As a homeowner, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your home is safe and comfortable year-round. Doing this will give you and your family more motivation to spend time at home, something that can make it easier for you to bond. If you’ve tried to get your home into shape and always end up feeling as though you’ve left something behind, it’s a good idea for you to make use of a checklist. That said, here’s a short and sweet Florida home maintenance checklist to help you make sure that you do all that needs to be done and get a home you and your family love being in.
Security
You need to make sure that your home is secure so that you and your family can have peace of mind whether they’re indoors or not. That’s why this is one of the most important items on this Florida home maintenance checklist. Start with your external doors, taking the time to install secure door locks. When you do this, there will be lower chance of someone making their way into your home through the doors, the most common entry point for burglars.
If you have smart doors, you may want to invest in automatic door operators. This is going to be best for external doors such as your garage doors. That’s because you can do away with having to step out of your car to operate the doors every time you’re leaving the house or coming back home. As a result, you’ll also make it safer since you’ll minimize the length of time that your garage or your car has to remain unattended and exposed to potential wrongdoers.
Energy
Another important item on this Florida home maintenance checklist is your home’s energy. It’s no fun having to sit through a power outage, and it feels a lot worse if it’s one that could have been avoided. That said, take time to ensure that your home’s energy needs are secured and in the best possible shape. You can start by calling a professional electrician to inspect and fix anything that’s out of place. When they do this, you’ll have made your home considerably safer. With an energy audit, you can also find out if you’re making the most efficient use of your home’s energy.
You could choose to make more savings by enacting energy-saving measures such as getting LED bulbs for your home. These will consume less energy and need to be changed less frequently than regular bulbs, making them better for the environment. If you can afford it, you could also install solar for your home. This will give you access to greener energy and help you save a good amount of money. You simply need to find reputable commercial solar services in your area and talk to them so that you know how much you have to set aside for this exercise.
Plumbing
Your home’s plumbing is another important item on this Florida home maintenance checklist. This is because issues with plumbing can see you lose a lot of money in the form of leaks. Water contamination can also expose you and your family to avoidable health hazards. This is why it’s important to ensure that your plumbing is in good shape all through the year. Regular inspections and proper maintenance are some important ways in which you can secure your home’s plumbing. To this end, you need to find out the right duration to allow to pass before you get septic pumping if you have a septic system.
You can also benefit from learning about warning signs to keep an eye open for. These may include strange smells from your drains and around our house, weird noises in your pipes, and even unexplained puddles around your home. All of these are signs that you may need to call a sewer repair company to come and have a good look at your system. If anything is amiss, it needs to be addressed as soon as possible to keep to a minimum the likelihood of the issue getting out of hand.
Air Conditioning
Air conditioning maintenance is a must in this Florida home maintenance checklist because it’s the most basic way in which you can keep your home comfortable all year long. That said, enlist the services of a local HVAC company to inspect and service your HVAC. They should also let you know how much time should be allowed to pass before you service your unit. This can help you stay safe from voiding your unit’s warranty. Regular maintenance will also keep your air conditioner working well for a longer time. It will enable you to minimize the chances of an unexpected and expensive breakdown.
Make sure to change anything that needs to be changed in order to keep your unit working efficiently. Take into consideration any additional precautions that may apply if, for example, there are pets in the household or your home has a large number of people. This way, you can reduce the chances of allergies getting triggered and improve your family’s comfort.
Roofing
A roof plays a very important role in any home, and this is why you must ensure that the roof over your Florida home is in good shape. To tick this item off your Florida home maintenance checklist, call a professional roofer to inspect yours at least twice a year. This will enable you to find out if anything’s wrong in time to make any necessary fixes as soon as they need to be made. Doing this can save you a lot of money and headache as it will make it less likely that your roof may fail when you least expect it to.
