Give Your Home An Annual Check Up

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You take yourself to the doctor every year for an annual check-up; well your house needs one too!  Making sure your home is in tip-top shape will save you money on electric and gas bills and keeps your home safe for your family.  And if you are thinking of selling your home anytime soon, you will avoid costly repairs that might come up with a home inspection.

Think Like A Home Inspector

Homeowners routinely do maintenance and upkeep on their homes.  Things like squeaky doors, stuck windows and cracked tiles are usually taken care of right away.  However don’t always see the bigger picture.  When you do your annual check-up, think like a home inspector and look for things outside of routine fixes.

Roof
We don’t often think about our roofs unless they are leaking.  In this case, prevention is the best medicine.  The first thing you want to look for are loose or missing shingles.  Check the ridge or peak and make sure it is straight and level.  Sagging roof lines can indicate insects, inadequate fastening or too much weight.  You should also look for loose flashing at the chimney or roof-to-wall connection.  Check and clean the gutters while you are doing a roof inspection.  They should all slope down toward downspouts.  You want to make sure there is no rust or peeling paint and there are not any loose or sagging sections.  And most importantly you want to make sure the spouts are draining away from the foundation of the house.

Foundations
Living in California, we experience small earthquakes frequently and they often go unnoticed.  But they can be doing damage to our foundations.  So doing a yearly inspection will help you find any damage early.  Take a walk around your home and look carefully at the foundation, or base of your home.  Check for any cracks or damaged masonry, this can be a sign of weakened areas.  Look for settlement or separation from the house.   Check for paint problems, rotten wood or any wood to earth contact.  This can create termite infestations or other insect damage.

Lot Grading
Make sure your yard slopes away from the house to prevent water damage.  Look for any settled or low areas next to your foundation.  This could be a sign of pipe leaks or water damage.  Walk out to the front yard and compare your lot to your neighbors.  Make sure they look even and your yard doesn’t sit lower.

Move Your Home Inspection Inside

Ceilings and Floors
Home inspectors advise you use a flashlight when inspecting the inside of your home.  It will help you stay focused and literally shine a light on problems.  Start by inspecting the ceilings in each room of the home.  Work your way from the outer walls to the center of the room.  Check for stains or discoloration, both could be signs of water damage.  Also look for any sagging or uneven areas, which can indicate weight load problems in the roofline.

When you inspect your floors you are looking for slopping or sagging areas.  Inspect for any cracked or chipped ceramics.  If you have laminate, make sure there aren’t any gaps and it isn’t pulling away from the walls.

Finally, do a walk through your home and check all the basics.  Make sure all the doors open and close easily and are sitting square in their frame.  Check windows to make sure they don’t stick and screens are secure.  In the kitchen and bath, check all the fixtures that they are working properly.  Open the cabinets and check for any leaking pipes.

By taking the time once a year to inspect your home, you can save yourself a lot of money by finding problems before they become unmanageable and you won’t have any surprises when you want to sell your home.