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We just built a new home, and I'm wondering what routine things need to be done to keep everything working, well maintained, and happy. I can think of a lot of things, but the problem with any question like this is you never know what you don't know. So... I'm thinking a community wiki would be a helpful resource for everyone, and a good way to find things I may have missed.

To that end, I'm not going to explain features that went into our home. Our home may not have features which other people would need to ask about, and I may forget a feature which needs maintenance anyway. Please try to keep answers in roughly the form of "Home Feature, Maintenance Required, Frequency." Then a brief description of what might be helpful to know about performing that maintenance. I'd like to encourage links to other questions, and if a particular piece of maintenance needs deep discussion, creating a new question and linking to it.

isherwood
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Scivitri
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5 Answers5

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  • Change your furnace air filter regularly (frequency depends on filter type).
  • Check for water leaks regularly. This means checking the attic for roof leaks, the basement/first floor for flooding from outside, the water heater, sinks, etc. Not all water damage happens with a major failure. A lot of damage can happen from a small leak that goes unnoticed for a long period of time.
Jay Bazuzi
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mattsmith321
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This would be a really long list...

- repaint/stain outdoor wood regularly
- clean and inspect gutters
- check caulk around all window and door frames
- retuck brick when needed
- inspect roof yearly
- clean chimney
- clean furnace
- drain water from hydronic heating systems
- inspect all plumbing
- replace HW heater each decade and/or replace anode rods 
- yard maintenance (whole other list)
- seal asphalt
- patch concrete
- check fire alarms/smoke alarms/CO2 alarms
- charge/replace extinguishers
- replace bad switches
- update inefficient appliances
- check for insect intrusion/damage
- clean siding
DA01
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Smoke Alarms and their batteries. The most recent advice I've seen is to check them every six months. Do it when you shift the clocks for Daylight Saving, as that happens roughly every six months.

staticsan
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I charge $250 for a complete home maintenance inspection and use a 6 page checklist to do it. There are so many different needs and specifics to each house, that it would be difficult to answer your question here. Each house is somewhat unique in its subsystems, age, and state of repair. I suggest you browse the shelves of your local book store and find a good reference text that better meets your specific needs. I have several books that help me deal with the many different situations I find. Many of these books will guide you through the inspection process and also give you good instructions on the maintenance you will need to do, and the best time and intervals to do them. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Good Luck

shirlock homes
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Here's a good one: air conditioning condensation lines. These are drainage tubes that lead from your central A/C unit(s) in the attic to somewhere outside your house (mine are on the side of the house, just under the eaves). Make sure they are not clogged-- if you don't see any water dripping out when your A/C is running, you might have a problem. Also, you can check the overflow pan under your A/C unit. You've also got to pour a little bleach in those lines from time to time to keep stuff from growing. If you have never heard any of this before, you should probably call your local A/C place to come by for a checkup and see what he does.

Pete
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