Owning your own home can be a real dream come true. You get to enjoy living in your own space. However, along with space comes the upkeep of the home. There are some maintenance issues that should always be done in order to prevent a bigger disaster from happening to your home.
Clean Gutters at Least Twice a Year
Your gutters are in place to help direct rainwater and snow melt away from your home. Without gutters in place, the water would drip down the fascia and siding of your home. This can create a major issue with water leaks. It’s important to have gutters properly installed against the roof of your home. You’ll need to clean them at least twice each year of debris such as leaves and granules from the shingles. If you leave your gutters unclean, the debris will build up. This will keep the water sitting on the roof of your home and allow it to likely penetrate below the shingles.
Regularly Check Draining around Your Foundation
The foundation of your home is what makes your home stable. Therefore, it’s vital that you pay close attention to the foundation of your home to ensure it’s not getting any unwanted water damage. These damages could lead to deterioration and cracks in the foundation, which could be quite costly to deal with. At the start of each spring, you’ll want to ensure that the soil around your home slopes away from the foundation walls. The recommended slope is 6 inches over a 10-foot section. You’ll also want to double check to make sure all your gutter downspouts are shooting at least five feet away from your house.
Check for Leaks Regularly
When’s the last time that you crawled up into the attic to check for leaks? It’s a good idea to do so every so often to ensure that you catch any potential leaks early. It’s not uncommon for roof leaks to be hidden in the attic for a short amount of time before penetrating the lower levels of your home. Once the lower levels become penetrated, it will be more costly to fix and will likely require the help of a roofing company. Do yourself a favor and crawl up there once in a while with a flashlight to see if you notice any signs of moisture damage.
Owning your own home can be a rewarding experience. However, if you want to keep your home in good shape, you’ll need to follow the maintenance steps above. These will help to reduce your risk of having to deal with major repair issues later down the road.