When you’re operating a home business, it seems like every spare moment goes into running it. Other things tend to fall by the wayside and often this includes repairs and maintenance. Pretty soon, the issues stack up and you’ll end up needing to hire an independent damp surveyor for that rising damp problem. Some issues may worsen through inattention. Therefore, it’s important to at least prioritize a little time every week or bi-weekly to keep up with what’s needed. You can then outsource the rest to experts to buy back some of your time that would otherwise have been lost to maintenance. Here are 4 home tips to spend less time on maintenance.
Uncomplicated Is Better
The more complicated a home is, the likelier something will go wrong. While smart homes are great, they overly rely on technology to the extent that should something go wrong, you may come unstuck. Simpler solutions tend to go wrong less often, if at all, and are less expensive to keep running. When you want fewer maintenance problems, less is more.
Maintain the Exterior of the Building
Some building exteriors have wooden siding for its decorative and protective value. While this often may cover the entire wall structure, it does need time to maintain it to avoid the wood suffering from the elements. Even the best protective coatings only go so far. In some situations, engineered wood siding is going to be a better option. Replacing siding that’s not repairable with a matching replacement will be fine but, eventually, the house will need the siding completely replaced. Newer engineered siding is made from a combination of wood and composite bonded together to provide better protection from small critters and bad weather too.
Replace Early and Sometimes Often
Preventative measures taken today often avoid larger problems in the months to come. It’s necessary to see things this way — even if you have to get a DIY expert to complete the work due to a lack of time. It likely will still pay off with a reduction in the total cost and number of issues that arise. For instance, when an appliance keeps going wrong and needs multiple repairs, it’s a pain. Booking the repair appointment, being available to let them into the home, and waiting for the work to be completed is an inconvenience. When they also need one or more parts that they’ll have to order, the pain drags on longer. At a certain point, it’s sensible to replace the appliance instead.
Similarly, when a patio slab has become broken, don’t leave it. It will continue to break off and the exposed adjacent slabs are more likely to sustain water damage too. Get it fixed up or replaced with something as close to a match as possible.
Choose Materials Based on Simplicity
Touching again on the suggestion about avoiding complication, this also applies to materials. For instance, if you’re wanting to replace dilapidated fencing, don’t just think about appearances for appearance’s sake. How long-lasting will the replacement be? Is one fencing type such as vinyl, wood, or metal going to need less care to keep it in good condition? Will it need a new protective coating annually to ward away termites or other concerns?
Reducing the maintenance required for a home requires careful planning. While a home won’t come designed with this goal in mind, it’s possible to modify it over time to match this intention.
