Scrub, repair, repeat: exterior home maintenance can be a chore for anyone, let alone seniors who might struggle with some of the more physical aspects of maintenance. How can you make home maintenance easy? Simplifying your home begins with a few key strategies. 

Make a Plan 

Exterior home maintenance has a way of creeping up on you. All of a sudden, your siding needs to be cleaned, your roof has to be repaired, and you need to clean off the patio before your barbeque this weekend. How do you prioritize between all of the short and long-term tasks that need to be done? 

Make an annual plan that lists all of the needs of your home throughout the year. For example, you’ll need to check your roofing in the early spring to make sure that you don’t need to repair it after the winter. Before patio season starts, you’ll need to clean off the patio, take furniture out of storage, and air out the cushions. 

According to Improvenet, “A little bit of preventative maintenance goes a long way at preserving the integrity of your home.” If you have a plan, then you can get everything ready weeks in advance or arrange for someone to do the work for you before everyone else realizes that they need to repair their roof as well. 

Clean, Clean, and Clean Again

While it’s not as enchanting as a kitchen renovation, regular exterior home cleaning is one of the best ways to make your home beautiful and your maintenance simple. Cleaning not only keeps your home in good repair: it also allows you to see problems before they become severe. For example, by cleaning your gutters, you can note whether they are draining properly or whether they are warped or rusting. 

Download our free gutter guide to learn the vital role that gutter guards can play in simplifying exterior home maintenance.

What do you need to clean regularly? Focus on roofing, gutters, paths, patios, and siding. 

• Clean moss and dirt off of your roof annually 
• Clean out gutters 
• Power wash surfaces such as decks and patios 
• Check your foundation for cracks 
• Treat wood siding and power wash vinyl siding

Install Time-Saving Devices 

Save time, labor, and even money by installing technological fixes that make it simpler to clean up around your home. For instance, you can install retractable patio awnings that allow you to reduce the amount of debris that falls on your awnings, thereby reducing the amount of debris that you need to clean up. You can add a gutter cover that eliminates the need to clean your gutters. Time-saving devices like these will help you reduce the amount of maintenance time that you spend and increase the amount of time you spend simply enjoying your garden.

Reduce the Complexity of Your Outdoor Living Space 

If you’re trying to save time and simplify maintenance, look for ways to further simplify the structures around and on your home. 

• Reduce the number of deciduous trees and shrubs you install, and add more evergreens that have lower-maintenance leaves.
• Install well-drained gravel paths instead of grass that you need to water and maintain.
• Add shade-loving plants like hostas at the base of trees rather than trying to keep grass alive under your trees.
• Look to beautiful, seasonal perennials such as bulbs and flowering shrubs rather than an abundance of annuals.
• Install bigger garden beds rather than multiple small ones. According to Fine Gardening, “An overflowing bed filled with a tightly knit matrix of plants requires little grooming and pruning to control its size.” 

Your home can be both simple and beautiful. At Harry Helmet, we want to help you make exterior home maintenance simple. Talk with us about installing awnings and gutter covers to improve your home. Schedule a free estimate today.

Written by Del Thebaud