Outdoor Home Maintenance - A Summer Project

Let’s face it, for most people their most valuable asset is their home. That is why it is so important to keep it in good repair. Summer is a good time to inspect your home and complete annual chores around the outside of the house. Your annual budget should include a monthly amount put aside in a savings account to cover home maintenance costs. If you have not been doing this, now is the time to start as such projects can be expensive and should be planned for.

Start by taking a walk around the outside with a clip board, paper and pencil. Make notes as you go of things that need attention. Check the following things:

• How’s the condition of the paint? Are there areas that need to be scraped and repainted?
• Does the brick or stucco finish have cracks or crumbling mortar?
• Is there mold present that needs to be treated and removed?
• Are your gutters and down spouts in good condition? Do the gutters need cleaning?
• Are your windows and doors clean and weatherproof?
• Is your deck protected or have you considered waterproof decking?
• Are all the locks in good working order?
• Are there branches from trees or shrubs touching your home that need to be trimmed back?
• Check outside lights – are they working? Do they need to be cleaned?
• Don’t forget the yard – trim shrubs, prune trees and do general clean up chores.

Your local hardware store should have solutions for all of the above problems and can give advice on how to resolve them. If you can do it yourself, you will save money and it is rewarding to complete these tasks and know that you are preserving or increasing the value of your most important asset.

Published Jun 28, 2008.