Preventive Home Maintenance Can Keep Your Home Fit

(HIT) - Many people seem to be taking better care of their cars than the homes they live in. According to a survey by the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), the leading association for the home inspection profession in the U.S. and Canada, "poor overall maintenance" was rated one of the top five problems most frequently found during pre-purchase home inspections.

Yet just as cars need regular oil changes and tune-ups to keep them running smoothly—and to prevent major engine problems down the road—homes also need periodic preventive maintenance.

A regular regimen of preventive home maintenance can help preserve the structural integrity and mechanical systems of a house, while also improving the home’s general appearance, say the home inspectors. Preventive home maintenance routines can also greatly reduce the cost of repairs. Inspectors report that many homeowners end up hiring contractors to perform major and costly repairs for problems that could easily have been avoided through preventive maintenance.

Keeping your home in good physical condition also enhances its financial value as an investment. Real estate agents agree that well-maintained homes sell much more quickly—and at higher prices—than poorly maintained ones.

Where To Begin

One of the biggest obstacles to regular preventive maintenance for many homeowners is the sometimes complicated task of figuring out what needs to be done. If you’ve ever experienced a wet basement or a leaky roof, for example, it’s quite obvious that something needs to be done, but figuring out exactly where the problem lies and what should be done about it is another matter. Do you buy an expensive waterproofing system, or simply fix the gutters? Do you need to replace the roof, or merely install better chimney flashing?

Even worse, some maintenance and repair issues aren’t so obvious. Overloaded electrical circuits might be slowly heating up the wiring in a home, creating a potential fire hazard. Galvanized steel pipes, corroded with age, might be serviceable today but cause a plumbing nightmare just down the road. Yet if symptoms such as these aren’t readily apparent, how do you know you even have a problem?

Get Professional Advise

When your list of preventive home maintenance options gets confusing, or when you don’t know where to begin, it may be time to call in a professional home inspector, advises Ron Passaro, a spokesperson for the home inspectors’ association. Trained and experienced in the visual examination and evaluation of a home’s condition, a professional home inspector can help a homeowner focus attention on the tasks that need to be performed in order to bring a home into top physical condition.

While examining the attic, for example, an inspector might detect subtle evidence of water penetration through the roof. Allowing for the age and condition of the roofing material, he would then be able to recommend either the installation of a new roof or perhaps some simple flashing repairs. In either case, serious water damage to the house can be avoided.

Similarly, an inspector’s recommendation to install a simple power vent in the attic ($150-$200) in order to reduce the heat load might well double the lifespan of an asphalt shingle roof ($2000-$3000).

If a home has aluminum wiring, periodic preventive maintenance inspections are essential. The condition of wire connections at outlets and switches must be monitored so that corrective measures can be taken if necessary. An inspector will note plumbing leaks and aging water heaters and indicate whether there is a need for repair or replacement to prevent failure or flooding. Improperly graded soil around the house, or defective gutters, the most common causes of water in the basement/cellar, would also be marked for correction.

Be Realistic

Passaro cautions homeowners not to attempt to do all home maintenance chores themselves, especially items like electrical or roof top work. "Today, with our busy lifestyles, it is important to be realistic about whether one has the time, not to mention the ability and the tools, to perform all the necessary tasks.

"I recommend that individuals first decide what they think they can accomplish themselves and then hire professional contractors to do the rest. This is the most efficient way of ensuring that preventive maintenance is actually carried out."

How often should a comprehensive maintenance inspection be performed? ASHI recommends a schedule of once every two to five years to keep a home in good physical condition. Individual house components, such as heating, air conditioning, and septic systems for example, require annual or semiannual inspections and servicing by qualified tradesmen or service technicians.

"Intervals of 15 and 20 years are also important," Passaro noted, "because that is the lifespan of many of a home’s systems and materials, such as furnaces and roof coverings. Home owners can anticipate some heavy maintenance work at those times."

Choose Wisely

On-site professional advice for preventive home maintenance is a relatively new concept for homeowners, say the home inspectors, yet there is a definite advantage to getting an objective opinion before consulting individual contractors. Members of ASHI, for example, are not permitted to do any work on the homes they inspect, or to recommend any contractors, so home owners can trust that the inspection is not being used as a means of soliciting unecessary repair contracts.

ASHI membership also signifies that an inspector meets the highest technical and professional standards. To learn more about ASHI, or to find a qualified home inspector in your area, visit the association online at www.ashi.org.

Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center