Ok so this topic was initially created to help myself with a few home maintenance issues I was having, however I feel it has grown in to something a little more, so I am turning this in to a general topic. Anyone that has a question related to home ownership can ask their question here. It is also appreciated if anyone that feels they have valuable knowledge on a home ownership issue from maintenance to selling to keeping your home safe posts!

If you see a small problem, fix it now rather than waiting. Small problems can develop into larger problems. If you see a nail pop, go ahead and fix it. It might require some Spackle and paint, but it'll be worth it in the long run.

Clean your dryer vent at least once every 6 months. I'm not talking about the vent on the dryer itself. I'm talking about the vent from the dryer to the outside. So much gunk can build up in that passageway.

Pressure wash your home at least once a year, if not more. Be mindful of the tips and the pressure you are using. I would not use a pressure washer on a treated deck unless you know what you're doing. You run the risk of splintering the wood, or making it "fuzzy".

Try and maintain any shrubs that border your home.

I completely agree with the gutter thing. Having clogged gutters can absolutely ruin your landscaping, as well as cause major runoff issues. I can speak first hand about that one.

I would have your AC unit inspected at least yearly as well. I have a newer house, but I still have this done. The piece of mind is worth the small cost.

Same issue here on the return vents, ceiling fans help a tad but to put them in I had to pop for a new electrical panel box and wiring upgrade ! so fun !.....I know it seems little but the HVAC filters is so true.best advice I got is check your waste disposal services in your area ,in mine they have a paint and household chemical drop off where you can pickup free gallons of paint (a fresh coat of paint in a room is the bomb) so there a little tip on saving a buck.
Remember, exterior too...even a little paint missing here or grass to long the the city LOVES to nail you with citations ,so watch out there and never under estimate insurance (I know I hate it to but it is a nessecery evil) owners policey should cover contents as well , don't forget flood (costs a ton) and even applience warrenties are good.
Well that's a short list, good luck, welcome to the financial nightmare of home ownership.

Originally Posted by mtxbass1 If you see a small problem, fix it now rather than waiting. Small problems can develop into larger problems. If you see a nail pop, go ahead and fix it. It might require some Spackle and paint, but it'll be worth it in the long run. Clean your dryer vent at least once every 6 months. I'm not talking about the vent on the dryer itself. I'm talking about the vent from the dryer to the outside. So much gunk can build up in that passageway. Pressure wash your home at least once a year, if not more. Be mindful of the tips and the pressure you are using. I would not use a pressure washer on a treated deck unless you know what you're doing. You run the risk of splintering the wood, or making it "fuzzy". Try and maintain any shrubs that border your home. I completely agree with the gutter thing. Having clogged gutters can absolutely ruin your landscaping, as well as cause major runoff issues. I can speak first hand about that one. I would have your AC unit inspected at least yearly as well. I have a newer house, but I still have this done. The piece of mind is worth the small cost.

What is pressuring washing? I have never heard of it.

Anyways, yeah me posting here should show I do not intend to let little problems ride for years on end. My parents did that shit and I watched as the house literally fell apart. Me and my wife(then girlfriend) actually moved out from my parents house a few years back even though we were not 100% sure we could afford it largely because we could not take the health risks and mental strain of watching the house fall down around us. I recall seeing a crack in the bathtub and telling my dad about it...then watching it become bigger.....and then become a hole and then we left. When I went back about 6 months later they had just bought some large bathmat and glued it down over the hole...

My family was seriously crazy with money and just any type of responsibility in life in general. Thankfully while it did help up one or two facets of my life, I learnt from MOST of their mistakes vs repeating them like most kids do.

Originally Posted by bluu Same issue here on the return vents, ceiling fans help a tad but to put them in I had to pop for a new electrical panel box and wiring upgrade ! so fun !.....I know it seems little but the HVAC filters is so true.best advice I got is check your waste disposal services in your area ,in mine they have a paint and household chemical drop off where you can pickup free gallons of paint (a fresh coat of paint in a room is the bomb) so there a little tip on saving a buck. Remember, exterior too...even a little paint missing here or grass to long the the city LOVES to nail you with citations ,so watch out there and never under estimate insurance (I know I hate it to but it is a nessecery evil) owners policey should cover contents as well , don't forget flood (costs a ton) and even applience warrenties are good. Well that's a short list, good luck, welcome to the financial nightmare of home ownership.

