Don’t want your house falling down around you anymore?
Sit back for five minutes… ok done it? Still there? Now look around your home. See that crack in the wall? The gutter hanging down? The render that’s turning green?
Sound familiar?
As busy parents every waking hour is spent running around after the kids. Until one day you finally sit down… and realise your house is falling apart.
The problem:
Home maintenance is SUPER important. But in the hustle and bustle of the daily grind it always seems to get pushed to the bottom of the priority list.
Then one day you have no choice but to deal with it. Either the damage gets so bad it suddenly needs repairing, or you decide to proactively tackle the growing list of jobs.
Bankrate’s latest study revealed that hidden homeownership costs are now over $21,000 per year. Yikes!
But it doesn’t have to be like this.
Use this seasonal home maintenance checklist and you’ll never have to worry about emergency repairs again.
All it takes is a couple hours per season. Spread throughout the year those couple hours soon add up to less than a day of your time.
So why spend £££s waiting for things to break when you can spread the cost out in small doses?
Here’s everything you’ll learn:
- Why Seasonal Maintenance Is Important
- Spring Home Maintenance
- Summer, Autumn & Winter Checklists
- Staying On Track With Maintenance
Why Seasonal Maintenance Is Important For Parents
Think of seasonal maintenance as a ‘health check’ for your home.
The smaller problems you catch, the easier they are to fix. Leave it though, and those little problems turn into costly nightmares. A crack in your render can lead to water damage. Blocked guttering can flood your basement.
And it isn’t just cost…
A shocking 47% of homeowners say stress related to mandatory home repairs has increased over the last year. For parents trying to juggle kids, careers and maintaining a house that stress is compounded.
If you tackle home maintenance season-by-season you can avoid this spike in stress. Little problems suddenly don’t feel so bad when you know you have weeks to schedule in the repair.
Simply breaking up your maintenance tasks by season makes your life easier. Here’s how.
Spring: Inspect And Repair Winter Damages
Spring is the ideal time to see what hiding under all those leaves. Winter can be rough on exterior surfaces. Freezing temperatures, rain and snow cause all sorts of damage.
Start with the outside of your house.
Do a full circuit of the property. Look for cracks in walls, damage to render, or signs of water ingress. Silicone rendering is particularly susceptible to winter damage so pay close attention if your home has this type of finish. Look for algae growth, cracks or discoloration. You can usually restore it with a good wash using soap and warm water. Just remember to scrub gently with a soft brush.
If your render needs more than a hose down or if you’re thinking about a silicone rendering project, it’s best to get quotes now. Prices tend to rise during the busy summer period.
Other spring maintenance tasks include:
- Clear guttering and downpipes of winter debris
- Inspect roof tiles and replace anything loose or missing
- Test outdoor taps and irrigation before turning the water on
- Get your boiler serviced before the warranty inspection period expires
Spring cleaning doesn’t just apply to the inside of your property. The outside needs love too!
Summer: Prevention Tasks
Summer is the time for prevention. Hopefully the good weather holds and you can get outside to tackle jobs without distraction.
These are the key areas to focus on:
Inspect exterior paintwork and fill any gaps that have appeared. Check window and door seals to prevent drafts later in the year. Take a look at decking, fencing and garden furniture. Are they all in good condition?
If you have silicone render on your exterior walls, summer is the ideal time to complete any maintenance tasks. Don’t forget you can apply anti-algae formula to keep it looking clean for longer! Silicone render has a much shorter curing time during warm weather.
Let’s not forget the simple stuff:
- Clean and treat any wooden surfaces
- Ensure external drains are working properly
- Trim trees and bushes back from the house
- Test smoke alarms and CO detectors
Most of these tasks take less than a couple hours, but will save you hours of problems later down the line.
Autumn: Prepare For Winter
Autumn equals preparation time. Winter is coming and your house needs to be ready for the onslaught.
Here are the tasks to focus on:
Clear gutters and drains for a second time. Autumn leaves are the number one cause of blockages that lead to overflow. Overflowing water can cause serious damage to exterior walls and force water behind your render.
Check the condition of exterior walls. Patch any cracks of damage now before the winter freezes sets in. Water getting behind render and then freezing will only make cracks worse.
Your autumn checklist should also include:
- Bleed radiators and test heating system
- Insulate any exposed pipes
- Check loft insulation is still up to standard
- Seal any gaps around windows and doors
- Cover/store away garden furniture. Protect outdoor surfaces
Spend a few hours one weekend in autumn and you could save yourself thousands when the winter strikes.
Winter: Monitoring Your Home
Winter is not the time to be messing around with outdoor projects. By now you should have prevention tasks covered. It’s all about monitoring your home and dealing with issues quickly.
Keep an eye out for:
Damp on internal walls. Could be sign of a leak. Ice buildup on guttering or pathways. Slips waiting to happen. Condensation on windows. Might indicate poor ventilation or heat retention.
You can avoid winter troubles with these simple habits:
- Keep heating on at a consistent temperature
- Clear ice and snow from paths/drives
- Check your roof after storms and heavy winds
The winter months are all about damage limitation. Prevent the smaller issues so spring cleaning won’t bring any surprises.
Staying On Track
The best way to stay on top of seasonal maintenance tasks? Systems.
Set calendar reminders when the beginning of each season starts. Block off one weekend every three months to go through and check off the jobs. Get the kids involved where possible.
Here are a few more ideas to help stay on track:
- Keep a simple spreadsheet with jobs and when they were last completed
- Take pics of problem areas. Easy to spot when comparing with future dates
- Put away ££ each month for maintenance rather than for repairs
Once you build good habits winter won’t sneak up on you anymore. Budgeting and spreading your costs out makes those unexpected repair bills much easier to stomach.
Wrapping Up
Home maintenance is necessary, but it doesn’t have to take over your life.
Break the jobs down by season and suddenly your ‘never ending to-do list’ becomes 4 simple checklists. One for each season.
Here’s a recap:
- Spring – inspect any damage winter caused
- Summer – Preventative maintenance tasks
- Autumn – Prepare house for winter
- Winter – Keep an eye out for damp and leaks
Swap reactive maintenance for proactive and you’ll never stress about your home rolling into Spring again.