As a homeowner, you know you have to perform regular maintenance and take preventative measures for the care of your home. It often seems like a long list of tasks you have to do. As a result, it is easy to miss something. There are always items that fall under the forgettable home repairs category. It could be because you just forget about them or because you put them off because you do not want to address them. No matter the reason, you should consider this list of items that are commonly overlooked.
Roof Repairs
One of those forgettable home repairs that should be at the top of your list is your roof. Most homeowners are going to face a time when they need to repair or replace their roofs. While it may seem stressful to contact roofing contractors to handle roof repairs when they come up, it is better than doing nothing. If you know there is a problem, but you put it off, the problem will get worse. Your roof protects the inside of your home from harsh weather and elements. You do not want to wait until your roof is at the point of failing before you address it.
You should reach out to a reputable company to assess the condition of your roof to give you an estimate. There are several items they take into consideration when determining your roof. The size of the damage and the age of your roof are two of the main factors. The company also determines how many times the roof has been previously repaired when deciding if it can be repaired again or needs a replacement.
Plumbing Maintenance
Few people want to think about the plumbing in their house until it stops working. It seems to be one of those forgettable home repairs as long as it is functioning. However, to keep it working well, it does require a small amount of maintenance. In addition to making sure you do not flush or wash random items down the toilets or drains. While it may seem silly, even hair can back up the pipes and cause clogs. Therefore, you want to check for leaks in your pipes regularly. The best way to do this is to check your pipes for any decay or damage. If you begin to see any drops of water, warping, or rust on the outside of the pipes, it is time to call a professional.
Another step you should take regularly is to flush your drains, especially when you see they are moving slowly. While you may want to grab a bottle of drain cleaner at the store, there are better options. You can try a mixture of baking soda, hot water, and vinegar. If that doesn’t work, then you should contact the best drain cleaning company to help you with your drains.
Health Inspections
Some of the top forgettable home repairs have to do with areas and concerns that you cannot see. When you cannot see them, they are easy to forget. One of the more difficult areas is harmful pollutants in the air. These include carbon monoxide and asbestos. You cannot see carbon monoxide, and asbestos needs to be tested properly. If you believe you have asbestos in your house, it is best to hire a professional asbestos inspection company to handle remediation. You can take the samples yourself that are tested to determine if it is asbestos. However, it is not a good idea for you to handle or remove it. If you or anyone in your house breathes in the dust, you can get incredibly sick. Asbestos testing and removal is not an area where you want to cut corners or find the most affordable option. You should also leave this job to the professionals.
Patio and Driveway Cleaning
You walk over your patio and driveway every day without even thinking about it. Your patio and driveway are some of those areas that fall under forgettable home repairs. If you are like most people, you take for granted that your driveway, sidewalk, and patio are there, and you do not think about it much. As a result, you may not clean or maintain it. It is a good idea to provide regular maintenance and cleaning to these areas so they remain safe and long-lasting. Many safety hazards can build up, such as snow, ice, leaves, and debris.
You should always ensure that you clean up any of the fallen leaves that occur in the fall. Wet leaves can be a significant safety hazard. Once you remove the large debris, you should hose down the area to remove any dirt from the service. After that, you can clean the concrete or pavers to remove dirt and stains. After cleaning these spaces, you can use a sealant and protector to help keep them from deteriorating. If you are not up to the task, you can hire a concrete cleaning service to clean and seal your walkways.
Tree Removal and Trimming
Another common area for forgettable home repairs is the dead or dying trees in your yard. When it comes to trees, you must pay attention because they may be causing damage to your home, depending on their placement. A local tree service can help remove unwanted trees before they become a significant problem. Professional tree service companies can inspect your trees to determine their health and what needs to occur. They will look for cracks and other problems. If a tree needs to be removed, professionals prefer to handle this during their dormant season. When they are dormant, trees do not have leaves which makes them easier to handle and cut down.
As the ground gets cooler, it becomes easier to remove trees because they are lighter. The surrounding trees, shrubs, and flowers are disturbed less and stay in place better when the ground is cold. Removing these trees before winter is also advisable because heavy snow and ice can cause damage to dying trees and may cause them to fall. You do not want to risk having a tree fall into your home.
