Why Is Annual Home Maintenance Important?
Annual house upkeep has several benefits:
- You can catch critical safety or structural problems early.
- You notice small issues before they become big problems.
- You stay familiar with your home, so it’s easier to notice when something changes.
- You build experience and confidence to take on home improvement projects.
We’ve got annual maintenance tips and tips on budgeting for maintenance. However, every home is different. The climate, the age of your home, how well the home has been maintained over the years and more are factors that impact maintenance.
These tips aren’t exhaustive and your budget needs will vary. Use the ideas below as a guide to customize an annual home maintenance checklist and maintenance budget to fit your situation.
Budget for Annual Home Maintenance
Wondering how to budget for annual maintenance? Setting a budget for your home maintenance each year helps manage the inevitable costs of house upkeep and reduces the impact of surprise repairs.
Of course, your annual home improvement budget plan should be one you can afford, but there are some other factors to think about:
- In general, budgeting 1% to 4% of your home’s value each year is a common way of planning for maintenance.
- For a newer home, your budget might be on the lower end of the range.
- A home over 10 years old requires a budget on the higher end as more, larger components need attention.
Annual Home Maintenance for the Exterior
Here are some of the common yearly house upkeep tasks you need to do each year. If the list feels daunting, remember you don’t need to do everything at once. Prioritize the work to fit your home.
Priority Exterior Annual Maintenance
Exterior maintenance is about keeping your home safe and keeping pests and water out of your home.
- Have your roof inspected for damage, missing shingles or panels, and leaks.
- Check for damaged or loose siding.
- Have your home inspected for termites.
- Have basement or crawlspace insulation and the crawlspace moisture barrier checked.
- Have your heating and cooling units inspected and cleaned.
- Make sure your gutters are working properly.
- Check your foundation for cracks.
- Inspect the door and window weatherstripping and caulk, replacing as necessary.
- Inspect your deck and fencing for damage and address any problems.
- Clean and seal any wood decks or fencing.
- Touch up exterior paint.
- Clean and seal your driveway.
- Keep up with lawn and garden maintenance.
Optional Exterior Annual Maintenance
With the critical tasks done, you can focus on work that keeps your landscape beautiful and comfortable.
- Plant or update a container garden.
- Add a paver patio or walkway to your yard.
- Plant flowering shrubs and fragrant plants.
- Update patio furniture with new outdoor cushions.
- Do a sweep of your exterior for other simple tasks like cleaning your porch, touching up paint, polishing or painting house numbers etc.
Annual Home Maintenance for the Interior
There are things you need to do inside each year as well. Since you don’t have to worry about the weather, you’ll have more flexibility in getting the work done.
Priority Interior Annual Maintenance
Safety and security are key for priority maintenance but also pay attention to potential moisture issues and make sure everything is operating smoothly.
- Replace the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and check expiration dates.
- Check your fire extinguishers to ensure they’re charged and not past the expiration date.
- Clean your dryer exhaust vent.
- Test the ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets. You’ll likely have some outdoors, so test those as well.
- If you haven’t been keeping up with air filter replacement, replace the filters now.
- Flush your water heater to remove sediment. If you have hard water, plan to do this at least twice a year.
- Inspect your walls and ceilings for stains or peeled paint that could indicate leaks.
- Have your attic insulation checked.
- Check your pipe insulation if you live in an area where frozen pipes are a concern.
- Check water supply lines for appliances, toilets and faucets, and test operation of the shutoff valves.
- Clean your refrigerator coils.
- Deep clean your carpets.
Optional Interior Annual Maintenance
With your home safe and secure, take some time to make it more enjoyable.
- Clean or replace area rugs.
- Clean or update curtains and drapes.
- Repot your houseplants into new containers.
- Deep clean your kitchen and bathroom faucets.
- Clean throw pillows and upholstery.
Home Maintenance for 5 Years and Beyond
Keeping up with annual home maintenance makes 5-year, 10-year, 20-year, etc. maintenance easier. You’ll address potential problems early and you’ll spread the necessary work over time instead of trying to handle it all at once.
It’s good to start planning for your next long-term maintenance as well. Take a look at our lists for:
You’ll know what to expect and you’ll be able to keep your home maintenance budget on track.