Here are 8 home repairs that you should never put off. This includes caulking, musty basements, and leaky faucets and so much more. If you put these off you may have a larger problem in the future.
- The Musty Basement
A damp basement can lead to mildew and mold. And it reeks. If you grade the yard, sometimes the water moves away from your home. If you install gutters and downspout extensions, they will channel the water away from the foundation, keeping the basement dry. Worst case scenario you will need to put drain tiles around the footings. You will need a professional and a couple thousand dollars.
- Rotting Deck Boards
Wooden decks are prone to rotting and deteriorating. (Even more so if they don’t get a lot of sunlight.) Sometimes only one part of the deck will rot, other times the entire thing will rot. This will cause the entire thing to be unsafe. You will need to replace every rotting boards. If you are doing rip and repair work you can use a reciprocating saw. Saw the boards back to the joist. If you have an older deck, it may be a good Idea to just replace the entire thing. Try consider composite decking if you are replacing it. It is more expensive, but it doesn’t rot. If your tree’s branches are covering your deck you need to trim them back to let light through to get the deck dry.
- Clogged Gutter
Twigs, seeds, and leaves are going to pile up. When it is raining, water will overflow from the top and freeze, creating a slipping hazard. Here’s another scenario: the water leaks into the basement because there are no downspouts drawing it away from your home. Simply clean the gutters a couple of times a year will do the trick. You can also consider installing gutter guards to keep your gutters clean.
- Water Spots
This needs to be dealt with IMMEDIATELY. It means that you have a pipe that is leaking in your ceiling or wall. If the spot in constantly there, it’s probably a plumbing issue. If it only shows up after it has rained, the cause is probably a leaky roof, siding, or window. If you don’t fix it the spot will expand and then there will be a larger area that needs to replaced/repainted. This will also encourage mold.
The hardest part of the fix is tracking the source of the leak. Water can travel, which makes it hard to pinpoint its origin. Cut a hole in the plaster or drywall at the spot. If there is piping present you need to repair the leak. If you can’t find the culprit you are going to have to do some detective work to find out where it is coming from.
- Termites
This is important. Termites can do a lot of damage to your home in a very short time. You will need an exterminator.
- Caulking
Caulking can come loose away around bathtubs, sinks, backsplashes, doors, windows, deck ledger boards, or protrusions etc. Other than looking ugly, broken caulking can let water in, which leads to rot and mold.
Repairing the caulking is inexpensive, DIY and quick to do. Look at the fourth hack on how to repair caulking.
- Leaky Faucets
If, when you turn your faucet off, water continues to drip, pushing the handle won’t help. Procrastinating can make the problem worse. It also wastes water.
This fix will require you to take the faucet apart to replace the washers and O-rings. You can buy replacement kits and home centers. You will need to know what brand your faucet is so that can be sure to buy the right kit.
- Running Toilets
A toilet that doesn’t stop can waste a lot of water and be loud. Sometimes you just need to play with the handle a little bit to fix it. Often, you only have to replace the flapper and fill valve that is inside the tank. Home centers sell these kinds of kits as well.