Which home maintenance items are more important than at first glance?

With the weather trying to decide if it wants to be Winter or an early Spring, it’s the perfect time to notice the condition of your home and create a “To Do” list. Some items on the list are often downplayed, but are more important than one may think.

⏩ Gutter cleaning is one of the tasks that we thought of as an annual chore, but an inspector pointed out that each home and landscaping is different, so some properties require gutter cleaning twice a year. ⏩ Annual chimney cleaning should also be on the list. During the winter season, it seems that there’s a fire on the news almost every other day and hiring a professional to clean the chimney, the liner and make sure it’s free from creosote build up.

⏩ While you’re looking at the gutters and chimney, take a walk around and make sure there aren’t any vines or vegetation infiltrating the siding or masonry on your home. If the plants are able to grow underneath the siding, it can cause warping or even deteriorate the structure underneath.

⏩ During the chilly days, did you notice any drafts coming in the perimeter of the windows or even worse, has any water leaked in? If so, check to make sure the windows are properly insulated and that the caulking around the exterior is intact.

Inadequate caulk can not only cause damage to the window structure, but also cause heat loss and an increased energy bill. If your home has skylights, don’t forget to check those too (or hire someone to do it).

If you’ve checked these four things, you’ve probably been out in the cold long enough so let’s wrap up with a check of the smoke detectors inside and making certain you have carbon monoxide detectors on each floor.

Remember to check your batteries whenever we set the clocks back or ahead and if they eliminate daylight savings time, we’ll have to find another reminder! Stay warm and get ready for Spring — let’s hope the groundhog was right!