For those of you who know me you know I'm an avid DIY'er and will tackle just about any job around the house myself, at least once, but there are some jobs that are best left to a professional. As we move into the fall season make sure you line up these professionals to keep your house in top condition.
Have your HVAC System Serviced
Your HVAC system needs to be serviced every year. This is one thing you should never skip no matter what type of system you have. HVAC technicians will clean and make sure that your system is running in top shape. Most importantly they can check to make sure you don’t have any leaks that can cause dangerous carbon monoxide from entering your house. This is also a good time to check your CO & smoke detector batteries as well.
If you are having your HVAC tech out to the house don’t forget to talk to them about other services they provide like installing the ecobee WIFI thermostat that you have been wanting. For more information on the ecobee, check out my previous blog post.
Have you had your ducts sealed? According to the EPA a typical house can loose as much as 30% from air leaks in the ducts system. You can do some of this sealing yourself, but it is a messy job and you will only be able to seal the ducts that are exposed. For a better solution look into an aerosol system, like AEROSEAL, that seals your ducts from the inside. These systems improve the energy efficiency and keep dust and allergies from being sucked up into your ducts from the inside of the walls or the basement and distributed throughout your house.
Chimney Cleaning
This is not a DIY job, hire a professional
like East Side Chimney to clean out and inspect your chimney, fireplace or wood stove. Creosote can buildup in your chimney and cause a dangerous chimney fire. It is reported that around 25,000 chimney fires happen every year in the US and most of these are caused by delayed maintenance.
Have Your Gutters Cleaned
Keeping water away from your house is so important as it can lead to chipping paint, rot, mold and major foundation issues.
With the height of most gutters its best to
With the height of most gutters its best to leave this one to a pro. This all starts with your gutters, if they are full of leaves, dirt and debris they can overflow and cause water to run down the face of the building. Overflowing gutters will cause water to collect next to the foundation which can back up into your basement or over tax your sump pump. Ice dams are also more likely with full gutters causing water to backup into your house causing all kinds of issues. h your gutters, if they are full of leaves, dirt and debris they can overflow and cause water to run down the face of the building. Overflowing gutters will cause water to collect next to the foundation which can back up into your basement or over tax your sump pump. Ice dams are also more likely with full gutters causing water to backup into your house causing all kinds of issues.
Once you have your gutters and downspouts cleaned make sure that you check your downspout extension to ensure that they extend at least 5 feet from the house. This is one of the most common deficiency that I see during home inspections.
If you know anyone who needs a home inspection or architectural services, please recommend grandview architecture as I rely heavily on word of mouth marketing to keep the business going.
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