Establish a Home Maintenance Budget
Every home requires maintenance. Since your home is your biggest investment, it's only sensible to set money aside for needed repairs before they occur, or you'll be playing catchup forever. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Inspect your entire home. Check the condition of the home's heating and air conditioning and the plumbing and electrical systems. Confirm the status of the insulation. Verify the integrity of the walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors. Don't forget the structural components, such as the foundation, basement and supports. Look for signs of pests, such as termites. Determine the condition of your septic system or drain. Check that the plants that make up your landscaping are healthy. For an objective look, hire somebody from the American Society of Home Inspectors ASHI, the oldest professional home inspection organization in North America. The cost of a professional comprehensive inspection will vary, but it will give you are starting point for your budget.
2. Prioritize the needed repairs, putting safety first. If you have a loose banister on the front steps leading to your driveway you'll need to make that a priority so that you or your guests don't slip in inclement weather. Comfort comes second, aesthetics come last.
3. Get an estimate from a contractor. Find out two components, the repair's initial cost and how long it is expected to last. For example a new roof can be expected to last twenty years, while a gas water heater might need replacement in ten
4. Now it's time to put all the data together. Let's say that your gutters are rusting and will have to be replaced, yet your roof was redone ten years before. Open a spread sheet like Excel. List the anticipated repair in the first column, followed by the cost of the repair, followed in the third column with how soon you will need the repair in months. For the fourth column divide the cost by the years until you'll need the repair. The fifth column should provide the anticipated life of the repair where the sixth should be the total cost of the repair by the life of the repair. Expand the illustration for a closer look. Do this for every repair on your list. Your fourth column will supply you with your monthly home maintenance budget. Once a repair is done, use your last column for your budget.
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