Home Owner’s Blog

Is it fall again already? I just started pulling the heavy sweaters out of the closet, so it must be. Time for the next round of home upkeep. This year I’m making a few modifications to my checklist, so here it is!

Put on a big pot of chili and get to work!

If you have additions or comments, let me know in the comments!

Every Fall

• Prune Trees and Shrubs
• Clean Faucets / Showerheads
• Clean Lapshades
• Test Pressure Relief Valve on Water Heater
• Treat Granite
• Have Chimney Swept
• Check Under Faucets for Leaks
• Check Washing Machine for Leaks
• Clean Condenser Coils on Refrigerator
• Clean Drain Traps on All Sinks
• Detatch (Winterize) Garden Hoses
• Update Home Inventory
• Lubricate Door Hinges
• Magic Erase Wall Marks
• Touch Up Painting
• Take Down Garden
• Scheduled Maintenance on Appliances
• Service Garage Door
• Test Circuit Breakers
• Inspect Roof for Damage
• Light gas fireplace pilot light
• Replace Downspout Diffusers
• Winterize Sprinklers

In the Fall and the Spring

• Dust Tops of Cabinets / Outcroppings
• Clean Bathroom Tile
• Clean Blinds
• Clean Ceiling Fans
• Clean HVAC Air Intakes
• Clean Light Fixtures
• Clean Under Range Hood / Replace Filter
• Dust Baseboards / Doorframes
• Dust Cobwebs
• Dust Electronics
• Dust Pictures
• Vaccuum Under Beds
• Vaccuum Under Couches / Tables
• Wash Windows
• Check Ground Slope Near Home
• Clean Dryer Exhaust
• Condition Leather Furniture
• New Furnace Filter
• Run All Faucets
• Throw Out Unworn Clothes
• Toggle Humidifier
• Test Sump Pump
• Inspect Walls for Moisture (after rain)
• Vacuum Furniture
• Vaccuum Smoke Alarms
• Vaccuum Heat Registers
• Clean Window Sills

Well, it’s fall again and it’s time to start buttoning everything down before winter sets in. Once again, we are sharing our checklist, so you can keep your home in great order!

Since you’ll probably have a long weekend over thanksgiving, you have no excuse!

If you have additions or comments, just let us know!

Every Fall

• Prune Trees and Shrubs
• Clean Faucets / Showerheads
• Clean Lapshades
• Test Pressure Relief Valve on Water Heater
• Treat Granite
• Have Chimney Swept
• Check Under Faucets for Leaks
• Check Washing Machine for Leaks
• Clean Condenser Coils on Refrigerator
• Clean Drain Traps on All Sinks
• Detatch (Winterize) Garden Hoses
• Update Home Inventory
• Lubricate Door Hinges
• Magic Erase Wall Marks
• Touch Up Painting
• Take Down Garden
• Scheduled Maintenance on Appliances
• Service Garage Door
• Test Circuit Breakers
• Inspect Roof for Damage
• Light gas fireplace pilot light
• Replace Downspout Diffusers
• Winterize Sprinklers

In the Fall and the Spring

• Dust Tops of Cabinets / Outcroppings
• Clean Bathroom Tile
• Clean Blinds
• Clean Ceiling Fans
• Clean HVAC Air Intakes
• Clean Light Fixtures
• Clean Under Range Hood / Replace Filter
• Dust Baseboards / Doorframes
• Dust Cobwebs
• Dust Electronics
• Dust Pictures
• Vaccuum Under Beds
• Vaccuum Under Couches / Tables
• Wash Windows
• Check Ground Slope Near Home
• Clean Dryer Exhaust
• Condition Leather Furniture
• New Furnace Filter
• Run All Faucets
• Throw Out Unworn Clothes
• Toggle Humidifier
• Test Sump Pump
• Inspect Walls for Moisture (after rain)
• Vacuum Furniture
• Vaccuum Smoke Alarms
• Vaccuum Heat Registers
• Clean Window Sills

“That crack in the sidewalk will wait.”

“We can paint next year.”

We all say these types of things all the time. We rarely have enough time to take care of everything in our home (or the rest of our lives) and to keep it perfect, but ignoring these small problems can lead to a big problem later.

If you follow the “Broken Windows” theory, these small problems accumulate over time and have a significant psychological effect. The theory asserts that each neighborhood in decline started with one broken window that was never fixed. Over time, broken windows throughout the neighborhood become the norm, and pretty soon you can say the same thing about graffiti, crack dealers, and other forms of crime. For more on this, see “Fixing Broken Windows”, it’s a great read, even if it doesn’t have Bob Vila on the cover.

This can happen in an individual home too. We all know someone who has started a remodeling project that has never been completed. Something just always seems to come up that is more important. Pretty soon, navigating around ladders and paint buckets becomes normal for the family. Then another project seems more important, we we have a few more ladders, maybe some more tarps out. There is a snowball effect that occurs over time until the home is in such disarray that most people clean it up and sell it (at a discount).

This is why it is so critical to stay up to date on your home maintenance. Start with a checklist of small projects that can be completed quickly. Don’t be ambitious! There is more glory in a new kitchen, but if the rest of the home suffers, the overall effect could well be a decline in your home’s value. A new kitchen with all stainless steel appliances doesn’t increase your home’s value if the roof starts leaking and warps the walls.

There are good times for homeowners to pursue these big projects, but they shouldn’t even be attempted until all the basics of annual maintenance are performed.

Luckily we’ve built a checklist to help you stay up on all the annual maintenance tasks you should be doing to make sure your home retains its value. You’ll have plenty of time later to put in the jacuzzi tub, right now you probably need to be double-checking your sump pump!

Tell us more about your horror stories in the comments. I’m sure we all have some.

In one of my finer moments, I decided I was going to stain the deck in the morning before a birthday party for a friend who lived out of town. Three trips to the hardware store later, I was 2 hours late and that deck is still splotchy to this day!