Not everyone is handy with a hammer or a mallet, so don’t expect every homeowner to know how to fix things around the house. Home maintenance is the primary reason why people don’t like to own homes. Instead, they live in condominium units and apartments because it makes more sense to have other people take care of these things.
For homeowners, they shouldn’t need to spend so much time, money, and resources on maintaining a home they’re still paying the mortgage for. So, what are you going to do if you want to build your own home but are also afraid of the consequences of home care and maintenance?
Record Everything
The hassle of home maintenance shouldn’t make you forget about your dream house. It is one thing to worry about, but it’s another thing to completely forget about your dream. Home maintenance is manageable. As long as you are prepared for it—both financially and logistically—you shouldn’t have to worry about taking care of your house and repairing whatever needs to be fixed.
The simple solution is to record everything. When did you last had a home inspection? What did the inspector say? What problems did the plumbing and electricity, for example, encounter in the past year? If you are buying a home that’s already been lived in, make sure to talk to the homeowners about any problems the property had in the last decade. But if you are building the home from scratch, then lucky you because there are many ways to prepare for possible home repairs and replacements.
Metals and Steel Marking
Do you know that steel fabricators can use metal marking fluid for sale to put lettering and logos on metal and steel products? Most homes are made of metal and stainless steel. You can ask your contractor to have markings on the steel and metal structure. What kind of markings should be on the steel? Ask the fabricator to put the brand, warranty information, and, if possible, even the contact details of the makers on the structure.
Roof
Is there anything worse than roof leaks? You’ll need to call a professional roofer for this problem. They’ll have to assess the problems and make the proper recommendations for repairs and recommendations. The process usually takes time, but not if the roof has proper markings and is easily accessible. The markings will guide the roof repairmen on how to fix the problems and give them an idea about the layout of the roof.
Aside from that, you have to make sure that the roof is also accessible. If the roof is too steep, it will be hard for the repairman to access it. Ask the contractor to build to make the roof accessible even to you by adding a railing on the sides of the external walls or a pull-down ladder to climb the roof.
Plumbing
One of the biggest problems of every home is the plumbing. When there is a leak in the internal plumbing, it’ll be hard to detect it without the proper tools. You can talk this over with the contractor, who may consider bringing a part of the pipes out of the walls so plumbers will have access to them without needing to break down concrete.
You can also consider having the pipes run outside your home. This means you can even determine where a leak is coming from since the pipes are not hidden in concrete. Plumbers will thank you for the consideration since despite having more technologically advanced tools now, detecting leaks still cause a major problem for many.
Electric Labels
Finally, label your electric lines well. This isn’t just a matter of convenience, but also of safety. By labeling your electric lines, you can turn off problematic ones instead of turning off the whole thing. This will affect the whole house instead of only a few sockets. Your home will not pass inspection, too, if you don’t label the wires accurately. Ask the electrician to help you with this and make sure to have a record of these labels. When the time comes for a repair, you’ll be happy to point out where the lines run.
Yes, home maintenance is challenging, so some people decide to live in serviced apartments to get away from the responsibility. However, with a few well-planned moves, you won’t have to forego the dream of owning a home. You can hit two birds with one stone if you structure and build your house in a way that will make it easy for you and any future homeowner to maintain it.