Whether you’re protecting your home or a commercial property, getting things looked at before they become a repair or a clog can save you a great deal of cash. Planned expenses are always a better investment than fixing or replacing something that fails because it was poorly maintained.
From the Curb In
Make sure to get your property cleaned up regularly from the curb in. This means keeping the lawn and plantings under control, but it can also include hiring for street sweeping in Fort Worth TX, or getting old shrubs torn out and replaced.
Any property that looks abandoned or neglected becomes a target for thieves, squatters, and vandals. A dead shrub in front of your home can also become a haven for pests, including bugs that may invade and damage your home. To keep your home protected, do your best to keep it well trimmed from the street view.
Protect the Lawn Early
Talk to local gardening experts about how to protect your lawn before the temperatures start to rise. Consider a pre-emergent application to keep weeds down, and consider putting in drip hoses to protect plantings in common areas during the hotter months. Finally, make sure to mulch around plantings once the drip hose is in place to reduce water loss from the soil.
Even if the grass isn’t as healthy as you’d like around your property, keeping things mowed and trimmed regularly can go a long way toward keeping your property looking sharp. If you’re currently getting the weeds cut to a standard height but aren’t thrilled with the look of the lawn, talk with lawn professionals about the best grass for your region and any products that will boost the health of the turf over the winter.
Keep Carpets Cleaned Regularly
Make sure that you get the carpets in your properties cleaned regularly. This gives you multiple benefits. First of all, you will be able to get inside the property regularly and monitor any destructive behaviors.
Secondly, cleaning the carpets on a regular schedule will force tenants to do some cleaning up and decluttering. If you’ve got someone who regularly refuses to allow the carpet cleaning crew into your space, you will be aware of a potential problem and can require an inspection of the property.
Set Up an HVAC Service Contract
HVAC systems are wonderful tools when regularly maintained and kept free of plant overgrowth and dust. To make sure that you don’t have to deal with a major repair, do your best to get your furnaces all scheduled in the fall and your HVAC systems checked before the heat of summer piles on.
Pay attention to your region when setting up the outdoor AC system check. There are many plants, such as cottonwood trees, that are very hard on AC units. They clog up the vents and cause your AC unit to overheat. To avoid this, wait until after the seed-blowing season has ended to get these units checked out.
If you have a regular maintenance person, have them go in and regularly check
- HVAC filters
- thermostat batteries
- clearance around outdoor AC units
before you call an HVAC professional to come service the unit. Generally, a handyman or maintenance person will be cheaper by the hour than a maintenance professional.
Get Your Gutters Looked At Regularly
Depending on the trees in your neighborhood and your rainy season, your gutters will likely need attention at different times. Take care to make sure that your gutters are cleaned after local trees drop their leaves but before the rainy season starts.
Gutters packed with wet leaves are extremely heavy and put a lot of strain on the property. Additionally, packed gutters can limit your ability to control run-off and may lead to leaking in around the foundation. To keep your whole building a bit healthier, get on a gutter-cleaning schedule.
Your home and commercial properties can be fairly easy to keep presentable with a bit of care prior to repairs. By allowing machines to breathe properly with clean filters and lots of clearance, you can avoid expensive fixes. Your budget will better absorb maintenance costs than it can tolerate having to replace large ticket items.
