With the holidays behind us, list-makers look around the house and start scribbling fresh to-dos for the new year.
But how do we determine which home maintenance projects demand immediate attention over those that can wait?
The tips below for sizing up a repair problem are from “Knack Home Repair & Maintenance: An Illustrated Problem Solver” by Terry Meany, who reminds readers that “whether you own a home, or rent, problems arise.”
Here’s Meany’s advice for prioritizing home-repair issues:
Home maintenance checklist
Categorize each home-related problem to determine how and when you’ll resolve it.
• A life-threatening or severe house problem — a flood, for instance — calls for a more critical response than one that doesn’t pose any danger.
• Some situations call for expertise beyond your own, (so) don’t hesitate to call a contractor, but understand contractors can be expensive.
• If you cannot completely solve the problem, try a temporary fix — such as shutting off water to a leaking pipe — until expert help arrives.
• If the problem isn’t endangering you or causing increasing damage, and you’re feeling pressures to be elsewhere or get something else done, then walk away from it. Fatigue, hunger, and time concerns will negatively affect your actions and can make things worse. Some things you can always fix later.
Online: More home tips, tricks and projects on the Colorado at Home blog
