8 Expensive Home Repairs and How to Avoid Them

    The most popular rule of thumb to save for home maintenance is 1% of the total cost of your house, annually.  That means if your home is worth $350,000, you’ll likely spend on average $3,500 a year on upkeep.  Obviously certain years you’ll spend more than others, for instance, the year you install new roofing.  Other years you’ll spend substantially less.  You can invest in a home warranty that will cover some repairs, but likely not all of them.   Some of the more expensive repairs can be avoided by simple maintenance.  Here are some of the best ways to avoid giant home repair bills and get the most out of homeownership.

1. Foundation Repairs

   Just a few hours of clearing your gutters could potentially save you thousands of dollars on foundation repairs.  Managing water flow around your household is essential to avoiding basement leaks, foundation breaks and driveway cracks.  Make sure your gutters are clear and water is being directed away from the foundation with no standing water.  Creating a gradual slope away from your house with soil is one way to achieve this.  A simple investment in gutter extensions could also do the trick.

2. Roofing

     Water damage including rotting and leaking can affect your home’s roof as well.  Regular maintenance can help you avoid costly repairs.  For just a few hundred dollars, shingles and spotty areas are easy enough to fix right away rather than letting the damages amount to a few thousand dollars.  Check the condition of your roof every fall and spring when you’re cleaning the gutters.  Check the Flashing, the seal around exhaust vents and chimneys to make sure they are still watertight.  Check the roof of your attic for signs of water damage or discoloration. 

3. Water/Sewer Pipe Replacement     

     Replacing water or sewer pipes won’t necessarily cost you an arm or a leg, but the flooding and excavation of your yard (or worse, the driveway!) will cost you a pretty penny.  If you live in an older property, it might be wise to invest in water and sewer line insurance.  Check with your utility company if you plan on digging for any landscaping or home improvement projects.  You can also have your lines inspected annually for leaks or cracks.

4. HVAC

     Not only are the units themselves expensive, professional installation can potentially double the price.  The best way to prevent your furnace or air conditioner dying on you is to schedule maintenance every 6 months or so.  Similar to having a regular car tune up, having a professional run through a maintenance checklist will extend the life of your unit.  You can also replace the air filter every 90 days to improve air quality and function.  

5. Wooden Deck Replacement

     In this case, it’s absolutely true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Instead of letting your deck fall prey to rot or severe weathering, use one weekend a year to give it a good scrubbing and re-stain.  Check for soft spots in the wood, particularly around the supports and joists below.  If a screwdriver can penetrate the wood more than 1/4 of an inch, that’s a good indicator you have rot.

6. Driveway Repair

     Your driveway endures a lot.  The weight of your car, water, snow, and ice.  If left unprotected it can easily crumble away.  Getting a brand new driveway can be a hefty bill, but so is the removal of the old one.  This is why it’s important to seal your driveway against the elements.  In hot dry weather, washing your driveway with warm water and a mild detergent will do the trick.  Next apply a sealant specifically meant for driveways.  Follow the directions for whichever sealant you purchase from your local home store.

7. Fire or Smoke Damage

     Maintaining your fireplace and chimney will prevent any fires caused by clogged systems.  Have a chimney sweep inspect your beloved winter heat source.  When you open the flue, you should be able to see daylight.  If not, the particles clogging your fireplace are highly flammable and could potentially turn into a chimney fire.

8. Fallen Trees

     Any giant trees close to your house could cause potential damage if their structure is weakened by disease or broken limbs.  Have a professional tree service inspect that giant oak to prune any limbs that could potentially fall in strong winds or heavy snows.  Trees can do a lot of damage to your house or car that you don’t want to pay out of pocket for.

With regular upkeep, you can prevent daunting repair surprises.  Avoiding them means more control over what you spend and save for such repairs.  Knowing you’ll have to make a major repair in a couple years gives you time to plan, save and shop around. 

Lawn Care Tips

A lush lawn is not something the average homeowner thinks about before the Spring.  But once the trees start blooming and your grass isn’t quite coming in how you imagined it; time to hit your local home store.  Here are a few tips and tricks to get the most out of your lawn while it’s still early.

     First and foremost, get local advice pertaining to the growing conditions in your area.  There isn’t one fertilizer, one weed killer or one grass seed that works for every lawn.  Get customized solutions for your region. Talk to an expert at your garden center or call your agricultural extension service.

     Apply a pre-emergent herbicide to your lawn after the second mow of the spring.  This will prevent seeds scattered in previous years from germinating, which is where crabgrass grows from.  As the seeds remain viable for a few years, it’s a good idea to apply the herbicide every spring.  Making a preemptive strike on crabgrass will save you tons of hassle later, trying to fight it back in the heat of summer.

     Don’t over stress about the shady part of your lawn.  Many people over water and over fertilize these shady areas, because it seems that the grass is having trouble growing.  In fact, it’s these measures that prevent it from growing to it’s potential.  Shady areas need less water because the sun doesn’t evaporate it as quickly and less fertilizer because without sun, it doesn’t grow as much.  Cut your fertilizer amount to about half of what you’d use for a sunny spot.

     Cut your lawn the right length.  Cutting your lawn too short can weaken the grass and allow weeds to dominate.  Finding the right length for your grass variety will allow it to grow thick and lush while crowding out more established weeds.  Adjust your lawn mower to the right height for your variety.

     If you’re really having trouble with growing grass, check your soil's pH.  Most home centers sell pH testing kits, however, using an extension service can guarantee more accurate results.  For growing grass, soil needs to be a pH between 6.0 to 7.2.  Add lime to raise the pH, add iron to lower your pH.

     Cut down on your lawn care by planning ahead.  It’s generally recommended that you fertilize four times a year for the best lawn ever, but if you want those results with less work and more cost efficiency all you have to do is fertilize once in the fall!  Fertilizing about 3 weeks before the last mow of the season will give your grass stored nutrients throughout the winter.   It will help feed the growing root system as the temperature cools before the grass becomes dormant.  Those stored nutrients will give your grass a burst of energy come next spring.

     

Having a healthy lawn not only makes your home look great, it becomes an inviting place for your children to play, or the perfect place to have an afternoon picnic.  A healthy lawn is the best weed preventer of all.  A thick lawn crowds out weeds without having to use a lot of chemicals to prevent them.