A Guide on How to Keep Your Home in Top Condition

Home is a very special place for every person and it’s no surprise to witness the enormous development throughout the centuries of all the areas and fields of activities involved in keeping it beautiful, cozy and comfortable. Maintenance has therefore become a top priority of every architecture, construction and interior design project. Moreover, proper care for the house and keeping it in good shape is among the strictest requirements of local authorities and national legislation regulations. In short – it’s all right to improve the looks of your residence, but it’s a must to ensure its proper maintenance.

Here are a few key issues you need to address regularly in order to keep your home in good shape.

Be it a family house or an apartment in a city block of flats, every residence needs to have a solid, long-lasting and reliable structure. In this regard, here’s what needs to be checked and taken care of:

Basement

This is the place where you can inspect the condition of essential structural components of the building, such as the foundations, supporting walls, columns and beams, lintels, etc. Make sure that these construction elements are in proper condition and are not damaged. You may need to consider crawl space repair and encapsulation or other important repairs of structural elements that are essential.

Roof

Check the roof coating, again from inside and outside, and make sure its condition still provides proper protection against the forces of nature. Roof leaks are a major issue that needs to be taken care of as soon as discovered. Check for broken roof tiles, missing shingles and damaged cladding or insulation and do the necessary repairs and replacements. Don’t forget to clean the gutters!

A tip: Treat crawl spaces, both in the basement and under the roof, free from pests. Regular pest control and relevant treatment can help a great deal for preserving the structural integrity of your home.

Walls

Take a good look at the walls, both interior, as well as exterior, and check the condition of the plaster, the insulation, the siding and the paint. Do relevant repairs where necessary and make sure to use high-quality, weather- & mold-resistant appropriate materials. Be careful with the paints and use only those particularly designated for either interior or exterior walls.

Doors, windows and joinery

Check the condition of these elements and make sure these are free of serious damages. Where possible, use UV-rays-protection window panes, and joinery of weather-resistant and durable materials.

Plumbing, electricity, HVAC systems are among the essential utilities needed for a comfortable life. To ensure it however, all the relevant elements and machines providing such utilities need regular inspection and maintenance.

Plumbing

Water supply and sewage problems are such a nuisance, and therefore, often neglected when still “minor”. Yet, even the slightest leakage or pipe blockage can cause substantial damages, especially when left unattended. So, the sooner such issues are addressed and properly taken care of, the better!

Tips:

• Check your sump pump a couple of times a year to ensure that it is in good working order.
• Don’t miss checking the water flow pressure. High water pressure can cause serious problems, as much as unexpected costs.

Electricity

The major issue with electricity is that a problem with the electrical wiring or the improper use of electrical appliances may lead to burning your home to ashes. The solution for avoiding such extreme experiences and keeping your home safe, is obvious – regular inspection and maintenance of the electrical system of the house, on one hand, and regulated use of appliances and home utilities machines, on the other.

HVAC Systems

Consider a regular tune-up of the HVAC system. Keeping the equipment in good working order will help it last longer and will surely save you money on repairs and replacements of spare part or even entire units.

Invest in technology innovations. Modern units and appliances are designed for high cost-&-energy efficiency, better performance and easier maintenance.

To keep your home in top condition, keep it clean and tidy. It is as simple as that! And this refers to both, inside and outside.

House cleaning and housekeeping are, indeed, a daily job, and in addition, there are also the weekly, the monthly, the quarterly, the seasonal, the annual, the biannual, etc. cleaning and maintenance. It is a perpetual matter to take care of, yes. But it’s all worth the efforts!

Here are some tips on how to keep your home clean:

• INSIDE: Make sure interior textile items, such as upholstery, curtains, carpets, bed linen, throw blankets and pillow covers, are frequently washed and refreshed. Use proper products to clean furniture, floors and windows. Keep top hygiene in bathroom and toilet premises. Declutter the interior and keep the rooms tidy. Introduce live plants.
• OUTSIDE: Clean decks, sidings and gutters, as well as the paths and alleys in the patio and the backyard. Clean up, declutter and tidy the outdoor space, getting rid of old, broken or unused items piled or lying scattered around the house. Mow the loan and trim flowers, shrubs and trees. Consider professional landscaping at least once a year.

Published in: Home advice | Author: Rossitsa