Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Maintaining Your Home Investment

By Jim Thorpe


When a person in Salt Lake City, Utah, considers which home improvement jobs to tackle, they can often be persuaded into a project that does not do much for the value of the home or for the functionality of the home.

This is not to say that they neglect the exterior of their home. In fact, there are many who spend countless hours in their front or back yards tending to their lawn car and other exterior aspects of their home.

But there are still many more who treat the outside of the home with limited concern. This casual neglect of the exterior of the home may be largely due to the feeling of the homeowner that they do not have the skills, materials, or time to complete exterior home improvement projects.

While Utah construction companies are more than willing to give their professional helping hand to Utah homeowners striving to improve their home's exterior, relatively simple home improvement projects can be undertaken by the homeowner themselves to bring new life to the outer appearance of their home.

Similarly, a new coat of paint or a completely new color scheme inside the home can help a home retain its value. Painting the interior of the home can be a large project in that it will require more man hours than some may feel they have time for, but nonetheless, painting just one room in the home or even the entire interior of the home is a project that the homeowner could do themselves if they wish to.

Semi-annually, there are a number of things to look into. Test your smoke detectors and replace batteries if necessary. Inspect toilets for leaks and other water problems. Look for cracks or otherwise deteriorating caulk in your showers, tubs, or sinks. Replace if you notice excessive wear and tear. Replace your forced-air heating system filters (unless otherwise instructed in your user's manual). Clean out the lint from ducts and other areas in the dryer. Believe it or not, lint still sneaks past the filter and needs to be removed to prevent a fire. Also take a look at the water inlet filters. Make sure they're clean.

This is an ambitious project and may require the help of a Utah construction company, but the homeowner can instantly improve the appearance and protection afforded to the home by replacing old siding with new and updated siding.

Repainting the door of the entry way a bright and cheerful or contrasting color can make the entire entry way stand out. Likewise, the simple task of replacing or refurbishing the hardware on the door will make the front entry way an aesthetically pleasing addition to the outside look of the home.

Other relatively simple projects that a homeowner can undertake to improve the exterior appearance of their home include making a pathway from the driveway to the front door if one does not already exist or adding to the walkway if one is already in place. A frame work of red brick, for example, can turn an ordinary concrete path into an attractive walkway.



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