Maintaining your home should be a mix of love and diligence that sometimes requires a little TLC from your bank account.
Staying on top of the work around your property is key to ensuring it remains a comfortable and enjoyable refuge from the trials that life throws at you and attending to jobs while they are smaller ensures that most do not become big issues.
But it doesn’t take much for the number of tasks to mount up and sometimes you may require additional funds to undertake maintenance work or get your home ready for sale.
Here’s a quick guide to keeping on top of ‘housework’:
- Set time aside – It’s a great idea to decide how much time you’re prepared to spend on your home. It could be one weekend a month, or half of that. It doesn’t matter so long as you commit to a specific period to meet the challenge of property maintenance.
- Stay in your lane – Don’t be afraid to call in a handyman to get the work done properly, especially if DIY is not your thing. It can help to set aside an annual budget for such work.
- Drip, drip, drip – That’s not the tap or loo leaking, that’s money leaving your bank account. Thirty drips a minute can equate to a thousand litres a year so jump on top of water leaks early.
- Pest control – When was the last time you had a pest inspection? These are usually conducted when buying a home. But if you’ve not checked for termites for the past several years, then now is a great time to get that organised.
- Light-bulb moment – Do you go around the house turning the lights off and complaining about the cost. Well, you could save even more money by replacing old-school, incandescent bulbs with modern LEDs and halogens. Many councils and energy providers offer services to help with this.
- Through the roof – Heat escaping through a poorly insulated roof is an expensive problem. It’s fixed by installing insulation batts in the roof cavity. Check the quality and placement of existing batts because while few people realise it, insulation can degrade over time and become less effective.
- Aircons love a clean filter – When you have a dirty air conditioning filter, the unit will pull more power to meet the cooling temperature you’ve set. It can pay to give your air conditioning an annual service.
- Thanks, fans – Did you think ceiling fans were just for summer? If you climb a ladder and look at the stem of your fans, you’ll find summer and winter settings. The winter one will reverse the rotation and push hot air back towards you, ensuring you get all the warmth available. It’s also worth checking if you feel the fans aren’t working the way you expected.
- This article is provided for general information only and does not take into account the specific needs, objectives or circumstances of the reader. Before acting on any information, you should consider whether it is appropriate for your personal circumstances, carry out your own research and seek professional advice.