railings for deterioration
  • Cut back and trim all vegetation from structures

For more information, visit www.pillartopost.com.

5 Great Home Improvements Under $500

When it comes to upgrading our homes, there is a never-ending list of things to do, from buying new patio furniture to replacing the kitchen cabinets. But the editors of Money Magazine suggest five home remodeling projects that will vastly improve the look of your home and help it sell faster without breaking the budget:

  • Improve the curb appeal – Whether or not you are planning to sell your home, an inviting first appearance is important. Spend some time in the front yard from the curb in, pulling weeds, planting perennials, and trimming hedges. You can make needed repairs to fences or front steps and change out your old, dull mailbox all for under $500.
  • Paint the front door – A spiffy new fiberglass front door could cost $1,000 or more, but you can upgrade the look for a lot less by adding new hardware and a fresh coat of paint. Add a new light fixture, a fresh doormat and a pot of flowers and you may have money left over from that $500 bill.
  • Paint interior walls – Nothing changes the look of a room more than a fresh coat of paint. It can get complicated and expensive if you need to repair drywall, remove mold, or have really tall ceilings, so you may need to hire a professional. But if you can do it yourself, you may even be able to upgrade baseboards or add crown molding and stay within a $500 budget.
  • Update the lighting – Lighting fixtures are to a home what jewelry is to an outfit. They can add pizzazz or look dated and dowdy. Switching out a chandelier over the dining room table is a fairly easy, budget-friendly project. Shop big-box stores for inexpensive models or ask about floor sample sales at retail outlets. If you’re on too tight a budget, consider updating lamps you already have with new shades.
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    Install new toilets – It may not materially change the look of your bathrooms, but if you have toilets installed before 1995, replacing them with new models will save thousands of gallons of water you won’t have to pay for. You can get new models for well under $200, so you may want to spend some of that $500 budget to upgrade the look with bathroom lighting, mirrors or storage units.

Save Thousands: Do This Easy Maintenance Now

Is Your Home Older Than Its Years?

Would you throw away $20,000? You are if you’re letting your home age faster than it should. Here’s a simple maintenance strategy to keep your home young.

You know how Dr. Oz says that if you keep your body fit and your mind nimble, you’re likely younger than your chronological years? The same principle applies to your house.

An out-of-shape house is older than its years and could lose 10% of its appraised value, says Mack Strickland, an appraiser and real estate agent in Chester, Va. That’s a $15,000-$20,000 adjustment for the average home.

But good maintenance can even add value. A study out of the University of Connecticut and Syracuse University finds that regular maintenance increases the value of a home by about 1% each year. Continue reading “Save Thousands: Do This Easy Maintenance Now”