Maintaining Your Dream Home

We pride ourselves on building and delivering homes that bring our clients’ vision and imagination into reality. We build dreams. Along with a focus on esthetics, we construct homes that are designed to maintain their luster and beauty for decades. But this is only possible if a home is nurtured and cared for over time.

Once they have settled into their new home, it becomes increasingly the client’s responsibility to maintain it. As a professional builder, we have a period of time in which we respond to warranty service calls and address questions from our new homeowners. Eventually, the baton is passed to our owners for regular home maintenance. This helps ensure a comfortable, secure and safe living environment and protects an important financial investment over time.

And while every house we build is slightly different, specifically with regards to the various exterior and interior finishes, (from the roofing to the countertops, flooring, and paint coatings) they all need to be cared for properly to retain our clients’ investment and maximize their quality of life. We see it as our responsibility to educate and help our clients tackle their role as ‘good stewards’ of their home.

Wood Floors. All types of wood flooring material, whether solid wood, composite or laminate, require regular care. For prefinished products, no waxing is required. Clean these surfaces using a regular application of warm, soapy water. To maximize the life of wood flooring, keep it dry and free of debris that can cause scrapes and discolor the finish.

Drainage. An engineered combination of a home’s roof design, gutter system, and placement on the lot, work together to shed water from the house and its foundation. To maintain an optimum level of drainage, have gutters cleaned twice a year, ideally before the rainy seasons.  Also, adjust the gutter’s downspouts to empty into splash blocks or extend at least two feet away from the home’s exterior walls. If you add shrubs, flowerbeds, or other landscaping around your house, angle (or grade) the dirt away from the home’s foundation.

Appliances. Refer to your homeowner’s manual or binder to find the user manuals to all of the kitchen and other major appliances in the house. These guides typically include  seasonal and periodic maintenance tips. For instance, your refrigerator coil should be cleaned twice a year; check the seal of the door gasket, as well, to make sure you’re not wasting energy. In addition, the clothes dryer vent hose (between the dryer and the wall) and the vent louvers on the outside of the house should be cleaned out at least semi-annually. Every three months, replace the furnace filter, clean out the dishwasher strainer, and drain and flush sediment from your water heater. Such maintenance chores allow these appliances to operate at their optimal performance and extend their usable lives.

Air ducts and ventilation. Air ducts and vent registers can become clogged or stifled with debris, reducing their ability to distribute conditioned air and keep your house comfortable. About every two years, hire a professional service company to clean them out. For the same reason, clean the filters and check the general operation of ventilation fans in the kitchen and bathrooms so they work efficiently, as well.

Roofing. Make regular and thorough roof inspections. Pay attention for missing or damaged shingles or voids in the flashing that may allow moisture or air infiltration. Replace or repair as soon as possible to ward off problems that can occur unnoticed or unseen.

By following these guidelines, the time and energy owners invest in their home will continue to provide dividends well into the future.