City of Virginia Beach Pattern Book Know Your Limits
General home maintenance as well as many types of repairs can be easily accomplished on your own. Often times a do-it-yourself (DIY) project like painting, decorating, or landscaping can be both fun and rewarding. However it is important to be familiar with your skill level and to understand which types of repair or improvement projects will require the assistance of a property manager, carpenter, plumber, electrician, contractor/builder, or other professionals.
Some repairs require an urgent response time, such as a broken water pipe; broken doors, latches, or windows; or a leaky roof or water tank. Most often, urgent repairs justify hiring a professional to take care of the job.
In determining whether to call in a professional for your project it may help to consider the following questions: • Is the project complicated? Does the project require a variety of skills to complete it?
• Is the project likely to be time-consuming? • Are there potential risks or hazards involved in the project? Will the project require the use of any materials that may irritate your lungs or could be considered toxic or hazardous? (Example: Cleaning accumulated creosote out of chimney flue)
• Does the project require the use of specialized tools that you may not currently own?
• Does the project require precision, experience or specialized knowledge (tiling, plumbing, or electrical wiring, for example)? • Is a building permit required?
Pattern Book Chapter 4: Home Improvements
Make Home Maintenance Easy on Yourself
Develop a Budget! When looking to purchase a home, and setting a purchase
price limit, many people do not factor in annual
maintenance costs in the same way they would factor in mortgage insurance or property taxes. As a rule of thumb, you should plan to set aside between 1% to 3% of the initial value of your home each year for home maintenance costs. Estimating these costs before you purchase will help ensure that you don’t enter into a mortgage that is more substantial than you can afford.
If you are already a home owner, start a home maintenance savings account or cash reserve. Set a goal amount that you will deposit in your cash reserve each month, based on your personal budget and the number and type of repairs you know your home will require in the future. Having a cash reserve that you will only use for home maintenance will give you greater flexibility to make both emergency and scheduled repairs as soon as they are needed.
Certain components of a home have a known, limited useful lifetime and, at
the same time, may be costly
homeowner should forecast and budget for replacement of these items months or years in advance. Examples of these items include: refreshing the stain on outdoor wood or metal; waterproofing masonry; cleaning out septic
repainting and systems; replacing
sacrificial electrodes in water heaters or replacing the water heater itself; and replacing the roof, windows, or siding.
to replace or upgrade. A
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