7 Home Maintenance Mistakes that are Costing You More Money than You Think

Is your budget driving you up the wall some months? You’re just getting by most months and you wish you could have some cash left over to put away for that holiday you’re dreaming of. What if you’re making it much harder on yourself than is necessary?

You’ll always have home maintenance expenses, but some homeowners are spending thousands of dollars in this department that they could be enjoying elsewhere. Not sure how blocked drain plumber Melbourne based or your house’s roof is ruining your budget? We compiled a few examples of common mistakes homeowners make.

Change how you manage these scenarios, and you may just be able to go on that holiday after all.

Waiting Too Long Before Calling the Plumber

Getting a plumber to your home is essential since most plumbing problems you can’t handle on your own. The pipe system is intricate and you don’t want to do more harm than good. Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t notice problems until there’s a crisis. If you learn to notice issues earlier, there will be less to repair, which means lower costs:

• If water drains slower than before, you may have a blockage somewhere
• Pressure is different than before, which could mean there’s a leak
• Water smells funny or looks brown, which could mean you have a backflow issue

Using your senses can help you call plumbers in time, resulting in less expenses and stress.

Not Upgrading Appliances

There will always be utility costs to pay bit not implementing ways to cut down on them leads to dollars spent for no reason.

Homeowners don’t realise how much electricity and water they can save by simply upgrading appliances. Modern models have built in power saving features like auto shut off. They often also use less power, even if they’re more powerful than your existing, outdated units.

Here you need to invest a little capital in order to save huge amounts in the long run. It will be money well spent.

Not Considering Smart Home Features

Apart from new appliances you can consider an entire new home management system by creating a smart home. You can manage many appliances, lights air conditioning and more via your smartphone. Those who do invest in these features once again save on utility costs. For example, your automated thermostat will maintain room temperatures so the system doesn’t have to work harder to heat up or cool down each time you get home.

Ignoring Obvious Signs of Pest Infestations

Some pests are known for their skills at hiding away but most of them still leave traces of their presence. The homeowners that don’t look for these traces are at risk of spending a lot of money on repairing the damage caused by mice, termites or even fungi.

If you decide to become more proactive with home maintenance, you’ll soon notice details:

• The sound of mice scurrying at night
• Termites walking around your wood pile
• Weeds threatening to take over your garden.

When you take swift action, you’ll spend much less in coming months to remove pests and then solve the problems they left in their wake.

Underestimating the Value of Good Insulation

Here’s another way you

Here’s another way you’re wasting money: blasting the HVAC unit at high settings because your rooms just can’t seem to heat up.

What if bad insulation is the reason? This is a problem easily remedied with maintenance and repairs:

• Are there small cracks or holes in windows that let cold air in?
• Is your water heater using more energy than it should because it’s not insulated against the cold?
• Does hot air escape via your attic because insulation has deteriorated or never existed at all?

All these problems can easily be tended to if you put aside a few hours each year to assess your home, do repairs or upgrade certain features.

Avoiding Roof Work for Too Long

It’s dangerous work but has to be done: checking your roof. Any homeowner who doesn’t clear gutters risks water damming up and causing problems like rot and mould. Also, when some of your rooftiles are damaged and don’t get replaced, you can have moisture or ventilation problems. All these scenarios can result in unnecessary repair costs. The sooner the issue is fixed the less you’ll need to fix.

Being Too Busy for Gardening

Homeowners without green fingers often neglect the outside area but it’s as important to look after as your home inside. For example:

• Cut back trees so they don’t scrape against the building and cause damage.
• Remove any foliage close to the house walls to prevent pests like termites finding easy access to your home.
• Make sure your trees’ roots don’t start damaging the plumbing by growing into pipes.

The Effort is Worth it!

Yes, all of this requires a little more effort and you need to stay organised throughout the year. But 12 months down the line you’ll be reaping the rewards and wondering why you didn’t start ages ago! Your holiday is now possible!

Did we miss something? Do you have a handy tip for others? Use the comments section to share your thoughts!