You have finished your rehab project and moved in; you’ll never have to make another trip to Home Depot or think about buildings and renovations again! Unfortunately, this isn’t true. A lot goes into the care and maintenance of a home, even in one where everything is brand new. Below is an outline of maintenance issues likely to come up in the first year (while the project is hopefully under warranty) and items you should always monitor and maintain regularly. Most of this article applies to moving into new construction homes as well.
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Maintenance Recommendations for After Project Completion
1. Seal stone. This is especially important if you installed any real marble in the project. Marble is more porous than most other counter and tile materials and will stain easily. Regular sealing is crucial to prevent staining. Although marble stains the most easily, quartz and granite can also stain. The best practice is to seal them as well. Most contractors don’t include sealing as part of their regular installation process. If they don’t, seal any marble or stone surfaces before using them. It is easy to seal stone surfaces on your own without professional help. Most sealers come in a spray bottle with detailed instructions on how to apply them.
2. Seal grout. Most grout doesn’t require sealing to function properly. Some more expensive grouts are even designed to resist staining on their own. If you installed any white or light-colored grout in showers, on floors, and especially in higher traffic areas, I recommend sealing the areas with white-colored grout.
3. Stain exterior wood fences and porches. When any new wood is installed outside, it needs time to dry out, or it won’t absorb any stain. If the fence or porch area is made of dry wood material, you should wait a month or two after installation before staining it. If the fence or porch is made with pressure-treated wood, wait 3-4 months before staining it. Use an inexpensive moisture reader to determine when it has dried out. Staining exterior wood adds color (or a nice clear coat) and helps protect the wood and prolong its life. Most contractors don’t include staining as part of their initial scope of work, and you will need to either do it yourself or hire a contractor to do it. Note that composite decking materials, like Trex, do not require staining.
4. Monitor humidity levels for hardwood floors. Buy an inexpensive humidity gauge for each floor of your home. Ideally, your home’s humidity should be between 35-55%. This is the ideal humidity for your health and for maintaining hardwood floors. Also, avoid large temperature variances in the home. In a perfect world, for hardwood floors, there will never be more than a couple of degrees of variance in temperatures in the home. All of this is to prevent movement of the hardwood floors (and shrinking and swelling), which can cause gaps between the planks, slight buckling, and squeaky floors. It is almost impossible to prevent any changes in the hardwood floors over time. The more you can maintain proper humidity levels and consistent temperatures, the fewer issues you will have. Most contractor warranties will exclude these issues with hardwood floors because the homeowner’s temperature control can affect them so much.
5. Change your furnace filters. Changing furnace filters is an item that will be part of the regular maintenance of your home forever. Changing them when you first move in is important in case they are full of construction dust and debris. If the filter is extremely full and dirty, you may want to discuss having the ducts cleaned out with your contractor. Sometimes, contractors will include this as part of their scope of work. After moving in, if the filters are coming out semi-clean or just slightly dirty for the first couple of months, then you likely don’t need to worry about additional duct cleaning.
6. Cabinet touch-ups. This is a small item, but ask your contractor if your cabinets came with any touch-up markers. Many pre-finished colored cabinets today cannot be sanded down and painted, and it’s almost impossible to do matching paint touch-ups on them. Most cabinet brands will provide or sell touch-up markers/crayons that make it easy to touch up small imperfections, nicks, etc. Ask your contractor if one came with the cabinets and, if not, if you can order one. Purchase one now while the color is still being manufactured.
7. Water any new landscaping- If the scope of your project includes any new landscaping, be sure to talk to the contractor or landscaper about the proper watering schedule. For new grass, do not mow it until it is 3” to 4” tall. Water sod immediately after mowing to retain the moisture that was lost.
For new sod, a general recommendation for watering is:
Week 1: Water twice a day
Week 2: Water once a day
Week 3: Water every other day
Week 4: Water every 3 to 4 days
Standard Imperfections to Expect Post-Renovation
Sadly, no renovation will maintain perfection for long. Below is a list of items likely occurring within the first month to 12 months after a renovation. Many will happen as seasons and temperatures change. It's important to understand that many of the items are normal. It's also useful to know if they are covered by your warranty. As a courtesy to the contractor and as a way to maintain good relations with the contractor after project completion, don’t ask for warranty repairs as soon as you see one crack or nail pop. Assuming you have a 12-month warranty, I recommend waiting six months or until you have made it through a season change to request warranty repairs on these non-urgent items.
1. Drywall Cracks. Drywall cracks after a renovation are common. They can be caused by temperature and humidity changes and from the home/building settling. As building materials dry out, they can cause cracking as well. The crack often follows the line where two drywall pieces were taped and jointed together; this is normal. Drywall cracks are usually not an immediate sign of a structural issue. All buildings settle over time, and after a large-scale renovation where framing was changed, or basement work was completed, more settling than usual is normal. Drywall cracks are also an easy fix for the contractor’s team but are not always covered by the warranty.
2. Wood trim and molding separation. These cracks are common. They are caused by many of the same factors that cause drywall cracks. The wood drying out, temperature changes, and settling can also cause cracks along baseboards, door frames, and other moldings. Oftentimes, it is not even a true crack and is simply a separation where two pieces of trim are joined. Wood expands in heat and shrinks in the cold. You will often see these cracks occur as seasons change. If you didn’t do a complete gut renovation and did not add new or proper insulation behind the walls, separations will be even more common, as there will be more temperature variance around the wood. These cracks are also easily fixed and are occasionally covered by a warranty. To repair them, the gaps are filled with caulk and then painted. After repairs, they will look like new.
