Maintaining Your Home
I have been the owner of and upscale home for more then 25 years and a homebuilder since 1980. Below are some helpful hints to maintain your home.
Landscaping- hiring a professional landscaper is best. Mow grass, edge, weed and trim shrubs weekly. Never cut more then 1/3 of the length of the blade of grass. It puts major stress on the lawn. Sure its more work to cut the grass weekly during growing season but that's what it takes.
Make sure you stay on top of your landscaper to avoid a $500-$700 bill for “whipping” your yard into shape when you hire the new replacement company. Pay a fee each month even though there is less work to do in the winter. Winter is the time to ask your company to tighten things up. In the summer due to all the rain, they have all they can do to stay on top of the basics. If you push the lawn guys too hard in the summer they'll quit. You have more leverage in the winter.
Go figure, you hire a lawn guy to work in the yard and then pay Bally to give you a work out!
Mulch- new mulch should to placed in the planting beds yearly. On a1/4 acre lot about 15 CY is required. I buy 200 bags of mulch (2 cu ft, each) from Home Depot ($50 delivery charge) and ask my lawn company to install it. This way, I know how much mulch was actually installed and the bags are much easier for the lawn guys to carry. You can even do it yourself if your ambitious or decided to cancel your Bally membership.
Non-colored Cypress mulch is best (the red dye can't be good for the environment ), pine bark mulch just floats away with the first rainstorm. Cypress mulch mats together and stays in place longer.
Insect control- is required 1 time per month. Most companies fertilize and perform weed control at the same time. They normally apply fertilizer and insect control by spraying. During the rainy season, ask for granulated fertilizer so it doesn't wash away with the afternoon showers. Make sure they use a leaf blower to remove the excess granular material that lands on concrete surfaces. Otherwise, the iron in the fertilizer leaves rust stains. It usually ends up in your pool as little orange dots!
Roof cleaning- required every 3 years. Make sure they wet down your shrubs and cover them with plastic before they start. Its smart to water your landscaping a few hours before they arrive. This keeps the shrubs and grass from absorbing their chemical mix as much. Hire a lightweight guy to walk on your roof to avoid costly roof repairs from broken roof tiles.
I cleaned the tile roof this last time myself. It's not for the faint at heart. I saved about 2/3 the cost an outside company would charge. I used a 10% chlorine, pool shock, liquid mix that I bought at Lowe's and applied it with a lawn sprayer. Make sure you hose it off afterward.
Clean the roof after the sun goes down and the roof is cool so the chlorine won't evaporate as it hits the hot roof. When you walk on a tile roof, always step on the tile where two pieces overlap. It's stronger there and keeps the tile from breaking. Don't walk in the area where two roofs come together (the valley), especially if it's a closed valley.
On second thought, hire the roof cleaning guys. I don't want to have to take up a collection to support your wife and kids!
Roof Tile Maintenance- most homeowners forget they even have a roof. It's like the land of the lost. If they can't see it, it doesn't exist! There's a lot going on up there!
The roof catches the brunt of the weather. It gets more exposure to the elements than any other part of your home. Frankly, the roof area really takes a beating and needs maintenance on a regular basis. I know, because I walk my roof annually. If you're not walking it, somebody else should be.
Don't wait until you have water stains on your drywall ceiling. By that time, you could be looking at $1,000's of damage repairs. Minimally, take a look at your roof area from an inside window or the ground. Do you see roof shingles or tile displaced or missing? If you do, get it inspected.
Almost every-time somebody works up on your tile roof area, they are damaging something. Painters, roof cleaners, gutter cleaners, satellite dish installers and holiday decoration hangers. They're not going to tell you how many roof tile they broke.
Exterior house cleaning- removing mold, mildew, insect nests etc. is required every two years. I know they call it pressure washing but nobody actually does that. It causes too much damage unless you do it yourself, carefully. The professionals use water mixed with liquid chlorine to do all the work and just hose it off. Have them clean the screen enclosure too.
Remember many homes have drywall ceilings on front and rear porches. It may look like textured stucco but it's not. If you're new to Central Florida you won't figure that out until the drywall starts to sag. This mistake can be costly! Now you know why Custom Homes have tongue & groove wood ceilings.
Window washing- cleaning the inside, outside, screens and tracks is required every two years, right after the exterior house cleaning. I like to hire the same company to do both as I get a better deal. Have them do the pool deck too. They might even throw in the driveway and sidewalk cleaning if you negotiate.
Exterior painting- is required every 5-10 years. Darker colors fade out faster than lighter ones. Touching up damage paint will extend the life of your paint job. Hire a painter ($100) every couple of years to TU the paint inside and outside. This will keep your home looking sharp. A fresh coat of paint is not only attractive but a waterproofing agent too. This becomes real important during hurricane season.
Don't forget to get approval from the HOA if your changing the outside color of your home, it's required.
Hire an interior design company to pick your exterior color palette. The difference is well worth the $200 design fee. Make sure you apply color swatches to the exterior first. A color can sure look different once it's applied to the wall.
Invite the HOA to give it their blessing, then paint. It sure beats an argument about who is going to pay for repainting the house with the HOA.
I bought a foreclosure from a bank recently and had trouble getting the HOA to approve my exterior colors timely. After a week, I finally had to paint on the front of the house, "please approve my paint colors" in very large letters! It was a miracle! I received a call approving the colors that very afternoon.
Pressure washing- concrete driveways, pavers, walks and pool decks require cleaning 1-2 times per year. You can extend the time between cleanings by applying a 10% chlorine solution with a garden sprayer. It's better to apply the liquid chlorine early in the morning before the concrete gets hot. Otherwise, it evaporates before it has time to do its job. Keep an eye on the kids because that chlorine leaves ugly white foot prints on dark green carpet!
