The Ultimate Home Maintenance Guide Part 1 of 7 – Drainage & Landscaping
If you’ve just bought your first home, sooner or later the question will dawn on you…what do I have to do to maintain it and how much will that cost me? Or perhaps you’re a long-time home owner and have been blindsided by expensive repairs. If that’s you, don’t feel too badly – even the wisest among us has been guilty of underestimating the cost of home maintenance. The changing weather conditions of our amazing location in central Ontario present a variety of challenges you want to stay on top of as the seasons change.
In this seven-part series, we will be laying out the ultimate home maintenance guide (Romana King, Money Sense). Use this guide and feel confident that you have done everything possible to keep your house in top condition, avoid larger costs that result from poor maintenance, and have a budget plan in place so you’re not caught off guard by expensive repairs.
COST
How much should you set aside to keep up with each year’s maintenance? Some experts suggest you budget between $15,000-25,000 per year for a $500,000 house. MoneySense calculations are based on maintenance for a 2,000-square-foot detached home in Canada, and their numbers differ significantly.
Some maintenance costs will happen every year, such as changing furnace filters. According to MoneySense, you can expect to spend roughly $1,000 a year on regular maintenance if you DIY, or $3,000 if you hire professionals. Other maintenance will take place once a decade and can be a major headache if you haven’t planned for it. These “as needed” repairs can range from replacing wiring, plumbing and flooring, to furnace, water heater, or roof. When the old one suddenly breaks, wears out, or suffers damage, you’ve got to bite the bullet and fix it. Monitoring these areas for wear-and-tear will help you plan and budget for it. MoneySense, recommends you set aside $3,500-7,500 for replacement costs of big ticket items, which sets your overall annual budget to between $4,500-10,500 per year.
This maintenance guide has been divided into the following seven areas of your home and includes estimates for budgeting purposes in each category:
- Drainage and Landscaping
- External Maintenance
- Foundation
- Plumbing
- Roof
- Electrical
- HVAC
There are many apps out there that can help you plan, schedule, and budget your home maintenance tasks, so once you’ve got a firm grasp on these seven areas, check out our blog on must-have apps for home owners to help you implement your home maintenance plan: www.faristeam.ca/8-must-apps-homeowners/
Believe it or not, the weather will soon catch up to the calendar, confirming that spring has finally arrived, so we are starting our series with drainage and landscaping.
DRAINAGE & LANDSCAPING
Landscaping has the obvious advantage of adding value to your house, but it also has a hidden purpose: draining water away from your foundation.
Your home’s drainage starts with the eaves, soffits, gutters, and drains.
Next, your land should slope away from your foundation and driveway. Checking this can be as simple as pouring a glass of water on the ground close to the walls to see where the water goes. Does it pool? Trickle away from the wall? Or worse, slide toward the wall and sit until it is absorbed? Your grading should allow one-inch for each foot of land, and there should be at least eight feet of grade from your foundation to your property edge.
Finally, attend to paths and driveways around your home. Cracks can allow water to seep in and result in erosion. Small repairs to hardscaping can save big long term.
Annual
Clean eaves troughs and downspouts.
Twice a year. $0-$250, depending on the size of your home and whether you DIY or not.
Inspect and patch driveway.
At least once a year. DIY for $100
Re-grade soil away from home.
Once a year. DIY for $100 for every 7,000-10,000 sq. ft.
As Necessary
Re-grade property around foundation.
Every 25 years. $2,000-$8,000
Replace eaves, soffits and fascia.
Every 20-40 years. $2,300-$2,800
Re-pave driveway with new base.
Every 15-30 years. $750-$3,800