Costs can quickly add up when you own a home in Michigan. Expenses can seem unrelenting and constant. It is just part of homeownership.
There is good news, however. You can make inexpensive repairs helpful for saving homeowners money and save thousands of dollars in the process. Keep reading to find out more about these repairs.
1. Freshen The Paint Job
Adding a fresh coat of paint to your home serves both aesthetic and protective purposes. Take a paintbrush to the siding the instant you spot peeling and you will safeguard the siding and the structure against water and weather damage. Replacing rotted siding can cost thousands of dollars, while a DIY paint job will typically top out in the hundreds.
2. Change Your Furnace Filters
The importance of changing your furnace filters on a regular basis cannot be overstressed, yet this essential task gets overlooked too often. Replacing return-air filters twice per year makes it easier for the motor to do its job, saving you money in the process. Change the filters at the beginning of winter and the beginning of summer.
3. Attend To The Circuit Breakers
Did you know that flipping your circuit breakers on a regular basis can significantly increase their lifespan? Flip each breaker off and then back on every two to three months to prevent them from suffering irreparable damage. Completing this simple task is free and takes just a few minutes.
4. Flush Out The Water Heater
Your hot water heater is susceptible to damage from sediment and hard water deposits. The simple fix for this issue is following the instructions on the heater to flush it out once a year.
5. Clean The Sump Pump
You can easily forget about your sump pump. This means it is doing its job by preventing your basement from flooding. Keeping the sump pump in working order involves cleaning debris from its intake screen annually. Water damage is costly, so this task is something you absolutely must add to your list of inexpensive repairs saving homeowners money..
6. Keep Your Gutters Clean
Gutters that are compromised by leaves cause a trickle-down effect, allowing water to spill over the trough and fall along the line of the foundation. The resulting damage to the foundation can cost a fortune in repairs. Fortunately, there is an easy fix for this problem. Clean all debris from the gutters at the end of the autumn season.
7. Automate Your Thermostat
A programmable thermostat gives you the ability to automate your home’s temperature according to your schedule and needs. You will no longer waste money on cooling or heating your home when you are not home. This change will reduce your utility bill to a noticeable extent.
8. Get A New Toilet Fill Valve
Few things wastewater like a toilet that will not stop running, flushes weakly or refills at a snail’s pace. Worse yet, it can cause colossal plumbing problems if left unchecked. Remedy this problem by replacing the toilet fill valve with a new valve you pick up at your local hardware store.
9. Clean The Dryer Vent
A clogged dryer vent not only adversely affects the appliance’s performance, but it also poses a serious fire hazard. Cleaning the dryer vent on an annual basis is an absolute must for this reason.
10. Embrace The Bathroom Fan
You may feel like having a fan in your bathroom is just icing on the cake and nice for banishing steam, but in fact, it serves an important purpose. Running the fan after every shower or bath mildew and mold by eliminating excess moisture.
11. Repair Shower Leaks
Small leaks can cause big problems if they are left unattended. Shower leaks dampen the drywall, leading to rot, water damage and mold. Eradicating these problems is not cheap.
12. Stabilize Shaky Railings
A railing on the verge of falling over is not only unsightly, it is downright dangerous. The last thing you need is for someone in your family or a guest to tumble down the stairs and injuring themselves. Tightening lag bolts and screws is fast, easy and will not cost you a cent.
13. Switch To LED Light Bulbs
The trend of installing LED light bulbs in place of traditional options is no mystery. The benefits of these bulbs include longer lifespans, improved energy efficiency and the ability to connect them to your devices. Connected LED bulbs perform a wide variety of useful functions such as turning on automatically when the sun sets and operating as a Bluetooth speaker.
14. Turn Down The Lights
Yet another way to save money on electric bills is installing light dimmers. This way, you can adjust the level of light you receive according to how much you need at the time.
15. Ventilate The Attic
You may not think of your attic as a place where you need ventilation, but the truth of the matter is, ventilation is critical here. Without it, the attic can become hot. This heat can eventually cause the rafters to bow and reduce the life of your shingles.
16. Ramp Up The Attic’s Insulation
Your energy bill will shrink substantially if you increase the value of your attic to R-30. Doing so is remarkably affordable. You can either use a rented blower unit to blow in noncellulose fiber insulation or lay new insulation batts on top of the old ones. Make sure you blow the fiber insulation 8.5 inches deep if you go with the former option.
17. Banish Backed-Up Sewage
Clogged drains are not only disgusting, but they can also wreak on your plumbing. You can avoid this expensive issue by pouring a main-line sewer cleaner down the drain every two months.
18. Create The Proper Yard Grade
If your yard slopes away from the foundation of your home at more than a 2% grade, you run the risk of water pooling next to the house. This is a serious problem because it can cause soil heave and leaking that damage the foundation. You can protect your foundation against this scenario by bringing your yard up to the proper level using topsoil.
19. Upgrade The Caulking
Crumbling caulking opens your house up to wood rot by allowing rain to seep through windows. By replacing the caulking around your doors and windows with a paint-grade formula, you protect the wood by sealing out moisture.
Safeguard Your Home With The Right Homeowners Insurance Coverage
While making inexpensive repairs helpful for saving homeowners money is important, fully protecting your family includes choosing the right coverage for your needs and budget. As an independent agency that caters to Michigan since 1969, Compass Insurance Agency has the expertise and industry relationships to give you a large range of options.
You get plenty of choices when you work with us because we partner with about 20 different carriers. Furthermore, because we are independent, we are under no obligation to recommend one carrier over the others. Instead, we have the freedom to guide you toward the best Michigan home insurance policy for your individual situation.
The industry-leading insurance providers we work with include:
- AAA Insurance
- Nationwide Insurance
- Liberty Mutual Insurance
- Travelers Insurance
- Citizens Insurance
- Grange Insurance
- Progressive Insurance
- Safeco Insurance
- And More
Ensure that your home and finances are in top condition with maintenance and Michigan home insurance coverage that fulfill all of your needs. Get a quote from Compass Insurance Agency today.
