Whether your home is newly constructed or listed on the historic registry, repairs will be needed. Here are five common household problems you’re likely to encounter within the first five years of owning your home.
1. Leaking faucets, running toilets – Your toilet flushes fine, but it won’t stop running. Or, perhaps you have a bathroom faucet that drips and drips. Those leaks can be annoying, but also really costly. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average household’s leaks waste more than 10,000 gallons of water each year; 10 percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more each day. Dripping faucets and leaking valves are among the most common types of residential leaks.
2. Peeling, cracked paint and siding – Beyond keeping your house looking great, exterior paint protects your home from rain, wind and insects. If exterior paint is chalky, peeling or cracked, or caulk around windows and doors has failed, your home’s key structural components are at risk. Most homeowners can handle small repairs such as sanding and painting trim around windows and doors.
3. Jammed disposal – According to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, the average household garbage disposal has a life expectancy of about 10 years (less if you use it a lot or don’t properly maintain it). If the disposal is jammed or clogged, you may be able to fix it yourself, following instructions in your owner’s manual. If the unit grinds poorly or is unreasonably noisy you may need to replace the blade, impeller or motor; this should be done by a pro. Because these types of repairs can be expensive, it’s often cheaper and faster to replace the entire unit.
4. Nail pops – If the walls of your brand new home are dotted with unattractive mounds, you’ve got nail pops. In most cases, drywall nail pops are cosmetic defects that result when the lumber used to build the house dries and shrinks. This shrinkage often causes the heads of drywall nails to push the finishing compounds loose, allowing the nail heads to “pop” out of the wall. Nail pops most often appear near the corner of a wall or ceiling. If your home is under warranty, you should ask your builder to repair these blemishes. If you need or want to tackle them yourself, you can. Simply use a punch to drive the nail deeper, then apply new finishing compound, sand and repaint.
5. Concrete cracks – Extreme weather, improper mixing, shrinkage during curing, pressure from vehicle loads and tree roots can all play a role in the cracks that form in concrete driveways and slabs. Not only are these cracks ugly, they can allow water and insects to infiltrate and lead to more significant damage over time.
No house is perfect, and no building material lasts forever. By keeping tabs on your home’s well-being and performing regular home maintenance tasks, you can save yourself money and aggravation.
