Designing Your Forever Home? Here Are 5 Steps You Should Follow


 

Home buyers everywhere are forced to make some of the most important decisions of their lives. That decision is to decide who to live with, where to live, and what kind of home they will be living in, oftentimes for the rest of their lives. If purchased correctly, a home can be considered one of the most valuable assets a person can invest in.

Retaining your home’s value should be a top priority for every homeowner. Though, it is easier said than done, both maintaining and growing your home’s value can not only protect the integrity of your home but can, in some cases, lead to profitability. 

Homeownership can sometimes be like a snowball rolling down a hill of snow growing larger and larger faster than you can handle. Over time, your home will run into minor issues that will need fixing. Neglecting these minor problems will ultimately lead to larger issues that can compromise major parts of your home. It’s essential to follow these steps when trying to preserve your home's infrastructure.

Take Secure Safety Measures

The safety of everyone inside is crucial to the cornerstone of your home and taking strategic measures will definitely be worth it. Depending on the issues, some of these can either be done by the homeowners themselves or by certified professionals.

To start, air and kitchen ventilation systems should be thoroughly cleaned. When possible, you can even vacuum the vents yourself. It’s essential to regularly check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This process can help maintain an environment of clean air within the home. A common tip is to do so when changing the clocks backward and forward around daylight savings time.

In doing so, this can prevent tragic disasters such as carbon monoxide poisoning and even fires. These events can be considered life-threatening. To sidestep these catastrophes, be sure to avoid electrical risks. This can be done by separating electrical plug-ins, wires and utilizing extension cords when deemed necessary, while also taking every precaution to replace faulty, exposed, and broken wires.

Maintain Your Home Appliances

The well-being of everyday appliances can sometimes be overlooked by homeowners. People should take intricate measures to preserve the health of their appliances. These items can be considered some of the most important while also being the most expensive to maintain. 

Every owner needs essential appliances,but these can often create headaches for owners who experience issues with their air conditioning, refrigerator, washer, dryer and many more. However, cleaning and preserving the integrity of each system can prolong the life of your home.

Little flaws in these appliances can lead to major changes. For example, if your air conditioner is broken in the summer, it can lead to drastically uncomfortable, or even unsafe, temperature changes within your home. Fixing and replacing certain appliances out of pocket can cost thousands of dollars. On the other hand, investing in a home warranty can help fix or replace specific appliances while also saving money in the long run. 

Preserve Your Roofing

One of the main purposes of your roof and gutters is to protect the integrity of your siding. Both the roof and gutter overhang the siding, which can protect it from potential damage. Damage to your siding, however,  can lead to additional more major repairs that can become costly.

Roofing can be rather difficult to maintain, but the condition of a roof can provide peace of mind to homeowners. People often forget to get their roof inspected once a year which can lead to a number of issues like leaks that could have been avoided in the first place. 

Some homeowners like to take matters into their own hands, and attempt to approach their roof problem by actively going on the roof to assess the issues. This is one way for a homeowner to save money, but this can be very dangerous depending on the slope of the roof, along with pending weather conditions. It is much easier to ask your neighbors or friends if they have any referrals to reputable roofing companies. Having a professional assess the issues not only denies putting yourself in harms way but can also lead to a legitimate solution. 

Safeguard Your Foundation

Some homeowners are unaware of how critical a stable foundation can be. Maintaining your home’s foundation is essential if you want your home to last the tale of time. This will ensure that you don’t have any structural issues that can not only be hazardous, but also quite costly to fix. 

Problems within a home's foundation can be caused by a number of things, including draining issues, poor soil preparation, plumbing leaks, and roots withdrawing water from the soil.

One way to preserve your home’s foundation is to avoid soil expansion on one side. In order to combat this problem, be sure to landscape every side of your house. Many people tend to only landscape their front yard. Unfortunately, this can lead to foundational problems as this creates an uneven distribution of water to only one side of the home. Because the soil in that area receives more water, it then pushes against the foundation, leading to detrimental harm. 

Update The Exterior

An often underestimated way to protect the integrity of your home is consistently painting the exterior. Believe it or not, the soothing tans and vibrant yellows are more than just eye candy to people who drive by. These consistently updated paint jobs on the exterior of a home provide protection to the outer and inner walls of your home.

This process can preserve your home by protecting the exterior walls from absorbing water, which can then allow unhealthy molds to form. Plus, if your home is aging, a new paint job will make it look much newer than it is. 

If you have no experience painting or just really don’t feel like investing your time and buying painting tools, your best option would be to hire a professional painter. However, before you do that, much like the roofing situation, ask around to see if anyone has a lead to a professional painter for a reasonable price. 

Conclusion

Owning a house can be stressful but also very exciting; it can test where your priorities lie. Accidents happen over time, but being properly prepared for those mishaps will save your living space. Consider these steps as you try to turn your house into a home forever. 

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