DIY Maintenance Tips for Home Interiors
Before you even think about starting any DIY revovating work, you need to go through and work out any maintenance issues that require fixing before you start spending money on the aesthetic side of the project.
here are the four areas you need to think about when renovating or remodeling. Practical, Budgetary, Aesthetic and Maintenance
DIY Maintenance Tips
Have you had the electrical wiring checked? Does it need replacing?
This should be addressed at the beginning of a project as it can be an expensive task, usually not allowed for in your budget, so all sorts of problems start. It is important as faulty or worn old wiring can start house fires and be very dangerous to you and your family – as well as ruining all your new renovations.
Have you checked that the house is insulated? Do you need it? Can it be done?
This can make your home more energy efficient. It is amazing how much heat is lost through your roof, ceiling and walls. Foil can be used under timber floor boards to reduce the cold air coming up through the ground and into the house. Fiber glass or wool batts can be placed into wall cavities if you are taking the linings off the walls to replace them.
Curtains also help with insulation at the windows, ensuring that each room has the ability to cover the windows at night reduces heat loss in the home. Article on House Insulation
Have you had the plumbing and drainage checked? Does it need replacing/repairing? Do you have any leaks in the roof or anywhere else?
Ensure that your hot water cylinders are not costing you valuable dollars in wasted energy. If they are old and worn they are not efficient, replacing with a new one could save you money and provide more hot water. Check that your hot water pipes are lagged to reduce heat loss. Check for leaks, damp areas of floor or wall. Check guttering and downpipes, ensuring they all connect to the stormwater, and don’t just drip onto your path.
Are the current heating and ventilation services adequate? Cost effective? And aesthetically pleasing?
Does your open fire fill your house with smoke? Do you need your chimney cleaned or a new enclosed fireplace installed. Is air-conditioning an easier option with the ability to heat and cool the room. Think about how much you spend on fuel ie wood, coal as well as the time in chopping and lugging it in as well as cleaning out the fire place, and compare it to electric heating or gas heating and see how they will work for you. You may be happy to stay as is but if you are about to renovate it is a good time to review heating and ventilation.
Do the floor boards creak? Are they of sound quality? Do they need replacing?
If you are going to change your floor coverings it is a great time to repair the floor underneath. Get rid of the creaking forever.
Timber floor boards look fantastic, but if they creak, they could drive you crazy, so make sure you check them out and repair and squeaky patches before you decide to sand and varnish them, especially those on the stair.
Do all the door hardware, window catches, the locks etc function? Need repair?
A simple task walk around with a pen and paper and check them all, list up the ones to repair, if it is more that 50% I would probably replace them all as the other 50% will probably break in the near future also. If you can’t find keys to lock, call out the locksmith and get some cut.
Aesthetic Tips
Practical Tips
Budgetary Tips
Written by Lee Brown
