It's Your House

It's your house, It's your house, put on your put on your work clothes! work clothes!

Congratulations! You’ve just bought your first home. This place is completely yours!

Condolences. You are now your own landlord and all the home maintenance is your responsibility.

First time homeowners can often be overwhelmed with the necessity of maintaining their properties. When do you need to change your AC filter? What about that crack above the window? How long does a water heater last? And. so. much. more.

Local realtors Stacie Gooch and Eric Hogue shared tips about the things they tell new homeowners.

“Any home buyer, first-timer or multiple-timer, should always make sure their agent requests that the seller pay for a one-year home warranty in the contract,” Hogue advised. “That way the buyer has help if something should go wrong that first year of ownership. Additionally, I always recommend the ‘one percent rule,’ you should set aside at least one percent of your home’s value every year for home maintenance. For a $360,000 house, this works out to $3,600 per year, or $300 per month.” In addition to wear-and-tear maintenance, some chores need to be performed seasonally or yearly.

Gooch recommends homeowners have the HVAC systems serviced in the spring and fall; that the water heater is drained once a year “so that you are getting rid of residue” and that before you use your fireplace, have that chimney cleaned.

She also advises foundation maintenance to help avoid those cracks above the windows. “To maintain your foundation, have an in-ground foundation drip system installed or use soaker hoses placed 18 inches away from the house.”

Watering the foundation is a must, Hogue concurred. “Water the foundation with soaker hoses on the days your city allows you to water and don’t depend on your sprinkler system to do the job for you, because it won’t! Protect your foundation … especially in the summer and fall -- the non-rainy seasons.”

Keeping the HVAC system well maintained is important to

cooling and heating your home, both realtors agree. Gooch tells homeowners to change the air filter on their unit every 30 days. Hogue recommends every 30 to 45 days.

“It doesn’t matter if it is the most expense or the cheapest filter. They both work the same way,” he said. Other yearly tasks, according to Gooch, include: • Removing old and peeling caulk and re-caulking around windows inside and out. • Checking that door thresholds do not have gaps at the bottom where air can escape or come in. • Inspecting roof vents to make sure they are sealed properly. • Monitoring the outside of your home for any holes in facia boards. Seal them up so rodents do not get in the attic. • Trimming all bushes and trees off of the roof and away from any wood or siding on the house.

And just so you’ll know, there are some ‘rules’ about things that should and should not go into a garbage disposal. Gooch garbage disposal etiquette includes a list of “Never Put Ins.” Items on that list are: “Bones – they'll just keep spinning around and around with the blades; celery – the fibrous strings tend to tangle around the blades; coffee grounds – coffee grounds are deceptive; egg shells; fruit pits; grease; pasta; and potato peels. OK. But how often should you plan on painting those inside rooms?

“The easy answer is every five to seven years,” Hogue said, “but some walls in your home may need to be repainted more frequently than others due to daily wear and tear. For example, if you only eat in your formal dining room during the holidays, you probably won’t need to paint the walls as often as those found in your kitchen, hallways, or bathroom. Bottom line, if you paint the rooms yourself, painting is one of the least expensive ways to ‘update’ your home. You just need the paint and elbow grease.”

Mortgage resource company HSH provides a list of home maintenance tasks and when to do them.

Every 12 months, homeowners should: clean the clothes dryer exhaust; lubricate garage door springs; look for signs of termites; remove debris from rain gutters as needed; and check the tank if you are on a septic system.

Projects that should be done every two to five years include: duct cleaning; reseal grout; replace caulking around windows and doors.

Chores that can be done every five to 10 years include painting the exterior and inspecting appliances from the hot water heater to the kitchen sink for needed repairs or replacement. • w

Sometimes you just have to call for help!

"My hubby and I purchased an older home in 1986. There was only a basic light fixture in the master. I found a ceiling fan on sale – it was 75-80 percent off original price! It sat in the corner of the bedroom for months. Hubby said since it was an older house, he needed to add reinforcement to the rafters in the attic to properly distribute the weight. I got feed up with waiting. I decided it couldn’t be that hard, I would do it. Our home had a second story addition and the attic access was upstairs. I took my flashlight and measuring device, went into the attic and crawled to the other side of the house to measure rafters by the light fixture in the bedroom. I did not know that they were always done to a standard width and all the same. Got my measurements, went back outside to cut a 2x4 to the proper width. Now I need to screw this board between two rafters by the light fixture. I find an extension cord, drill, flashlight, board and 3” screws. I used duct tape and taped the screws to my thigh. Put the board inside my shirt/bra along my spine. I tucked the flashlight into the front of my bra so it basically shined toward my chin. I carried the drill attached to the extension cord and climbed into the attic. Got about 4/5 of the way and ran out of extension cord. Went back out of the attic, unloaded the board and flashlight. Found a second extension cord and restarted my attic journey. About half way in, my flashlight quit. Back out of the attic, unload, search for batteries. There are no batteries in my house! But I do have an electric drop light! Fourth trip into the attic dragging drill, drop light 2x4 on my back and 3” screws taped to my thigh. I made it. Screwed the board into place. Now to exit the attic. I’m crawling along the rafters, lose my balance and fall onto the sheetrock. My left knee, hip and buttocks have fallen through the ceiling. I feel like I was stuck there for a while … but I finally found my way out, collected all the tools from the attic and sat and cried for a few minutes. Then I picked up the yellow pages and looked for handyman services. Called a few but it was Saturday afternoon and most told me they wouldn’t be available until the following week. One last chance before I call hubby to confess … I told this very nice man what happened and it needed to be fixed before my spouse got home. He agreed to come. I didn’t even ask what it cost! The good news is I had started early and my hubby didn’t get off work until 10 p.m. and we had planned a late movie – we wouldn’t be home until after 1 a.m. Handyman repaired the sheetrock, painted, cleaned up AND installed the ceiling fan. I had left all the windows open for the house to air out. When we got home hubby didn’t notice anything. The next morning he was so excited and proud of me for installing that fan! About a month later, hubby was up late taking care of our finances. He came downstairs and woke me up to ask about a charge of $375 to Rent-A-Husband! I had to explain what had happened and convince him that Rent-A-Husband was the name of the handyman service. I have also tried to replace the toilet flapper – five hours, six trips to Home Depot, two calls to a plumber, borrowed tool from neighbor and $75 later … My handsome husband says it is cheaper for me to hire help."

~ Jean LaBron