A Homeowner’s Guide to Annual and Monthly Maintenance

Maintaining a single-family home costs approximately $6,548 annually, including property taxes, utility costs, and maintenance. You can expect to spend about 1-4% of your home’s current market value on annual maintenance.

Creating a household maintenance schedule saves money in the long run by resolving minor issues before they snowball into costly repairs or replacements. Routine maintenance improves your home’s safety, energy efficiency, and longevity. Follow this guide to routine maintenance to help keep your home running smoothly without increasing repair costs.

Benefits of Regular Home Maintenance

Protecting Your Investment

Your home will likely be the largest single purchase you make in your life. Routine home maintenance protects this investment and helps maintain your home’s value—an important consideration should you choose to sell the property.

Ensuring Safety

A household maintenance schedule helps keep your home safe by identifying and fixing potential hazards, such as electrical issues, leaks, or structural damage before they cause serious damage or injuries.

Saving Money

Preventive maintenance helps you fix small problems before they grow into costly ones. Even a simple maintenance task, such as fixing a draughty door seal, can save you money on heating and cooling costs.

Essential Monthly Maintenance Tasks

Inspect HVAC Filters

Your HVAC system works best with clean air filters. Once a month, check the state of your filters, cleaning or replacing them to ensure the best air quality and HVAC efficiency. 

Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors once a month, replacing batteries as needed.

Check for Leaks

Hidden plumbing leaks can cause water damage, mold, and mildew. Check under sinks, around toilets, and in basements for signs of leaking pipes, pooling water, or excess moisture.

Clean Garbage Disposal

Flush food particles out of your garbage disposal and keep it smelling fresh by pouring ½ a cup of baking soda into the disposal, followed by a cup of vinegar. When the fizzing stops, run hot water to clear everything out.

Review Exterior

Take a monthly walk around the exterior of your home, checking for cracks, peeling paint, damage to siding or windows, and signs of water damage.

Essential Annual Maintenance Tasks

Inspect the Roof and Gutters

Check your roof for signs of damage. Clear away debris, check for loose shingles, and clean out your gutters to ensure proper drainage. Many homeowners schedule gutter cleanings for the spring and again in the fall. If you’re not comfortable working on the roof yourself, hire a contractor for the job.

Service the HVAC System

Arrange an HVAC servicing with a professional technician before the hot portion of the year and again as the weather cools.

Check Plumbing and Water Heater

Inspect your pipes for signs of leaks, check for sediment buildup or tree root infiltration in your sewer line, and flush the water heater once a year. Plumbers offer these services and can often perform them faster and more efficiently than homeowners.

Clean Dryer Vents

Remove lint and debris from your dryer vents to prevent potential fires.

Inspect Windows and Doors

Check the seals and weather stripping around all doors and windows to improve your home’s energy efficiency.

Maintain Outdoor Spaces

Annual outdoor maintenance should include power washing all surfaces, inspecting fences and landscaping for damage, and resealing decks.

Creating a Maintenance Schedule

Creating an annual household maintenance schedule isn’t difficult. List the various maintenance tasks you want to complete and break them down into manageable monthly, seasonal, and annual checklists. Online calendars and task apps make this easy and allow you to set reminders for important or recurring tasks.

Don’t forget the less physical aspects of home expenses. For instance, you might want to list out your online subscriptions once a year, canceling any you no longer use. You might also want to check your internet speed once a month, so you can track whether you’re getting the speed you’re paying for.

Tips for Efficient Maintenance

Keep a Home Maintenance Journal

A home maintenance journal allows you to record when you complete tasks, when items were last repaired (and the cost of the repairs), and service dates. Depending on your preferences, you can use a physical notebook, an online calendar, or a maintenance app.

Stock Essential Tools

You don’t need the toolkit of a dedicated DIYer, but some simple tools and cleaning supplies make routine home maintenance much easier. The following is a basic list of maintenance tools:

• Claw hammer
• screwdrivers
• Pliers
• Wrenches
• Flashlight
• Stud finder
• Drill
• Ladder
• Utility knife
• Plunger
• Measuring tape

Know When to Call Professionals

Some home maintenance is too complex or hazardous to perform yourself unless you have professional training. Call the professionals for any of the following maintenance tasks:

• HVAC system maintenance and servicing
• Electrical system installation, alteration, or checks
• Roofing (including gutter cleaning if you are uncomfortable with heights or ladders)
• Complex plumbing repairs
• Masonry repairs
• Chimney cleaning
• Pest removal
• Structural inspections
• Major appliance repairs
• Asbestos removal

Common Challenges and Solutions

Time and money constraints can interfere with home maintenance projects. If time is the issue, prioritize your more important maintenance tasks first. Some less important tasks may need to be pushed back, or rescheduled to once every two months instead of once a month.

Budgetary concerns are also a challenge. It’s easy for the experts to claim you need 1% of your home market value for household maintenance costs, but that isn’t always possible. Try to save for major projects over time to offset the cost. Home equity loans are another possibility for completing large projects.

Consistency is Key

Routine monthly and annual household maintenance schedules contribute to a safer, more efficient, and more valuable home. Remember, you don’t have to do everything at once. Start small, and build up to larger tasks as your maintenance skills improve. Put aside what you can afford every month to offset the costs of unexpected repairs or professional services, and you’ll find sticking to a maintenance schedule easier than you’d expect!

What are your thoughts on routine house maintenance? We’d love to hear about the tips and strategies you use to keep your home running smoothly in the comments!