We understand how big of a commitment and investment building a new custom home is. And we also know that our customers want to keep the new home looking and feeling new. But where does one start? There are daily duties that affect the appearance and overall enjoyment of the home – like how it makes the homeowner feel. Then there are preventative measures to keep the home a safe and sound sanctuary for years to come. Whether it’s a return on investment (ROI) consideration or just the desire for a quality home, homeowners are looking for answers on how to keep their homes like the day they turned the key for the first time. So, at Babb Custom Homes we have compiled some ways to keep your new home new with our 16 Great Custom Home Maintenance Tips.
Pressing Actions
Somewhere in the sports world it gets repeated that a good offense is a great defense. To this end, enabling the home to minimize damage is an excellent start. Consider these maintenance tips for your new custom home:
Design the home with damage limiting features. This might be...
- Adding a mudroom or functional entryway to keep dirty shoes off of the carpet and pet food and litter from being strewn about the house
- Installing durable, easy-to-clean flooring in high traffic areas
- Engineering the lawn and drainage to minimize erosion and reduce the risk of indoor water damage
- Including a humidity regulation component to the HVAC system in order to limit material damage, mold/mildew, and other health related problems
- Investing in high quality materials to prolong their duration and reduce maintenance needs
Avoid damaging behaviors such as…
- Allowing dirt and grime to build up and thereby stain, corrode, or diminish the integrity of the materials
- Developing small but accumulating habits like eating and drinking on hard to clean surfaces, rubbing the siding with the mower, scratching walls and floors, and many more
- Treating components and materials roughly like slamming doors, overusing the HVAC system, and ignoring damage-causing vegetation to ruin landscaping and even the integrity of the foundation and siding
- Failing to quickly repair problems like leaks, fumes and smoke, compromised structures, clogged gutters, and obstacles to maintenance like objects in the lawn that make mowing yard work difficult, etc.
Periodic & Long Term Care
Many maintenance tips do not require frequent use yet are crucial to prolonging the integrity and aesthetics of the home. For example, inspecting the chimney for failed sealing is not a daily task, but it is necessary.
Make a plan by…
- Scheduling routine maintenance as a homeowner, such as lubricating hinges; inspecting weather protections like shingles, caulking, window glazing, and air leaks which can wear out HVAC components; and changing air filters to prolong the life of appliances and even walls and ceilings in the case of stove vents
- Assuming there will be problems and work preventative maintenance into the budget and maybe purchase tools to make the work easier and, therefore, more accessible and likely to happen
- Resourcing for friends and professionals to help with seasonal or occasional duties, such as hiring a professional to inspect the chimney, scheduling regular and professional HVAC inspections and cleanings, and call on friends with equipment or vehicles needed for driveway repairs, for example, or mulching or other labor intensive work
Expect the unexpected by…
- Treating the exterior edges of the home for varmints, insects, weeds, and any other threat to the home
- Budgeting not only for scheduled and predictable maintenance but for the unpredictable kind like storm damage, bed bugs or ants or other invasions, accidental damage, appliance replacement, and many more unpredictable yet inevitable occurrences
- Establishing a relationship with knowledgeable and accessible friends or professionals that can inspect, identify, predict, or even prevent potential threats
- Buying insurance that covers accidental damage, weather-related damage, or other coverages available specific to your vulnerabilities
For a more exhaustive list, check out this graphic. Babb Custom Homes enjoys not only the dreaming phase of the custom home building process, but we also love to help our customers long term by helping design for the future. For that, we offer interior design options as well as home insurance and repair plans to protect your investment, health, and peace of mind. If you are in the mood or market for a custom home, give us a chance to articulate our passion and impress you with our customer service. We’re proud of our reputation and successful experience and we’d love a chance to earn your business! Contact us today!