Chimney Inspections
Another area of your home that requires upkeep but often falls under forgettable home repairs is chimney repair, inspections, and cleaning. It is a dirty job that many homeowners do not want to do. Fortunately, there are chimney companies that provide these services, so you do not have to do the dirty work. Hiring a professional eliminates your exposure to harmful soot and fumes. Ideally, your chimney should be inspected and cleaned once a year.
When a professional company inspects your chimney, they are looking for areas of problems or concern. There are some signs that you should pay attention to as they indicate your chimney needs immediate attention. They include oil marks on the wall of your fireplace, smoke filling your room, and your house smelling like you are at an outside fire.
Heating and Cooling Maintenance
When you turn on your heat or air conditioning, do you just expect it to work? If so, you are like many other homeowners. However, the reality is your heating and cooling systems need regular attention. Despite this, they often become forgettable home repairs. That is until they no longer work. Then suddenly, they have all of your attention. To avoid unexpected air conditioning repair or breakage, you should have regular inspections of your system. Typically, you should have two inspections per year. One inspection in the fall and one in the spring.
During these inspections, you can expect the technician to clean the units and ducts and replace all filters. They will assess every part of the system looking for leaks or damage and any areas that need repairs. Regular inspections and maintenance can help prolong the life of your HVAC system and ensure it works efficiently. Efficiently working systems allow your house to stay at the same temperature without any significant fluctuations. When these units are more efficient, you are more comfortable in your home, and you pay less for energy costs.
Water Quality Check
The water coming into your house is important, but you may never really think about it. You may not even realize all of the things you would not be able to do without water. The quality of your water is also critical to how your water and food taste, as well as how it impacts your skin. While it tends to be one of those forgettable home repairs, checking the quality of your water is an important task. There are water test kits that you can purchase to easily and quickly test the quality of your water. If you do not have access to a test kit, you can check your water without one.
You can get a bottle and fill it about one-third of the way with your water. Then you can add a couple of drops of pure liquid soap. Once you do this, you should shake the bottle vigorously for a few seconds. If the water looks cloudy or does not have fluffy bubbles, then you have hard water. Once you determine this, you can make decisions about your next steps. If you have well water, you cannot overlook it because it needs maintenance and services too. It would be best if you considered having a professional perform well pump services to check the quality of your water.
Pool and Hot Tub Maintenance
If you are fortunate enough to have a pool at your house, you have some additional maintenance requirements. Hot tub and pool cleaning and maintenance are essential to the clean and effective operation of this equipment. These maintenance steps are also commonly considered ignored or forgettable home repairs. Pools require weekly maintenance when you have the pool open. These steps include skimming leaves and debris off the top of the pool. It would be best if you also brushed any sediment off the sides of the pool walls and then vacuumed the entire pool. Taking these steps helps to keep debris from floating in the pool and algae from accumulating on the pool walls. The goal of pool owners is to have a clean and clear pool so they can enjoy it for the entire season. After all, no one wants to get in a pool that is full of dirt.
Garage Door Repairs
For you, your garage doors may be the gateway to your home. Even if you do not park in your garage, you may use the garage as an entryway into your house. As a result, they should have regular maintenance to keep them working smoothly. Unfortunately, garage doors often fall into forgettable home repairs because many homeowners do not realize they require some amount of maintenance. Even though you probably open your garage doors several times a day, you may not consider the needs. It would be best if you had garage door services performed at least once a year.
During a garage inspection, a technician will assess every part of your garage system. They will test, lubricate, balance, and adjust the garage doors to ensure they function properly. If a technician finds small repair needs, they will most likely address those. These regular checks allow your garage doors to function properly all year long. You will not find yourself stuck without being able to get the garage door open.
Home ownership comes with a large amount of responsibility. There are many areas to maintain and repair. If you stay on top of maintenance needs, you will find that your house requires fewer repairs over the long term. This list is a great place to start with your home maintenance checklist needs.
