Exterior property maintenance is something best done in warmer weather. Maintenance can be done before winter as preventative, but should be constantly carried out to ensure your property doesn’t fall into disrepair. Although you don’t see the exterior of your home when you are sat indoors, keeping up appearances is important. In this article we will discuss some areas you need to keep up to date with, not just to impress the neighbours, but to ensure the value of your home doesn’t drop.
You may avoid exterior maintenance, feeling it’s not important unless you are thinking of selling. But this is the wrong attitude. All external areas of your home should be kept in good order. Let’s start with the largest surface of your home, your walls. If your walls are rendered, then they will look dirty over time. Cleaning or painting your rendered walls is essential if you want your home to maintain its value. This should be carried out by tradesmen who are vetted, who can also look for cracks and possible problems to your structural build.
Exterior Property Maintenance : Garage Door
Your garage door is the biggest moving part on the outside of your home. It requires maintenance to ensure it opens and closes properly. Checking springs and oiling the mechanism are easy to do. But, if your garage door sticks open or is difficult to close, don’t try to dismantle the mechanism yourself. Your garage door is heavy, and the springs used in a traditional up and over door are extremely strong.
Opting for an automatic door is now more normal, but even this type of door requires routine maintenance. If your garage door is wooden or metal, then paint or varnish it when necessary. There is nothing worse than driving up to a home with a garage door whose paint is peeling off.
Gutter and Drains
Clearing out your gutters is a job that is usually done in the autumn, in preparation for winter. Leaves removed will ensure that your drain pipes work efficiently, and you don’t have any nasty surprises the next time there is heavy rainfall. Once again, a local tradesman can carry out this task for you, checking your roof for lose slates or cracked tiles at the same time.
Exterior maintenance for your home should be both periodic and preventative. If you notice a drainpipe that is dripping, don’t ignore it. Things will only get worse over time, and the repair bill will be a lot bigger in the end. Many homeowners make the mistake of leaving their exterior maintenance issues and concentrating on the inside of their homes. When the time comes to sell their property, they will be shocked to find that the value of their home is less than those surrounding it. Not only will your home be worth less money if you don’t keep up to date with maintenance; it will be difficult to sell.
The only time a badly maintained home can be welcoming is if you are intending on buying it at a reduced price. But be careful if you do. Behind the cracked paint and dripping drainpipe, there may be structural damage, a leaking roof, or far bigger and more expensive problems. If you are thinking in investing in a second hand home that is on the market for a lower price tag than the average around, ask your local experts to carry out a structural survey. Only then will you know if you will be saving money by investing in the property or not.