Things You Need to Know About Maintaining Your Home

All Preventative Maintenance:  Hire a trusted and capable handyman that can help with household items, both big and small. You can do much of the maintenance yourself, but with busy schedules life gets in the way of good intentions. Refer to our Concierge List for handymen we recommend or are highly recommended by our clients.  Keeping up with minor, relatively inexpensive preventative maintenance can save you thousands of dollars.

HVAC Care:  For smooth running systems and your family’s air quality, change the filters in your forced hot air heating system and your central air conditioning system.  Keep track of the minor signs of water seepage or moisture of your water heater, indicating wear and replace when necessary.  Contract to have your heating and hot water system serviced yearly.  In addition have a yearly maintenance program for your central air system.  Chimney and wood burning stoves need to be serviced from time to time as well.  Refer to our Concierge List.

Water and Moisture:  Keep up with the caulking around your kitchen and bathroom areas. This will prevent potential water damage and mold.

Clear gutters of leaves to prevent water running over the gutters against the house or too close to the house which could result in damage to the trim and siding.  Improperly maintained gutters may also redirect water into the basement.

Look for and replace trim boards and siding that have water damage.

As cold weather approaches, shut off your outside water spigot from the inside and then open the spigot from the outside insuring there is no water remaining in the pipes. Water must be blown out of your sprinkler systems and pipes leading to your outside pool. Refer to our Concierge List.

Other Equipment & System Maintenance:

Sump pumps , water filters, well pumps, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and all appliances all need to be checked annually to avoid equipment failure.  Private water systems need to be serviced and private septic systems need to be cleaned out according to your private sewer service plan.

Outside Decks and Walkways:

Decks made of wood need to be sealed periodically to extend their life.  Decks made of composite need to be cleaned annually.  Walkways need to be maintained for their appearance as well as for their safety.