When you own your own home, you have so many concerns to keep in mind. There’s seasonal maintenance, performing inspections and verifying the condition of critical systems, ensuring the safety and security of your home, and so much more. It’s no wonder, then, that certain aspects of home care and home treatment often get overlooked.
One of the many areas that often gets overlooked is the roof, including the chimney and even your attic. These areas perform critical functions, including keeping your home safe and dry. Without proper maintenance, you could be looking at expensive repairs instead. By taking a few moments to review often overlooked areas in your home, you could be saving yourself time and money in the future.
Maintaining and Waterproofing Your Chimney
Many people only use their fireplace a few times a year, so it’s easy to see how the chimney could get overlooked. One of the best things you can do for your masonry chimney is to have it professionally waterproofed before the winter and spring.
The material used to build your beautiful masonry chimney is likely very porous, meaning that water can easily enter and get absorbed. When that happens, freezing damage and water damage can quickly degrade your chimney and cause a whole host of issues. Whether your mortar is starting to get crumbly or the bricks themselves are cracking, water damage can really compromise the structural integrity of your chimney.
You can find problem without even pulling out your best spotting scope.
Chimcare uses ChimneySaver Water Repellant, which is the top water repellent made for chimney applications. There are other benefits to working with Chimcare for chimney waterproofing, including a 10-year warranty. The method used by Chimcare is so effective that it can reduce water penetration into your masonry by 99.9 percent, according to third-party testing.
Sealing and Waterproofing Your Tile
People love to use ceramic tile in the design of their homes, typically in the kitchen and bathroom. Tile has a host of benefits, including being beautiful when properly installed, having a long working life, and making cleaning easier. However, tile and countertops, including the expensive granite countertops that are currently so popular, can get dirty easily.
Having a professional team come in to seal your tile and countertops can extend their life, improve their appearance, and reduce damage to them. Perma Treat is a system that helps seal and waterproof all stone and tile surfaces. Strictly Tile offers this incredible treatment for tile and stone in any room of your house. Perma Treat is much more effective than other sealants, which often wear off after a few months. Perma Treat offers a lifetime warranty on any indoor surface treated with their products and a 15-year warranty on outdoor surfaces, such as a paved patio or BBQ area.
Reinforcing Doors and Upgrading Locks in Your Home
For many homeowners, concerns about the lock on their home stop when they get the key at closing. You probably won’t worry about the locks after you move in, unless you get locked out of your home or someone breaks in. People often don’t think about a locksmith until they need one, but it’s a good idea to find a local locksmith you can rely on when you’re in need.
Was there a contentious divorce that resulted in the sale, or was the home previously a rental unit? If you are in any way unsure about how many people have keys to the home, rekeying all the exterior doors is a sound investment. You can ensure that one key opens all points of entry, which is convenient, while also effectively preventing anyone with an old key from getting into your house.
For those who have already had an issue or worry about home security, you can have the doors to your home, as well the jams that surround them, replaced or reinforced. Doing so will make it harder for people to force entry into your home, making it more secure. Other people who have family members with mobility issues could benefit from having a remote lock control installed to allow for keyless entry.
Small Treatments You Can Do for Your Home
Taking a few moments a week to care for your home can reduce issues in the future. Not all of these preventative measures need professional help — some you can do yourself. The items on this list should be done seasonally or monthly:
- Inspect the attic for leaks after rain or spring thaws.
- Check the filters on your furnace and replace them.
- Check your garage door’s automatic shutoff.
- Lubricate the rollers on garage doors.
- Trim plants and shrubs near your air conditioner.
- Remove snow and ice from outside vents, meters, and your oil fill pipe.
- Clean the grille over the compressor on your fridge.
- Inspect sink and tub drains.
- Clean out the garbage disposal.
- Change the filters in the hood over your stove.
- Test your sump pump.
- Check water pressure.
- Clean window weep holes and well.
- Drain accumulated sediment from your water heater.
- Check your basement, pantry, and attic for mouse nests.
- Clean exterior dryer vents.