How much did it cost you to do the return vents/ceiling fans? We are debating what route to take because as it stands the AC is just junk up stairs. It was 85 here in our part of Ohio last night and yet it was nicer with the damn fan in the window upstairs then it was with the AC on. The downstairs works pretty well and there are 2 ceiling fans down here that help, but christ we had to sleep naked with blankets off and a fan blowing on each of us last night.

Originally Posted by MSI Magus What is pressuring washing? I have never heard of it.

Your local hardware stores sell pressure washers. They're basically machines that connect to a water source that emits a high pressure blast of water. You'd use this to clean any surface (concrete, stone, vynil siding, etc). They're fun, but dangerous. heh.

Originally Posted by mtxbass1 Your local hardware stores sell pressure washers. They're basically machines that connect to a water source that emits a high pressure blast of water. You'd use this to clean any surface (concrete, stone, vynil siding, etc). They're fun, but dangerous. heh.

Ermmm is there any point to it then other then to make the outside of the house look cleaner?

Originally Posted by MSI Magus Ermmm is there any point to it then other then to make the outside of the house look cleaner?

That's the whole point of it. You use it on your house, brick, driveway, etc. Believe me, you'll notice a difference.

The previous owner of my house never did it. I did it first to my driveway and it made it look brand new.

You WANT your house to look new and clean on the outside. It's important to blast away any of the dirt that will build up month after month. No one wants to buy a house that looks dirty on the outside.

Originally Posted by mtxbass1 That's the whole point of it. You use it on your house, brick, driveway, etc. Believe me, you'll notice a difference. The previous owner of my house never did it. I did it first to my driveway and it made it look brand new. You WANT your house to look new and clean on the outside. It's important to blast away any of the dirt that will build up month after month. No one wants to buy a house that looks dirty on the outside.

Thing is that I am not trying to sell my house. If I go to sell it I could just do it then. In the mean time I will be here for at least 5 years if not 10-15, so less I care about keeping the outside of my house looking pristine, what does it matter?

How much does it run too? If it is something I can pick up for $50 and run once or twice a year for a buck or two id be cool with that. But if you are talking about a $150+ expense as I am guessing, then it just does not seem worth it to me.

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Life doesn't live by your conditions OP. One day you might try to sell the house and wish you hadn't let it end up looking like a Pueblo outside.

Originally Posted by MSI Magus Thing is that I am not trying to sell my house. If I go to sell it I could just do it then. In the mean time I will be here for at least 5 years if not 10-15, so less I care about keeping the outside of my house looking pristine, what does it matter? How much does it run too? If it is something I can pick up for $50 and run once or twice a year for a buck or two id be cool with that. But if you are talking about a $150+ expense as I am guessing, then it just does not seem worth it to me.

You're missing the point. You have no idea how much crap builds up on the outside of a house year after year. I keep the outside of my house maintained well and it still gets coated in dirt. If you let that build up, no amount of pressure washing is going to blast it off. It's going to get baked into surfaces. It's just something you do when you own a house. You have it pressure washed or you do it yourself. It doesn't matter if you're not going to sell it for 5, 10, 15 years. It matters that you keep the exterior of the house in clean shape. Birds will shit on your windows. Pollen will stain your siding. Bad weather will cause dirt to stick to surfaces. It's just something you need to do every 6 months to a year.

A good machine starts out about $250. If you pay someone to do it, I would expect at least $100 minimum, depending on the size of your home. I bought my machine at Lowes on clearance for $220 and it's already paid for itself in 15 months.

Originally Posted by necrojustice Life doesn't live by your conditions OP. One day you might try to sell the house and wish you hadn't let it end up looking like a Pueblo outside.

