Home maintenance is sometimes showy, but more often it’s not something you’re going to photograph for the home catalog. You don’t generally share photos of your new attic insulation, but it’s this type of home maintenance investment that will make your home healthier, safer, and less costly in the long term. What exterior home maintenance investments are worth the money? 

1. Renew Your Gutters 

Adding new seamless gutters may not be first on your priority list when it comes to renovations, but it should be high on the list if you’re looking at long-term home investments. 

Gutter replacement or adding gutter covers is an investment in the beauty of your home. With new gutters, your home looks a lot neater, and there are fewer problems with leaking gutters that can cause stains on your siding. Gutter covers not only reduce your need to pay someone to clean your gutters every year or allow you to avoid that task yourself, these improvements can also prevent water from backing up onto the roof and causing damage.

2. Landscape Your Garden

If you’re having trouble keeping up with yard maintenance, then it could be time to landscape your garden again. This time, invest in long-term upkeep and beauty. 

• Add a terrace to make it easier to reach your plants 
• Create hardscaping elements that match your house 
• Replace grass with gravel, mulch, or hardscaping
• Focus on a few hardy and showy species rather than many different plants 
• Plant perennials instead of annuals to reduce annual planting
• Add slow-growing plant choices that you rarely need to prune 
• Stop the battle against puddles in the garden by re-engineering your garden soil or adding a wetland garden in a naturally wet area

3. Invest In Energy-Efficiency 

Many of the investments you can make in energy efficiency take place inside your home, such as adding attic insulation. However, when you ensure that your building envelope is working well, you invest in energy efficiency as well. Energy efficiency doesn’t save you a lot of money right away, but it does save you a lot over the long term. 

For example, according to MoneySense, “replacing all the windows in your home could cost $10,000 or more, but the AIC estimates that this renovation will provide a return on investment (ROI) between 50% and 75%.” In addition to the return on your investment, you’ll reduce problems with rot around your windows and save on siding repairs, and you’ll have a warm, dry home.

4. Watch Where You Walk 

Investing in stairs, pathways, and decks can address safety issues for your family and for your guests. Over time, stair railings and the stairs themselves begin to rot. Pathways crack, and decks sag. Decks can also harbor insects that could make their way into the home. 

Renewing these spaces is an investment in safety, and it also adds to the overall attractiveness of your home. Outdoor living spaces or indoor-outdoor spaces are attractive to potential home buyers. According to Style at Home, the porch is back: “if you can, add a full front porch; if not, a portico (a smaller porch that shelters the front door) can be a worthy substitute. Or add a deck in the back.” These renovations give you the opportunity to update the exterior of your home without adding entirely new siding or conducting a larger facelift.

Are you looking for a home maintenance professional? Harry Helmet is here to help. We can help you fix your roof, install seamless gutters or gutter covers, or add awnings to your home. Schedule a free estimate today.

Written by Del Thebaud