Hire a Handyman to save on a Contractor

Homes are ever changing structures: shrinking and expanding, freezing and drying. They were built to be maintained, with components repaired and replaced. There are many low-cost preventative projects that should be done on your house with the changing seasons and over time that will save you tons of money and avoid emergency stresses that always happen at the worst times possible. Many of these projects can be done on your own, from going to a local home improvement store or watching a YouTube video. But if doing the work yourself is not possible, you can easily find an affordable Handyman to do simple preventative tasks that will save you thousands in repairs. Here is a list of some low-cost projects you can do yourself or hire a Handyman to avoid having to hire a General Contractor later:

1) Exterior Caulk: Depending on the quality of caulk that’s on your home, you may need to re-caulk the exterior of your home sooner than you think. If the caulking around the windows or siding on the exterior of your house is cracking or peeling away from the trim, you need to re-caulk to prevent moisture and bugs from getting into the walls.

2) Water Heater: To be completely safe, you should change out your water heater every 10yrs if you can afford it. To extend the life of your water heater, you should replace the Anode Rod that helps prevent corrosion of the tank, which leads to leaks, and costly water damage.

3) Cut back bushes away from your house siding: You should regularly cut trees, bushes, and shrubs up and away from the siding of your home. This will prevent damage to the siding from moisture and bugs that will accumulate over time.

4) Clean your roof: This is especially important if you have trees that overhang your home. Brushing off debris and moss from your rooftop will save you thousands in leaking roofs and full on replacements. As the roof is being cleaned, you can inspect for loose shingles or areas of concern.

5) Replace your furnace filters: This is about as easy as it can get. If you have a furnace, you can easily remove and replace the filter with a matching size. This will help keep the air clean, but it will also extend the life of the furnace.

6) Clean your gutters and downspouts: The gutter system is critical in diverting water away from your home. Clogged or damaged gutters can go unnoticed and eventually lead to expensive damages.

7) Reseal wood decks and fences: This task can be no fun, but if wooden decks and fences go untreated, you will be needing to replace them at many times the cost of just putting a coat of sealant on.

6) Open your curtains: Lastly, Open your curtains and let sunlight into your home. Especially if your home has lots of nature around outside. Mold is everywhere, it is in nature as plants and insects decompose. Some small levels of mold will get into your home naturally. It is important to make sure there is not long-standing water. Clean so that mold cannot grow in areas of your home. Opening the curtains and letting UV light into your home can help kill mold spores.