Factors That Can Impact Your Home’s Maintenance

As a homeowner (or potential homeowner) have you ever wondered what impacts your home’s maintenance? Sometimes it seems like certain homes are really easy to maintain while other homes can seem impossible to keep up with. Here are a few factors that can impact your home’s maintenance for you to keep in mind as you are trying to improve your home’s maintenance. 

The Age of Your Home

First off, the age of your home and how upgrades and improvements have held up is one of the biggest impacts on your home’s maintenance. Many older homes are difficult to maintain and take care of because of issues that have arisen over the years. For example, some homes could have mold and decay that has developed and caused damage to their home, inside and out. Other homes may simply have issues that come with the old age of materials such as cracked and damaged molding, caulking, or sealant. While this can seem like a small and insignificant issue, it can lead to larger problems such as leaks, water damage, and breakage in the surrounding area. As you are looking to better maintain your house, you may want to get an inspection done to see if your home’s age has caused any significant issues. 

The Quality of Your Home Construction

Another possible issue in your home’s maintenance could be the quality of your home’s construction. Especially during economic and population booms, there has been a huge rush to build homes quickly and cheaply. While this may have benefitted you in buying your home at an affordable rate, it may cause you some problems if your home wasn’t built very well. There are lots of different signs of low-quality home construction, including cracks in stucco, hairline fractures, inconsistencies in wood such as waviness, gaps in windows, water stains, uneven flooring, etc. If you suspect that your home has defects that are evidence of poor home construction, take the time to inspect it closely and try to remedy any issues that have been caused. 

Your Location

An unexpected factor that can greatly influence the maintenance of your home is your home’s location. For example, if you live in an area that is very wet and humid, you might struggle with water damage, mold, and other decay caused by humidity. These issues can seem regular if you’re used to living in a humid area, but they can lead to even greater issues that could threaten the integrity of your home’s structure. On the other hand, if you live in a very hot, dry place you might have problems with your framing, such as shifting door frames and walls, caused by the overly dry wood in your structure. These issues are not only an annoyance but can also compromise your home’s safety and structure. 

Temperature Changes

If you live in a location that experiences frequent and drastic temperature changes, this may be affecting your home’s maintenance. Big temperature changes not only cause issues for plants and trees, but also they can affect your home. For example, if you live in a place that has cold, freezing winters, you’ve probably noticed that your concrete or pavement has lots of cracks once the winter is over. Asphalt paving should be sealcoated or it will get damaged by temperature changes. If that can happen to your solid pavement, just imagine what icy winters and hot summers could do to your roofing or exterior. Make sure that you are keeping up with any seasonal issues that come along with these temperature changes. 

Your Neighborhood

Believe it or not, even your neighborhood can affect how your home has been maintained over the years. If you have just built your new home and are living in a recent development, chances are that you have a lot of good resources and connections to take care of your home. You might even have a warranty on your home that lets you get free maintenance. If you live in a cheaper home that was built a while back and are surrounded by homes that are equally old and low-budget, chances are that your home hasn’t been well maintained through the years. Even if your home is older and hasn’t been taken care of, you can change its maintenance now by putting more time and effort into keeping it clean and taken care of. 

Infestations

One unfortunate issue with home maintenance comes from pest infestations. Depending on where you live, you’ll probably have a different variety of pests that like to find their way into your home. From ants to termites to spiders to mice, there are lots of different kinds of pests that can be irritating to deal with. Unfortunately, if the pest problem has been going on for a long time, it may require some more significant maintenance. Pests like termites can even threaten the integrity of your home’s structure, so it is very important to inspect your home for pests. 

Your Daily Routine

It is important to recognize how your daily routine and living habits in your home can affect its need for maintenance. If you have a habit of smoking, your home will need to be deep cleaned more often than other homes to rid your walls, carpets, and furniture of smoke and tobacco residue. If you work long hours and aren’t home very often, your home might need a bit more dusting than usual, but you won’t be home to get it dirty and untidy throughout the day, so you won’t have to spend as much time cleaning it. If you have little children who are often making messes and need to be bathed or cleaned, you probably have a little more interior maintenance to do than normal. 

Your Home’s Size

While this might seem obvious, the size of your home will definitely impact the maintenance that is required to take care of it. If you live in a smaller home, cleaning your home daily or weekly is a lot easier than cleaning a huge home. If you live in a big home, you need to make sure you have the time and resources to take care of it. If you don’t have these resources, you could inadvertently cause some larger maintenance issues due to your lack of cleaning and care. 

As you are considering how to better care for your home, keep in mind the elements that have been discussed in this article. There are many different factors that can influence your home’s quality and how much time and money you need to put into its maintenance. You can make a difference in your home’s maintenance today by inspecting it, repairing it, and maintaining any positive changes you’ve made to care for your home.

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