If you're ambitious or decide to quit Bally you can buy a pressure washer. I bought one at Lowe's. I like the Honda motor better than a Briggs and Stratton. A 3,000 PSI washer has all the power you'll need. Dont go cheap on this equipment or youll regret it! With this PSI you can attach a power head that cleans 15" at a time rather than 4". The power attachment works great and does the job in half the time! Make sure you treat the gas with a stabilizer to avoid an expensive trip to the small motors mechanic to clean out the fuel system.
Honestly, if you own a home in Central Florida a power washer should come with the house. Between the exterior of your home, driveway, sidewalks and pool deck you'll get plenty of use out of it.
Pool cleaning- required weekly. You can do the job yourself if you have a screen enclosure and a pool vacuum or hire a company. It's manageable if you have an enclosure. Set the clock for 8 hours in the summer and 6 after hurricane season. Once it starts raining you'll need the extra hours to manage the algae build up.
Make sure the pool guy, cleans the cartridge filter weekly. Once it's full of dirt it can be cleaned with automatic dish washing liquid by soaking it in a clean trash can for a few days. Don't let the pool guy tell you it's clogged and you need a new one! Keep cleaning it until the horizontal bands break and the pleats stick together. I have two so I can rotate one while I'm cleaning the other. I only threw one out in 10 years! I can't tell you how many I bought before I figured that one out!
Also, make the guy place the chlorine tablets in the automatic chlorinator unless you want to pay for another plastic skimmer basket. The chlorine tablets will eat right through it!
Irrigation- maintaining your irrigation system is essential for the overall health of your landscaping. Look for evidence of broken sprinkler heads (wash outs and dry patches) weekly, especially in the dry season. Remove growth from around sprinkler heads 2 times per year. It’s best to do this before the growing season (March) and at the end of the season (October). Place concrete doughnuts around each head and trim grass away with a small spade shovel. Weed killer won't do the job. It's a good time to make sure the heads are adjusted properly. Don't let the water hit the house if you want to avoid a leak into your home or mold issues! Replace the battery in the irrigation timer box too. This way, the watering times will stay set even if the power goes out. Ok, when was the last time you thought of that one?
It's a good idea to give a friendly neighbor permission to water your lawn if they see your lawn dying. It might save you from replacing the entire lawn. Trust me on this one! If you can't find a neighbor that will help you out then it's time to move!
Water is the life's blood of your landscaping, especially the lawn. When it doesn't get enough water it gets stressed, then weakens. This leaves the grass susceptible to bugs and disease. It's a cascade effect so make sure you stay on top of watering. I know watering is expensive, that's why I recommend using a shallow well.
Watering- required 2 times per week for 30 minutes a zone. More or less depending upon the weather. Make sure you rain sensor is working and just leave the timer clock set in the on position. Water early in the morning instead of late evening. It helps prevent your grass from getting a fungus. If your courageous, some people turn the irrigation system off in the rainy summer months. Better remember to turn it back on after hurricane season!
The smart move is to install a shallow well and lower your water bill to less then $25 per month. It will be the best $2,000 investment you ever made! You'll start saving money after 2 years. Your neighbors will always wonder why your landscaping looks better than theirs. Tell them its like Coors Beer, it's in the water!
Handyman- stop kidding yourself that one day you will complete the "honey do” list. Its not going to happen! Wives are just built that way, so get over it Hire a handyman to come in periodically and keep your home running smoothly. If you don’t, your new home will be falling apart before you know it. Maintaining your home will increase the value and avoid a nasty surprise when the future buyer hires a home inspector, before they close. Just keep a running list of things that need attention and have someone else take care of them while you are working. Save your free time for the family. A good handyman will save you a ton! I have a retired guy that can do anything but I'm not sharing! He even hangs the Xmas lights!
Make your wife a deal. She can have that cleaning lady if you get a handyman! Negotiate, it's a win, win!
Septic System- make sure you have a company inspect and pump out your tank every 3 years. It will save you a $10,000 bill for replacing the drain field. Better believe me on this one! Its best to be there when they pump out your tank. Ask them how your system is doing. Just don't shake his hand! I know its gross but its important! You need this feedback as they can tell you how healthy the septic system is by the smell. Then you can adjust how you are treating your waste system. He can even tell you if you need to visit the doctor too! No, just kidding but he probably can.
Remind the company to clean out the filter. Can you believe, you have to tell them this! Yeah, get over it, just do it!
Never flush old medications, coffee grounds or bleach down the toilet. Anything that kills the bacteria in you tank will stop your system from working. Every month, flush a whole jar of yeast down the toilet. Half on the 15th and the other half on the 30th You want to keep the septic tank bacteria happy! They usually get unhappy just when your having a really big party. It's not pretty! If not, buy a pair of hip waders (no, not for trout fishing).
Once a month- stand in the street outside your home and see what your neighbors see. This will avoid an embarrassing letter from the Management Company and bad feelings with neighbors. If you see something that's unsightly, so do your neighbors!
Appreciate the team it takes to keep your home beautiful. I keep a supply of $10 Publix gift certificates on hand. It's amazing what you can accomplish with one of those babies! Before the workers start I meet each of the guys, introduce myself, ask their names and shake their hands (except for the septic guy). I thank them in advance for doing a great job and hand the boss a Publix give certificate right in front of his men. I want happy workers giving me their best work because I'm such a great guy! I usually leave them whistling and smiling.
I hope these tips have been helpful. Many of these lessons have been learned quite painfully over the years.
Now get back to work, somebody has to pay for all this stuff!
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