Following is a guide on how to manage the basic home maintenance tasks in your home:

1. Make sure that you know where the control points are. Find out where the main plumbing valves are and the electrical breakers. If you do not have the blueprint of your home, you can hire a professional to identify all of the necessary controls for you. This is an investment that can surely benefit you later on.

2. Ensure that your home is safe by checking on your smoke detectors every now and then. If you find there is something wrong with the detectors, have them checked right away by an electrician. Keep fire extinguishers near the kitchen and bedrooms and make sure that everybody is aware of where they are and knows how to use them. If your home was built before 1978, you may hire a certified hazardous materials inspector to check your home for lead-based paint, asbestos, mildew and molds. For more information about this, check out the Department of Health and Human Services in your area.

3. Do a regular inspection of your home. Be alert on problems such as water in the wrong place or uneven power flows.

4. Find out and understand the life expectancy of the components of your home. Nothing lasts forever, and this holds true to the appliances and gadgets you have in your home. Your fridge has a twelve to fifteen useful life; water heater has ten to twelve years. Your roof should last for twenty years. The carpets probably need to be replaced after eight years and your paint three to four years. The plumbing may last for twenty-five years, and your electrical wiring is safe for fifteen or twenty years and the furnace will remain efficient for twenty years at most.

5. Purchase a home warranty policy. This will help you maintain and monitor your home. The insurance company will do an inspection and provide service for all your major appliances regularly and will charge you only a minimal additional fee for repairs. This is especially important if your home is older.

6. Keep a toolbox to do small repairs by yourself. Make sure you have the correct and complete materials in the kit such as: flat-head and philips-head screwdrivers, lightweight claw hammer, pliers, small hand saw, wire cutters, twine, duct tape, wood glue caulk, stud-finder, electrical outlet tester and a 3-foot straight-edge ruler.

7. You may enroll in a workshop in your local hardware of home depot store to gain some basic skills. The lessons will help you learn how to replace damaged window screens, tighten screws, stop running toilet, replace tile grout, clean the gutters, shut off the main plumbing valve if there is a leak and switch the right breaker in case of power problem.

8. Do not hesitate to call on the professionals if the need arises. Electricians and plumbers contractors are licensed for a reason. They do dangerous and difficult work. Never attempt to work on your furnace or clear out a backed-up plumbing nor re-wire a circuit by yourself. Call these qualified professionals to do the work for you. Look for contractors and handyman services and have their names and contact numbers affixed to the fridge in case of an emergency.

9. Reserve a fund for home maintenance costs. This is necessary when the time comes to replace the roof and major home appliances or if there are immediate major repairs to be done.

This has caused a lot of people to put off renovation work on their homes. They are concerned about the economy and are stalling until things turn around.

But there are some really good reasons to do your project right now because of the effects on the economy.

Contractors Are Looking For Work:

This will mean you the buyer are in the drivers seat. It might even make it easier to get a better price for your work. More contractors than ever are looking for work. They want to keep themselves and their employees busy.

Better Deals On Materials:

Even the large box stores are hurting. Shop around and you’ll find better deals on the materials that you need for your project.

Better Scheduling And Faster Work:

With fewer people doing renovations it is more likely that you’ll be able to get your work scheduled quicker and it will be completed faster.

Upgrading Your Home Will Help Maintain It’s Value:

The real estate market is getting hard hit right now. If you need to sell your home right now, doing upgrades to make it stand out and help it sell faster.

Interest Rates Are Down:

The Fed has slashed interest rates to banks so they are in turn offering better rates as they try to recover and maintain their customer base.

So now may actually be an opportune time to do your work. Once conditions turn around the pent up demand will cause rapidly raising prices for renovation work as more people plan their projects.

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