Proper home maintenance extends your house’s lifespan, makes your living environment comfortable, and saves money. Poor home maintenance, skipping or ignoring jobs, or doing poor work can cause major problems and expenses. You might be ruining your home without even knowing it.
Growing Trees and Shrubs Too Close To Buildings
Planting those little shrubs and trees too close to the house can cause huge problems in the future. Roots grow into sewer lines, underground drainage systems, weeping tile, and damage foundations. They cause heaves in driveways, sidewalks, fences, and retaining walls. Branches scrape and scar siding, damage roofing, and provide a pathway for squirrels in the attic. Leaves fill gutters and build up on roofs, rot, and grow moldy.
Plant all shrubs at least half the distance of their mature spread from buildings. Trees should be planted at least 15 feet away because of longer roots.
Flower Beds and Gardens Next To the House
Flowers planted next to the house are very appealing. They also require lots of water–some of which leaks into the house if there are gaps, cracks, or wall penetrations behind them. These leaks often go unnoticed for years—damaging walls and encouraging mold in the basement.
Not Cleaning Gutters
Clogged gutters and downspouts can ruin many parts of your home over time. Rotted fascia, leaking roofs, ice dams, stained or rotted siding, pounded-out landscaping, leaks, and foundation damage are all possible. The gutters may fall off. Repairing any or all of these problems is costly. Consider installing gutter guards to keep gutters clean and flowing.
Ignoring Roof Inspections and Maintenance
Many people only think about the roof when water starts coming in. By then the insulation is ruined, anything stored in the attic is soaked, mold is growing, and the roof may need to be replaced. Inspect your roof every year and after any big storm to find damage early. Or have a professional inspect it. Roof repairs cost around $1000.00. Replacement is usually over $10,000.00. Plus the cost of any water damage inside the house.
Poor Attic Ventilation
Preventing attic condensation requires proper ventilation. Plugging or sealing your attic vents to keep the heat from escaping is one of the worst things you can do. Attic condensation builds up and soaks insulation, promotes mold growth, and rots framing members. Moisture can soak through drywall ceilings. Every one of these conditions is expensive and time-consuming to repair. Your house can be deteriorating for years before the problems become obvious.
Promoting Climbing Ivy
English Ivy climbing a wall is very attractive. It is also one of the worst invasive plants in your yard. On a wall, it grows into siding, bricks, stone, and stucco. If it gets to the roof it grows under and into shingles. Water and insects follow ivy tendrils into the walls and attic. Even tearing ivy off the house damages exterior finishes–which can cost thousands of dollars to repair. English Ivy is considered an invasive and noxious weed in parts of the USA.
Not Draining Hot Water Tanks
One of the most ignored home maintenance chores is draining hot water tanks. They should be emptied every year to remove sediment that accumulates from minerals in the water. Sediment-filled tanks cost more to heat, do not last as long, and may rupture and leak–causing damage to the basement and encouraging mold growth.
Scaly hot water element.
Storing Organic Material Against the House Walls
Stacking firewood, old lumber, grass clippings, and tree branches against the house or garage is an invitation to pests. Mice, rats, squirrels, and insects like termites see these piles as a home. Then they start looking for ways into your home. Getting rid of rats, squirrels, and mice in the attic is time-consuming and expensive. Termites are worse and other pests also find a way into the house.
Not Cleaning Wood-Burning Chimneys
Wood-burning chimneys, fireplaces, and stoves should be cleaned yearly–usually before winter sets in–or when creosote buildup is greater than ⅛”. Even small chimney fires damage the chimney liner. Large fires can burn through the chimney into the attic to start house fires. They also spew burning cinders all over the roof and neighborhood.
Most homes have smoke detectors. Many have carbon monoxide detectors. Test your safety devices and change batteries regularly. (Even most hard-wired detectors have battery backup.) Most alarms have a 10-year lifespan and will start beeping when batteries and/or they require replacement.
These inexpensive devices can save your life and allow you to extinguish fires early. Every home should have at least one smoke detector on each floor and a carbon monoxide detector in the basement.
Barbecuing Too Close To the House
Charcoal and gas grills cause close to 10,000 house fires each year when they are too close to combustible materials. If your grill is too close and doesn’t start a fire, the heat buckles and deforms your vinyl siding and burns paint off aluminum siding. Too much heat can melt siding.
Pouring the Wrong Things Down Your Drains
Combinations of grease, hair, soap, food scraps, etc. poured down sink drains and toilets can congeal into pipe-blocking clogs. The clog builds up over time and can become so solid that the only option is to cut out the pipes and replace them. In extreme cases, the clog ends up in the main sewer line under your house or yard.
