PROTECTING YOUR INVESTMENT
Regular home maintenance is key
Purchasing a house can be a terrific investment, but unlike other investments it requires regular maintenance.
Maintaining a home should always start with the building envelope: roof, siding, doors, windows, foundation. If any of these items fail, moisture is going to get in. Your shingles should last 20-30 years, but your caulking requires regular touchups. After the next big rain or snow melt, take a flashlight and peak into your attic and look for moisture. Roof vents and flashings around chimneys are major culprits for letting water in. If you see any signs of moisture, call a qualified roofing company to investigate.
Next, you will want to check exterior walls, windows and doors. Look for cracks in stucco/ brick, loose or missing siding, and cracked or missing caulking around windows and doors. Wherever there is a crack it’s an entry point for water, so make sure they are sealed. If you have wood-framed windows, check for peeling paint and/or rotting frames. It may be time to give them a fresh coat of paint.
The best time to conduct a ‘walk around’ is either while it’s raining or immediately after. Look for pooling water within six feet of the foundation. Eavestroughs and downspouts can get plugged with leaves or easily come loose and detach, directing water toward the foundation rather than away from it. Plan to clean the eaves annually and inspect them regularly to ensure proper placement and that they are in the down position, whisking water away from the foundation.
Every lot should have a 10 per cent slope away from the foundation of your house, meeting in a valley between you and your neighbour. This slope is created during the rough grading process when your house is built. After a couple years it will settle and require regular maintenance. If you find the grade around your home has sunk and you can visibly see it sloping toward your foundation, then your basement is at risk for water infiltration. If water collects next to your foundation and freezes you are also at risk of your foundation cracking. If you get a horizontal crack in your foundation you will likely be looking at a very costly repair — perhaps in the $20,000 to 30,000 range.
Hiring a landscaping company to regrade your lot is one option, or you can do it yourself. Pull back the topsoil and build your grade using clay. It is the clay layer below the topsoil that acts as the water barrier. Topsoil is like a sponge, and will just collect water and let if flow through. Clay is less porous, so the water runs off it. Whichever way your clay is sloping is the way the water will run. Once you’ve corrected the grade, you can then add topsoil or other decorative materials, like rock or bark chips.
Does your home have a sump pump that pushes water away from the foundation? If you answered yes, then the sump needs to be checked regularly to ensure that it is fully functioning. Sump pump failure is a leading cause of basement water infiltration. Some sumps come with alarms that can notify you of a failure before it becomes a big problem. If your sump pump is regularly kicking in, consider adding an alarm. You would not believe how quickly the water can accumulate should the sump pump fail.
A ‘fresh water’ infiltration is one thing, but protecting your investment from a sewer back up is another. Homes built in 1990 and later come equipped with a back water valve that prevents raw sewage from backing up into the home in the event of a sewer problem down the line. When a sewer backs up, it can do a lot of damage to your home and belongings. Backwater valves can be added to existing homes, and you may qualify for a subsidy to put one in. Call 311 for more details.
We hope we never need to use fire alarms, but if we do they had better be working. Modern fire alarms have a best-before date, and it’s important to regularly test them and replace them when their life cycle is up. Replace the batteries semi-annually (if yours are not connected to power). It’s also a good idea to have functioning carbon monoxide detectors.
A little preventive maintenance will go a long way to protecting your home’s value, your pocketbook, and your enjoyment of your home for years to come.