Yes but if all it does is use high pressured water to blast dirt off the house then not using it for a few years should not make that much difference. Other issue is that we plan to live here for 10-15 years anyways...so chances are in that period of time we would end up painting/re paneling anyways. I am welling to put money out for things that maintain home value or my appliances....but I am not willing to spend money now on things that are not needed. If people can list good reasons why doing this yearly is important and its reasonable priced I will indeed do it, for now I am just inquiring because it sounds to me like people that use carpet cleaners all the time(a nice touch to keep the house looking nice, but hardly something that is basic required home maintenance.

Hate to be the bearer of bad new guys, but return ventilation is about 40 percent of the heating and cooling battle. My wife and I upgraded our Heat/AC unit and had all new duct work re-run and new returns made to get the most out of our 95 percent efficiency system. Shopped about two years before dropping the dime to do so. Now the power bill is lower, the 1955 1600 sq ft home is cooler, the finished basement room is ventilated and moisture free and the resale value is maintained. PM me with specific questions... and curse the idiot who disconnected the returns in our house before we purchased it.

Originally Posted by MSI Magus Thing is that I am not trying to sell my house. If I go to sell it I could just do it then. In the mean time I will be here for at least 5 years if not 10-15, so less I care about keeping the outside of my house looking pristine, what does it matter?

To me it would be pride in my home. I would want to it look nice on the outside all of the time, not just when I am ready to sell it. From a more practical angle, your neighbors may be wanting to sell their house. If your house looks nicer, they will get more money for theirs. You would expect the same from your neighbors when you are ready to sell yours.

Just use common sense. And if you have kids, they are going to destroy it anyway.

Originally Posted by Mr Unoriginal To me it would be pride in my home. I would want to it look nice on the outside all of the time, not just when I am ready to sell it. From a more practical angle, your neighbors may be wanting to sell their house. If your house looks nicer, they will get more money for theirs. You would expect the same from your neighbors when you are ready to sell yours.

My neighbors are not a concern. The neighbor on one side keeps to himself and his house has a half fallen over garage being propped up by boards and he keeps exercise equipment that he does not use on his roof(no kidding). The other side is inconsiderate of neighbors having a party every weekend where they show little regard for others, they also took down part of the privacy fence that belonged to the prior owner before she blew up at them. They are not bad people and everyone else on the block seems nice enough, but there are enough dingy houses that me not washing the outside of my house(something I have NEVER seen anyone do)hardly makes me a jackass.

As for pride in my own home. I have pride in it, but its on the inside. I could give a crap if the outside looked like crap as long as it is physically sound. Just like with people, the inside of a house is what matters to me. And when you walk inside my home its pretty clean and organized, I intend to keep things running and the first impression people get are all the books, video games and board games we own.

I will drop the subject after this. Like I said before if this is something that for maintenance reason i need to do I will do it. And if this is something that I let sit for 5 years and it would become caked on to the point I can not get it off, id do it. However the prior owners(who we knew)never did it and the house despite being 100 years old and the paneling being 10ish years old looks great. I was not trying to shoot people down for no reason, just saying I did not see an immediate need to do that ONE suggestion.

Originally Posted by MSI Magus Yes but if all it does is use high pressured water to blast dirt off the house then not using it for a few years should not make that much difference. Other issue is that we plan to live here for 10-15 years anyways...so chances are in that period of time we would end up painting/re paneling anyways. I am welling to put money out for things that maintain home value or my appliances....but I am not willing to spend money now on things that are not needed. If people can list good reasons why doing this yearly is important and its reasonable priced I will indeed do it, for now I am just inquiring because it sounds to me like people that use carpet cleaners all the time(a nice touch to keep the house looking nice, but hardly something that is basic required home maintenance.

You plan on living there for 10 years, but life can and will throw you a curve ball. You never know when your life situation is going to change.

Again, see my other post, but over the years of not cleaning your home, that dirt will get built up. It's cheaper to pay $250 and clean your home yourself than to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to repaint or re-side your home.

Would you rather pay $250 up front and maintain the outer beauty of your home, or pay $5000 to reside your house in 5 years?

