The biggest challenge of owning a property is, hands-down, paying for its timely maintenance. It is quite normal to see homeowners getting tired of maintaining their property at some point. Hence they look for sustainable home repairs that can keep their home fresh and guarantee the best return on resale.
Is there a way to minimise, if not completely avoid such costs? Trust us when we say this – there’s a way out, but it requires you to keep a house inspection checklist handy and assess your home every now and then.
Being Pakistan’s number one portal for property management tips, we proactively anticipate your needs and come up with practical solutions to help you out. Previously, we had shared some tips for summer home maintenance, and now, here’s our take on costly home repairs and how to avoid them from reoccurring.
Costly Home Repairs to Avoid With Little Preventative Measures
There are several zones in your home that require special attention but none as important as the ones mentioned in our compilation of costly home repairs.
Now, let’s take a look at our list of costly home repairs and how to avoid them with some preventative measures:
- Foundation Repairs
- Roof Maintenance
- Water Damages
- House Mould
- Plumbing System
- Electrical Issues
- House Pests
- Septic System Repair
- Home Appliances
Foundation Repairs
Foundation issues are a major telltale sign of structural damages. Further, a crumbling foundation is not only a direct threat to you and your family’s lives, repairing it can cost you up to thousands of rupees. A house foundation is more likely to fail when the soil around it shifts, which also leads to instability. Check if the soil near the foundation is too dry or too wet, as both are dangerous to your property’s foundation.
Warning Signs
Here are a few warning signs that indicate a weak foundation and should get your immediate attention:
- Cracks showing up on walls
- A sloping floor
- Home fixtures including doors and windows outgrowing their frames and are becoming difficult to shut
Preventative Measures and Maintenance
You can easily avoid paying for pricey repairs by looking at our compilation of measures to take before severe foundation damages:
- Take notice of plumbing leaks
- Check the slope of the plot
- Keep an eye on tree roots if you have a backyard or garden
- Avoid planting seeds too close to the house
For further assistance on how to maintain the foundation of your house, head over to our recently published guide now.
Roof Maintenance
The roof is the most important part of any house right after the foundation. The roof plays a significant role in protecting the family members against the elements. A great practice to be cautious of a damaged roof is to never ignore the signs of a leak. As minimal as it may seem, roof damages or leaks can cause the walls to crumble and bring your house down, along with destroying the furnishings. And, a roof collapse can even be life-threatening.
Warning Signs
You should be alarmed if you see the following signs of roof damage. Better yet, make sure you spring into action right away:
- Leaks
- Missing shingles
- Unusual spots on ceilings and walls
- Signs of wear and tear
- Chipping paint or discolouration
Preventative Measures and Maintenance
It is always best to correct problems while they’re small and manageable to handle rather than calling a professional, paying extra costs, and going through the troubles of finding a temporary residence. Here’re a few things you should do as preventative measures:
- Inspect all house ladders and ensure they’re on stable ground
- Hire professional house inspectors [if need be] to inspect the roof periodically – 10 years after a new installation and 3-5 years thereafter.
Water Damages
Water damages are not limited to one area or zone. Not to mention that water damage is the real culprit behind most costly home repairs and many associated property damages. As such, water can rot wood fixtures and furnishings, it can cause mould to grow, and make metal rust. There are many categories of water damages, and the most common one is either flooding or a leak.
Warning Signs
As a part of our list of costly home repairs to avoid with little preventative measures, watch out for these signs that indicate potential water damages in your house:
- A musty smell
- Leaking roofs, walls, or floors
- Discolouration of the walls or ceilings
- Mould or mildew
- Peeling paint
Preventative Measures and Maintenance
If you want to steer clear from the damages done by water and pricey home repairs, here are a few things you can do:
- Unclog your drains regularly
- Clean the gutters
- Immediately fix a leaking roof or pipe
House Mould
Mould is usually a result of unattended water damage. That said, when you neglect a leak in the walls or ceilings, water can easily seep into the foundation of your house, which leads to further growth of mould and several structural damages. If you can see signs of mould, know that it’s already too late and hope that the damage isn’t too much to handle, financially and otherwise.
Besides damaging your property, mould can cause several health issues to the people living in the infected property. Not to mention, this particular type of property damage can seriously hurt your house’s resale value if not treated timely and adequately.
Warning Signs
As mentioned earlier, mould is already a result of unattended water damages. But here’s a few signs that you should look out to prevent it from spreading:
- Musty odour and discolouration around the house
- A family member showing allergy symptoms or not recovering from it
Preventative Measures and Maintenance
If you spot any signs of mould, it is best to call an expert to treat it. For the time being, you can do the followings as a part of costly home repairs to avoid with some preventative measures:
- Fix water leaks
- Inspect the house periodically
- Be aware if your next-door neighbour has mould in their house and you have shared walls
Plumbing System
Inspecting the plumbing system is one of the most crucial tasks on our list of cutting down house repair cost and managing it effectively. No bones about it: your home is most probably going to end in a filthy mess if you don’t regularly inspect the plumbing system in your kitchen, bathrooms, and the areas where you have taps or access to water.
