Seasonal Maintenance Every Homeowner Should Master

You’ve worked hard for years to save up that down payment to buy the home of your dreams, but now you may be wondering how to keep your new abode in tip-top shape should you decide to sell down the line.

With a national housing shortage driving up prices in the United States, it’s crucial that you learn the ins and outs of seasonal home maintenance, which can prove to be just as useful as some home warranty plans. So grab the toolbox, a little elbow grease and check out these helpful tips for keeping your home safe and cozy in any weather.

Seal Those Windows

Preparing for summer and winter weather isn’t just a great way to maintain the home for years, but it can also be friendly to your wallet. To make sure your home stays at a desirable temperature, head down to the local hardware store and pick up a window insulation kit to make sure those summer and winter drafts aren’t making their way through your portals to the outside world. You’ll need a hair dryer, double-sided tape, packing tape and some bubble wrap for extra insulation.

Start by applying the double-sided tape around the window you’d like to insulate. Next, cut strips of bubble wrap and apply them in sections across the face of the window, using the double-sided tape and packing tape to make sure each piece is flush. Then apply the shrinking plastic wrap over the edges of the bubble wrap with packing tape, using heat from the hair dryer to apply the protective film over the entire window.

Though you won’t have a clear picture of what is going on outside due to the bubble wrap, buty you can at least take solace in the fact that the heat and air conditioning you pay for with your hard-earned dollars isn’t just floating right out the window.

Check The Pipes

Regardless of the season, pipes around the home should be regularly checked and maintained to avoid wasting precious water and cold hard cash. When winter is on it’s way, be sure to remove the water from all unused hoses and pipes that make up your home sprinkling system. If you don’t want to bother with the chore yourself, give any one of your local lawn maintenance companies a call. It’s better to pay for the annual service then wind up with a bunch of busted pipes and an ineffective sprinkler system.

When springtime comes around, check each sprinkler head in your system to make sure none are leaking and that each part of your lawn is being watered. If you notice one is broken, replace is right away to save yourself the cost of replacing sections of dead grass.

Fill In the Cracks

When winter ice freezes in the tiny crevices in materials like the brick on your home and your cement driveway and sidewalk, the frozen ice causes cracks and can erode significantly over time. If you own a brick home or have outdoor tile, it’s best to regularly check the condition of the mortar it was laid with.

Often sections of mortar and grout can become brittle and replacing damaged sections can help keep long-term repair costs to a minimum. But you don’t need to yank up sections of tile or start pulling bricks out of the wall. With mortar damage, only the mortar needs replaced.

To get started, visit your local masonry supply shop with a piece of the current mortar to match color. Once you’ve purchased mortar, bust out or borrow a dremel tool, and use the tool to remove only the damaged sections of mortar from your brick wall or tile floor. Grout saws work better for tiled floors. Once you’ve removed the damaged mortar or grout, apply replacement filler to the needed areas. Don’t forget to smooth the mortar or grout to match before allowing to completely dry.