The same applies with carpet cleaners. You can get a nice cleaner for $140. Replacing carpet in your home can run anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousands depending on the size of the home, carpet type, etc. Cleaning your carpets is a necessity as well.

Edit: It sounds like you have renters mentality when it comes to your home. You have no pride in it, nor will you, when you have an attitude that "my neighbors don't maintain their homes, why should I?" Good luck with your home. I'm done.

Originally Posted by mtxbass1 You plan on living there for 10 years, but life can and will throw you a curve ball. You never know when your life situation is going to change. Again, see my other post, but over the years of not cleaning your home, that dirt will get built up. It's cheaper to pay $250 and clean your home yourself than to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to repaint or re-side your home. Would you rather pay $250 up front and maintain the outer beauty of your home, or pay $5000 to reside your house in 5 years? The same applies with carpet cleaners. You can get a nice cleaner for $140. Replacing carpet in your home can run anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousands depending on the size of the home, carpet type, etc. Cleaning your carpets is a necessity as well. Edit: It sounds like you have renters mentality when it comes to your home. You have no pride in it, nor will you, when you have an attitude that "my neighbors don't maintain their homes, why should I?" Good luck with your home. I'm done.

If I had no pride in my home why would I be posting here? Just because my pride is not the same as yours you are wigging out, insulting me then leaving? I never understand people here, sites like gamefaqs are full of trolls and kids, but man CAG is full of people that if you do not 100% believe what they do/take their exact advice they wig right out. I was trying to take your advice, I just questioned you on ONE thing.

I take pride in my home, but this will be a learning experience for us. As I said I grew up in a house that my parents did not take care of and watched it fall apart as a result...I do not want that to happen. But, at the same time of all the friends houses I grew up idolizing because they had parents that actually maintained the home....I never saw one blast down the house with any tool like the one you are describing. I have never seen anyone do it either out walking every night. So forgive me if I take ALL of your suggestions to heart except one. Forgive me for not instantly thinking every idea you give is brilliant and 100% required. Forgive me for inquiring into cost and usefulness like an intelligent person would do vs just instantly running out like most stupid Americans do these days and spending money that for all you know I may not have(which after buying your first home money for most and for us IS tight) for results I was not sure of.

*rolls eyes*

Anyways, back on topic. If anyone else has anything constructive to add to the topic that is either new or in addition to the suggestions(pro or con)it is greatly appreciated.

Get a shopvac best $100 I ever spent, great for cleaning your car and anything in your house

Lawn care at all? There's more to it then mowing. You gotta use fertilizer, weed killer, grass seed, if you have UGS you gotta keep an eye on that, and blow it out in the winter. Make sure the lawn is getting enough water etc. Id get a weed eater as well.

As for carpet cleaning, carpet steamers are cheap to rent, once to twice a year is a good idea. Lucky for me 90% of my house doesn't have carpet I've got fake wood floors.

Its also a good idea to get up in your attic/crawl space a few times a year and look around just to inspect things


Pressure washer huh? I've owned my house for a year I think I need to get one of those. Anyone have a brand recommendation?

Originally Posted by kube00 Get a shopvac best $100 I ever spent, great for cleaning your car and anything in your house Lawn care at all? There's more to it then mowing. You gotta use fertilizer, weed killer, grass seed, if you have UGS you gotta keep an eye on that, and blow it out in the winter. Make sure the lawn is getting enough water etc. Id get a weed eater as well. As for carpet cleaning, carpet steamers are cheap to rent, once to twice a year is a good idea. Lucky for me 90% of my house doesn't have carpet I've got fake wood floors. Its also a good idea to get up in your attic/crawl space a few times a year and look around just to inspect things Pressure washer huh? I've owned my house for a year I think I need to get one of those. Anyone have a brand recommendation?

The attic thing is a good suggestion. I intended to go up there tonight anyways to check some of the vents and look into installing an attic fan(which a lot of people have said is a good way to help keep the second floor of a house slightly cooler)but I guess going up there every few months to make sure nothing is leaking or out of wack is a good idea. Thanks!