Tips and Tricks For a Low Maintenance Home

There are a million and one things that you’d rather do than spend countless hours maintaining your home.  Home repairs are both consuming and expensive, so you want a home with minimal upkeep.

Whether you’re building, buying, or just doing repairs on your home, read on for 8 tips and tricks to make your home low maintenance.

Native Landscaping

If you use plants in your landscaping that are not native to your area, you will spend a lot of effort trying to keep them alive.  However, if you choose plants that are already growing in your region, they will grow without a lot of assistance.

No matter what you choose to do, you will still need to weed and water your garden.

Weather-Sensitive Irrigation

Some irrigation systems can connect with weather data to water your lawn when it needs it and turn off when you don’t.  Weather-sensitive irrigation will save you an average of 8,000 gallons of water per year.

You can set your sprinklers at the beginning of the season and never think about them until you turn them off for the winter.

Waterproof Security

If you have a security system, make sure that it is fully waterproof so that you don’t have to worry about it malfunctioning.

The Ingress Protection Rating is a system that rates weatherproofing on a standardized scale, so find security cameras that have a high rating for minimal upkeep.  Check out this blog to learn more about weatherproof security cameras.

Metal Roofing

If you have a shingled roof, you will need to do repairs if any shingles come loose, and replace it every 15 to 25 years whereas a metal roof may have a life expectancy of 50 or more years.

Metal roofs may be more expensive than other types of roofing, but they will last much longer and require less maintenance.

Luxury Vinyl Tile

Instead of choosing wood or carpeted floors, you should opt for luxury vinyl tile, sometimes refereed to as laminate plank flooring.  It’s easy to install, and easy to maintain.

There are many different types you can buy, the most popular being faux wood and faux stone, as you can mimic the appearance of these floors without any of the maintenance. The outer plastic layer is a clear tough plastic that is scratch, stain, and water resistant.   Instead of scrubbing grout or refinishing your floor, you only have to sweep and mop.

Install a Central Vacuum or Get a Robot Vacuum

A central vacuum or robot vacuum will make cleaning your house so much easier.  You won’t have to bother about grabbing a dust pan, as you can just sweep your remains into the vacuum system, or even bother about sweeping or mopping if your robot vacuum does it for you.

Have a Shoeless Home

You would be amazed at how much dirt you track into your home just by wearing your shoes around the house.  Get a little basket at the front and back door for your family and visitors to place their shoes in and write up a sign that asks visitors to remove their shoes.

You will have to sweep and mop a lot less frequently once you decide to stop wearing shoes inside.  If you have plantar fasciitis or another condition, get a pair of shoes with adequate support that you only wear inside to keep your floors clean.

Patterned Quartz Countertops

Quartz countertops look, feel, and have the strength of granite and marble counters, but won’t stain or chip quite as easily.  You also don’t have to seal them every two years like you do granite.  Choose a patterned surface instead of a solid color to hide crumbs, cracks, and other imperfections.

Re-Think Your Shutters

Traditional shutters and blinds may look nice, but they can be a lot of work.  The best low-maintenance window treatments are: vertical blinds, washable draperies, and plantation shutters, while vinyl blinds although cheap, will require a lot of work to keep them from ripping and becoming warped from the rays of the sun.  If you’re curious to learn a quick history of shutters, check out this blog.

Remember That Less Is More

Declutter your life — less belongings will be easier to maintain.   Opt for large pieces, easy to clean furniture, minimal shelving and decorations, etc.

The less clutter you have around your home, the less likely you will be to get rodents and bugs as well.  Throw away, donate, or sell as many of your things as you can, and then avoid buying things in the future.

Tags: low maintenance home

Category: Home Improvements