Home Repair and Maintenance
Even with fluctuations in the economy, ownership of a home is one of the biggest investments most people will make in their lives. Along with automobiles, a home payment represents probably the largest monthly expenditure of most people. With that much money involved it is important to not only protect your investment but also your pocket book as well. One of the most overlooked components of home ownership is home maintenance. Home maintenance simply put are the tasks that need to be done on a routine basis (whether weekly / monthly or yearly) to assure the home not only functions as designed but also to minimize any large dollar repair items that could have been avoided simply by maintaining the home.
Other than the structure itself, one needs to look not only at the functioning components (air conditioning, garage door openers, doors, window etc.) but also those high dollar components that most people are unaware of until a problem develops. A roof, for instance can run $10,000 minimum for a replacement yet most people don’t recognize the condition of the roof as they do not encounter it in their day to day lives.  The air-conditioner or heating system with all its components is probably the next biggest single investment as it includes such “things” as the heating or cooling unit itself, the duct work that delivers the air and the radiators or radiant heating systems that distribute the warmth thru a cold home in the winter.
Smaller things that operate more frequently such as a garage door opener, a pool filter or even an outdoor fountain or specialized electrical lighting system, although not high dollar items, will pull smaller money from a home budget but much more often. Maintenance is the most important thing one can do to get the maximum life out of all the homes components.
The most important thing to do is to read all of the owner’s manuals for the various items such as the air conditioner, garage door openers, water heaters, faucets, and electrical systems. All of these types of manuals should be kept together in one place (a file cabinet for instance) so one can perform the routine maintenance or trouble shoot the item should a problem develop. Also just as important are receipts for not only the purchase of the item but for maintenance items as well. Many large scale components have warranties of 10-20 years or more but manufacturers will want proof if warranty service becomes necessary. Model numbers are also inherent in these manuals and will be necessary when additional parts or components are ordered.
After time however, these home components do fail as mechanical things do not last forever.  At this point it will become necessary to replace the items either by yourself or by hiring a professional. With replacement being expensive, maintenance is the single most important thing one can to increase the life of the operating systems that run your home. A home creates memories for its owners; maintenance will assure they are good memories….