Home Improvements
Have you ever wondered when and why you should keep your house up to date?
If you think about it, next to your car, a house will probably be the largest investment in your life. Why wouldn’t you want to protect that investment?
Most of us are so busy working and living that we don’t think about creating a maintenance schedule until things begin to go wrong: the stucco falls off, or rain starts pouring from the edge of the eaves troughs, or drafts take over and the heating bill climbs.
In fact, people should plan to spend five to 10 percent of their annual income keeping their house in good shape and up to date. This includes annual maintenance items such as painting both inside and outside, re-grading the property making sure your foundation is stable and that your house has not shifted, keeping your gutters clear, looking out for any water damage, and so on.
You should also think about the future. At some point, do you plan to sell your property? Everything you do has an impact on the eventual value of your home. That includes exterior maintenance of driveways and fences and front entrances. A sagging doorstep can really drag down expectations and prices.
Keeping the interior modern is also important. Investment in kitchens and bathrooms will pay dividends both in terms of selling price but also in convenience and pleasure while you live in the home.
But, you say, it costs so much money to update my property! However, did you know that your can redo a kitchen in most houses for under $15,000? You can repaint most house exteriors for under $2,000.
And your can usually update a bathroom for about for $5,000. Those are all manageable numbers and you don’t have to do it all at once.
Don’t forget the little touches. At the very least, consider repainting the inside your house. Replace carpets and hardwoods. Think about kitchen refinishing and updating out-of-fashion fixtures. All these small things will pay big dividends.
And right now is a very good time to think about replacing old and inefficient windows. We can arrange for the cost to come out of Manitoba Hydro monthly payments with very little stress on your budget and an offsetting reduction in heating costs.
Brent Poole is the owner operator of Handy Hands Construction, which he has run with his father Jim since 1997. A carpenter by trade, Brent enjoys all types of projects. “We’re not happy until you are happy!”