3. Grout cracks. The most common grout cracking and separation I see after a renovation include: where a backsplash meets a counter, where a shower wall meets the shower floor, and where a tub wall meets the tub. These cracks and gaps can be fixed by adding additional grout or caulk. It is an easy fix for a contractor when it is covered under warranty.
4. Door alignment. Wood doors will also swell in warmer weather and shrink in colder weather. These variances, combined with slight potential shifts in the door frame, can cause doors to become offline and not open or close properly. Usually, the door can be re-aligned or shaved down slightly to accommodate the swelling. Sometimes, if it is only slightly warped, it will go back to normal on its own. Try to keep a warped door closed as much as possible to help it return to its original size or position. Maintaining proper humidity levels will also help to prevent door issues.
5. Nail pops. Drywall is secured to wood framing with nails. Over time, some of those nails may pop out of place and cause a “nail pop” to appear on your drywall. They are small circles that protrude out from the drywall (usually about ⅛”) in the shape of a circle. These are very normal after a renovation and can’t be prevented. They happen more frequently when the weather changes but will occur year-round. You may still find occasional new nail pops years after the completion of a renovation. If they are covered under warranty, fixing nail pops is an easy job for a contractor.
6. Concrete cracks. Concrete cracks due to shrinkage are normal. Exterior concrete cracks on sidewalks, patios, and driveways are rarely covered under warranty.
Best Practices for Regular Ongoing Maintenance
1. Change furnace filters. Change your furnace filters every 30 days. A clogged filter can slow the airflow reaching your home and make the furnace work harder.
2. Change central humidifier Filters. Some central humidifiers installed on a furnace will have a light that notifies you when you change the filter. If there is no indicator light, you should replace it every three months.
3. Change water filters. Most fridge water dispensers will notify you when to change the filter. For under-sink water filters, read the manufacturer’s instructions. Some under-sink water filters can last for years.
4. Turn off exterior spigots before winter. If you have outdoor water spigots before freezing temperatures hit, detach any hoses and then shut off the spigot from the inside. Once you have shut it off from the inside, turn it on outside to release any remaining water in the line, and then turn it off. Some newer spigot models are designed without an interior shut-off and don’t need to be turned off before the winter. You will only need to detach any hoses. Check with your contractor to see which type is at your home.
5. Keep exterior drains clean. For homes with a drain in front of a basement door, keep that drain clear of leaves and debris. One leaf could cover the drain and cause the area to back up with water. That water could then get inside the property. These drains should be monitored year-round, but especially in the fall. If debris builds up in the drain, be sure to clear it regularly as well.
6. Clean gutters. If you don’t have gutter guards installed on your property, keep your gutters clear of leaves and debris. This is especially important ahead of winter, as clogged gutters can cause ice dams that are more likely to cause interior water damage. Even in the spring, a clogged gutter can cause water to back up in certain areas and not flow properly. This also creates a risk of interior water damage.
7. Caulk showers. This is not something that needs to be done regularly, and it probably won’t be required in the first year after renovation, but you should monitor the caulk and grout around the base of tubs and showers. When the caulk or grout starts to deteriorate, it becomes harder to clean and sometimes gross-looking. It can eventually allow water to get behind or below the tile and cause significant water damage.
8. Caulk around the base of toilets. This won’t be needed for the first year post-renovation, but keep around the base of the toilet caulked. If it’s not caulked, liquid can get in below the toilet (from cleaning, the shower, etc.) and eventually cause mold.
9. Maintain stain on exterior wood fences and porches. I mentioned in the first section of this article that exterior wood fences and decks need to be stained a few months after installation. These exterior wood items must continue to be sanded and stained throughout their life. Exposed decks and stair treads will need staining the most often, usually every couple of years, though it can depend greatly on the climate and whether or not they are fully exposed or covered. Snow, salt, and humidity can speed up the deterioration. Stain on fences usually lasts longer. Fences only need staining every 3-5 years. You don’t want to get to the point where the wood shows green mildew, is slippery to walk on, or is splintering a lot. Using a colored stain makes it easy to see when the color is starting to wear off. Staying ahead of staining helps to prolong the life of the wood.
10. Proper plumbing usage for maintaining an ejector pump. If your project included the installation of an ejector pump in the basement, be careful what items you put down a toilet. Ejector pumps are typically installed when a bathroom is in a basement or below street level. The pump's function is to push waste to the same level as the street sewer line. Putting floss, feminine products, wipes, or anything besides toilet paper can cause an ejector pump to become clogged and back up. Teach everyone in your household to only put toilet paper down the toilet. An ejector pump backup is not fun!
11. Exterior metals. If your property has a metal fence, gates, or railings, they will all eventually be prone to rust. Stay on top of rust as it appears. Paint it right away. Once rust spots become larger and deeper, you will need a professional to sand down the rust and re-finish the metal. Eventually, rust can cause holes in the metal, and the metal will need to be replaced. The more you can stay on top of it, the more you can prolong the life of the metal.
12. Rodding sewer lines. If your property has yard space with large trees, then you should rod out the sewer line every couple of years and have the plumber put root killer in the line. If you don't have trees around, it is still best practice to rod the sewer line every five or so years.
13. Dryer vent cleaning. Every few years, you should have your dryer vent cleaned. Over time, as lint and other debris build up in the vent line, it can become a fire hazard.
14. Service your furnace and AC. If you have a brand new furnace and AC installed, you do not need to service them in the first year. You only need to change the filters as outlined in item #1. After year one, you should have the furnace and AC serviced annually. In Chicago, this usually means the furnace should be serviced at the beginning of fall, and the AC should be serviced every spring. Servicing includes cleaning, which helps prolong the life of the mechanicals. It also helps to catch any issues or repairs prior to the middle of winter or summer, when losing heat or AC is more of a nuisance!
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