Time for a Home Checkup!

Just like you need to go to the dentist for regular routine maintenance, your home needs ongoing T.L.C. to keep it looking and feeling well. And just like delaying medical checkups, if you put it off these maintenance checks, your house will surely suffer for it in the long run.

We have been in business a long time, and we find that some folks simply don’t know where to get started with their routine maintenance plan. Luckily, we do! We offer the following programs to keep your home healthy, energy-efficient and in good order between larger projects. And we work with you to establish a schedule for prioritizing these tasks.

Base-Line Maintenance

Every home requires annual base-line maintenance. This includes everything from cleaning gutters and touching up varnish, paint and caulking, to power cleaning and oiling decks. We can also fix minor items like sticky door locks and broken screens. We can also identify and repair compromises in your home’s exterior to keep it in good order and prevent water from sneaking in. Keep in mind that these mini projects will have your home’s parts working better and looking cleaner, making them ready for full enjoyment all year round.

Best of all, calling us for this one-stop professional service allows you to free up your weekends for doing the things you love, or just simply relaxing.

Home-Energy Efficiency

Many homeowners (and some builders and remodelers!) are confused by this concept: Your home should be comfortable to live in and efficient to run. This means it should use the least amount of water and energy to achieve these goals. Don’t let anyone tell you that an older home can’t be efficient, or that just slapping on new windows will achieve your desired results. Neither are true.

To get real results, we provide a home energy auditor who is familiar with older houses to test your home’s efficiency. The auditor tests the performance of appliances and fixtures, as well as the overall house structure, to see where waste is occurring, then consults with us to develop the best, most cost-effective means of improving your home’s results. Usually, we tackle the simple, unglamorous stuff first and make plans to tackle the sexier items later. The exciting part, for you, is seeing lower energy and water use, resulting in a cheaper-to-run home.

Our system is best because we combine the expertise and facts of a home energy audit from a carefully selected BPI pro who knows older homes with our own many decades of experience and knowledge working on older homes. We know how to get the “biggest bang for your buck,” and we can stage steps out over time to make the process more affordable.

Typically, this service costs $750-$900, depending on the complexity of the home, and this investment (including the first efficiency improvements) is earned back in saved energy costs in less than 3 years. Many times, tax incentives are available, too.

Whole-Home Planning

Not to be confused with planning additions, whole-home planning is about the practical financial analysis of your home. Your home is one of your biggest assets, and you should consult an expert about how to best manage that investment, in the same way you research and plan your other investments. Questions we cover include:

What did you pay for your house?
How long have you lived there?
What equity do you have in your home now, and what will it look like in future?
Are you being confounded by low appraised value at present?
Do you want to sell? If so, when?
What can you afford to invest in your home to make it the most enjoyable to live in for you, and easiest to sell later to someone else?
When can you afford to do what?
What product and design decisions will be the best investment value for your home now, as well as later?
How do you know that what you improve now will last and be of high quality?
How does your home compare to your neighbors’? Is it missing something, like a powder room, master suite or family entertainment area? How about landscaping?

We can help you look at all of these issues and more to help you create a plan for projects that will increase the value of your home over the long haul.

Image: EasyPickle