10 Dec Ultimate Guide for Annual Home Maintenance
Our homes are a huge part of our lives. Just as we take care of our bodies, it is also important to take care of our living spaces. However, many people tend to neglect their houses after purchasing or constructing them. They assume it will not deteriorate. But your home is your greatest asset, so maintaining it should be a priority that is even turned into a routine. It is important to keep maintaining your home periodically. As the years go by, your house gets exposed to wear and tear. A home operates within the seasons, coming to life in the spring and hunkering down for the winter, almost like a living thing. All of the seasons have different effects on the various components of the house. As long as you have a good understanding of what to look out for and what to do about it, you should be able to maintain your home in pristine condition for many years. To help you achieve that, here is the ultimate guide for annual home maintenance.
Plumbing
Maintaining your home’s plumbing system involves looking for small leaks at different intervals throughout the 
year. You need to do maintenance tasks with an aim of catching defects and repairing them fast before they become a major problem. Check and maintain your septic system and other water appliances like boilers, washing machine, and the dishwasher.
You should check for leaks. These affect pipes under high pressure. Do this regularly because they not only get damaged but can also cause damage to your home, for example by resulting in cracks on your walls. A leak can cause wood to rot under your sink, pipe corrosion or even growth of mould under there. The most important thing that you need to remember is that long term damages are more costly to repair. This is why you need to keep maintaining your plumbing at regular intervals. In the long run, it actually helps you save a lot of money.
Be especially vigilant when it gets cold out. During cold seasons, if a pipe freezes and bursts, it could flood an entire room. If you notice a problem, you need to deal with it as soon as possible before it turns into something worse.
General building structure
With the passing of each season, make sure that you inspect the general appearance of your house. Is it still holding up its aesthetic value? Any cases of fading or falling off paint should be dealt with. If you can, paint and fix any fallen cladding yourself. It is part of the beauty of owning a home. Take care of it yourself if you can, or call in an expert if you need to.
Roof
Your roof should be inspected on a regular basis. This will guarantee its long life. All defects identified should quickly be reported and repaired. An annual inspection will increase its lifespan by up to 50%. If you can, take a record of its history of repairs. Take total control of your house’s roof. Make clear budgets and plan for its future maintenance. This will clearly put you in the driver’s seat of your roof’s maintenance.
Foundation
Foundation maintenance is very important yet overlooked by many homeowners. You should not rush to repair your foundation when it is already too late. It is always important to do preventive maintenance whenever you can. You can effectively maintain your house’s foundation by:
1.Doing annual plumbing checks. Leaks under foundations are bad business for your house. Do regular inspections to prevent effects like corrosion which will weaken the house’s foundation. Such a practice will save you thousands of dollars worth of repairs.
2.Fill in the minor cracks
3.Ensure proper drainage and intelligent landscaping in your compound
4.Increase the number of foundation inspections. Make sure that each season has its inspection scheduled and executed.
Electrical
You should also do your electrical inspections and maintenance on a regular basis. It is generally safer for the occupants. You will avoid the risk of fires and electrical shocks in your house if you adhere to a routine check of your home’s electrical systems.
You should service all your electrical installations on a regular basis too. Record all the activities undertaken during maintenance and their costs. Make maintenance schedules so that you can run maintenance early. This will help you cut down on costs since you will mostly only have to deal with small costs while preventing larger expenses due to damages.
Final word
Home maintenance involves a whole host of activities that help control the detrimental effects of prolonged use and weather. As a home owner who loves their home, come up with an efficient schedule to maintain or even soup up your home a little. Spread out the activities and follow them thoroughly. Recording everything you do will also help you a great deal, putting you in control of everything at all times. If you do this and if you follow all the tips outlined here, your home will never disappoint you.