While ensuring that your roof is in great shape, you could also call a chimney sweep if your home has a chimney. They’ll clean it up and inspect it for damage, ensuring that you don’t have to deal with issues such as excessive soot in the house and more. Have every element inspected and cleaned out well so that you don’t have to climb onto the roof yourself for any reason. This is a risky thing to do that you need to entrust to professionals who have training and the right tools for the job.
Landscaping
The landscape of your Florida home is not to be forgotten when you’re trying to make sure that everything is in good shape. That’s because it helps give your home great curbside appeal and make sure that it looks amazing. That said, call a professional landscaper to help you get your home in the state you want it to be in. This is a crucial part of your Florida home maintenance checklist that you must ensure is taken care of. You could take it a step beyond simply mowing the lawn well and trimming the hedges into attractive shapes.
You could make your landscape more inviting and secure by adding lights. These need not cost you a lot of money as you can go for LED lights, which, on top of lasting for a longer time before they need to be replaced, also consume less energy while they’re on. You may also add some furniture to your yard to make it more livable. Make sure that this furniture is weather-proofed so that you don’t have to deal with the additional expense of repairing it frequently. This could help you enjoy your yard a lot more and also make your home significantly more valuable.
The Driveway
Remember to include driveway repair and maintenance to your Florida home maintenance checklist. This is because your driveway holds your home together, linking the landscape to the rest of your home. It also has an impact on elements such as your home’s foundation. This makes it important for you to make sure that the driveway is always in solid shape. If there are any issues that have already cropped up, address them as soon as you can. These include cracks and potholes in your driveway. If it also appears uneven and reaches the point where it links with your home’s foundation, it’s best to be safe rather than sorry. In this case, call a foundation repair company to have a look at the foundation and let you know if there’s anything that you need to do.
Once it’s been restored to it’s former glory, remember to maintain it so that it doesn’t get damaged again soon. Driveway maintenance typically involves sealing it once every few years or so. The specific length of time and details of the products to use will depend on the material that your driveway is made out of. Have an expert guide you through the process if you’re doing it for the first time so that you can be sure of how to do it right.
Well Servicing
If your home has a well, then you need to ensure that it’s maintained. Servicing your well is a crucial addition to your Florida home maintenance checklist. This is why you must have a professional service your well on a regular basis. Don’t forget to look into the details of a well pump service in your area and find the best. When you do, you’ll have taken even more control over your home’s water supply.
Don’t forget to enlist the services of a water treatment company to help you ensure that you’re getting safe water. They should advise you on the details of any additional equipment you need to get as well as any measures that can improve your water safety. You can be sure that you’ll enjoy having a well a lot more when it has safe water that you can use for anything.
Insulation
Remember to include insulation in your Florida home maintenance checklist. With good insulation, you may be better able to conserve energy around your home. This is because you won’t have the air you treat in your home leak outside and call for you to crank your air conditioner. You could perform an inspection yourself, looking for gaps and cracks between your window frames and the walls. Do the same for your doors and anywhere else where there’s a joint in your home. If you find some, you could buy some caulk from your local hardware and seal them.
If you find bigger gaps than it would make sense to try and fill with caulk, then you need to call a professional to help you find a permanent and more practical solution. This is going to make your home comfortable and safe from the likelihood of pests making their way into your home. As a result, you may be able to keep your home clean and safe from the damage that pests and rodents can do to it.
Cleanliness
The final item on this Florida home maintenance checklist is cleaning your home. It’s important to have a cleaning schedule that will ensure your home is always in a good state. You also need to call a professional cleaning service every now and then to perform a deep and thorough cleaning. This way, you’ll be sure that the furthest reaches of your home are clean and there’s a low chance of anyone suffering from issues such as allergies.
Use this checklist to make sure that your home in Florida is safe and comfortable all through the year. With some practice and consistency, you can soon get the home of your dreams. It will look good and function well, giving you the ability to relax a lot more and enjoy every moment you spend at home. Remember to make consistent efforts so that you can have a great outcome in the end. This way, you may also end up having to spend considerably less money on home maintenance as things may break down less frequently.