Warning Signs
- Choked sinks
- Rusty water
- Leaks or discolouration in exposed pipes
Preventative Measures and Maintenance
Plumbing issues are generally expensive when it comes to fixing them since they’re installed in spots that are extremely hard to get to. As such, they’re usually placed under the ground or inside the walls. Here’re a few practices that you should adopt to avoid costly repairs:
- Avoid using harmful chemicals to unclog the drains
- Insulate the pipes during chilly weather to avoid pricey house repairs
- Call a professional plumber to clean out sewage pipes every year
For your further convenience, we have listed down all the essentials of plumbing in our recently published blog.
Electrical and Wiring Issues
Old and damaged wiring can severely damage your expensive house appliances and add up to your cost of the home maintenance. It can also cause a great number of problems for homeowners, among which short circuits leading to injuries or fatalities are the most common ones. If electrical issues remain unfixed and undealt with, they are most likely to start the house on fire. Not to mention the inconvenience you will have to deal with due to power outage.
Warning Signs
You need to pay special attention to fix the electrical problems in your house as soon as one of these issues become apparent:
- Dimming or flickering lights
- Buzzing switches and sings of smoke coming from electricity outlets
- Tripping breakers or burning smell in the house
- Damaged wiring or scorched switches
- Loose connections
Preventative Measures and Maintenance
Just like plumbing repairs, electrical issues are not easier or safe to deal with for an average homeowner. Just keep an eye on the warning signs mentioned above and call for professional help before it causes serious damage.
House Pests
House pests might not seem like much of a problem when compared to damages caused by water or electricity. If you are of the same opinion, then think again. The bugs in your home might appear to be the least of your problems, but some types of house pests can cause far more damage than others. If you don’t pay heed towards it, you might end up dealing with termites or other house infestations that keep on growing with time.
Just like house mould, most house pests are likely to take a toll on your physical health as well.
Warning Signs
If you spot anything from the list below, you should know that your house is prone to house infestations or it has already been infested:
- Swarms of bug wings anywhere in the house
- Hollowed out wood
- House members showing signs of allergies
- Pencil width mud tunnels in walls
- Trails on windows, ceilings, or doors
Preventative Measures and Maintenance
House pests are among the few unwanted guests that we all want to avoid, and if you want them to not make your home theirs, then here are a few things you should do:
- Keep loose wood or loose pieces of furniture away from your house
- Go for deep cleansing by using bug sprays weekly
- Take the beddings and pillows out in the sun every week
Septic System
Like most zones of a house mentioned in this blog, the septic system requires special attention and routine maintenance. If maintained properly, a septic system can remain functional for many years without requiring significant repairs. On the other hand, if it isn’t maintained timely, it can be a big and inconvenient mess to deal with. It is one of the most pricey home repairs that can also hurt your house’s resale value if not treated properly.
A broken septic system can not only have a negative impact on your property’s worth, but it is a potential health hazard as well.
Warning Signs
A broken septic system can cause sewage to come to the surface of the ground, and you certainly do not want that to happen. Here’re a few sings to watch out for:
- Toilets won’t flush
- Slow drains
- Smelly water
- Stagnant water around the house
Preventative Measures and Maintenance
To prevent the septic system from breaking or going out of order, here’re a few things to do:
- Do not use chemicals to clean the septic tank
- Pump the septic tanks monthly or fortnightly
- Call an expert for help if you see any of the warning signs mentioned above
Home Appliances
We are all aware of the fact that the HVAC system is more likely to break during the time of the year you need it the most, and air-conditioners will leak during summer, and heaters will break down during winters. The inconvenience is inevitable if you forgot to maintain it or get it serviced during the off-season.
Warning Signs
The primary functions of the HVAC system are to keep you cool during summer and warm during winter. If it stops happening, you should know that it needs to be fixed by a professional. Before your HVAC system becomes unrepairable, here are some warning signs to look out for:
- Loud and unusual noises
- Unexpected swelling of utility bills
- Gas leakage (for AC)
Preventative Measures and Maintenance
To prevent your heater or AC leaving you high and dry when you need it the most, here’s what you should do:
- Change or wash air filters of the AC
- Keep the surrounding area free of dust
- Keep the AC or heater covered during the off-season and turn them on once a week
- Schedule maintenance a month in advance
This brings to the end of our post on costly home repairs. We have mentioned some of the most obvious ones in this blog and have shared some useful tips on maintenance. If you are a homeowner, you should be aware of the fact that failing to perform the tasks mentioned in this blog can result in pricey repairs. If you have any further questions regarding this blog, hit us at blog@zameen.com.
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