How do I maintain my new home? Maintaining your new Augusta home is important for many reasons, including keeping your and your family safe and healthy, as well as protecting your investment. By putting in a little bit of extra time and effort on upkeep now, you will reap the rewards for years to come. Plus, taking care of minor repairs as they occur helps to prevent major, costly repairs from being needed later on.

Here are a few tips on how to maintain the inside of your new home:

• Inspect and repair caulking in sinks, tubs, showers, thresholds, walls, windows and other interior areas as needed.
• Turn on the furnace to see if it’s working properly and replace the filters.
• Adjust the heating registers in the home.
• Inspect the fireplace to make sure it’s clean, and open the chimney damper before you use it the first time.
• Perform safety tests on the following items throughout your home:
  • smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
  • pressure gauge in the fire extinguisher
  • dryer vents
  • GFCI outlets

Maintaining the outside of your home is as equally important as making repairs on the inside. The cool fall weekends are the perfect time to take care of the following areas:

• Inspect and repair or replace weather stripping on exterior doors, as needed. A well-insulated home will keep heat in and the cold out during the winter months.
• Clean and remove debris from the gutters, and inspect the alignment of the gutters, downspouts and splash-blocks to allow water to run off of and way from your home properly.
• Put up hoses and shut off outside water faucets at the cut-off valve to avoid pipes freezing and bursting during the winter months.
• Inspect and repair caulking around windows, cornice, siding and other exterior areas, as needed, to seal gaps and secure tiles.
• Close all foundation vents in the crawl space and place insulation over the openings.

These tips are great for all homeowners to follow, whether you have lived in your home for many years, you’re getting ready to sell your home or you just purchased your first home. If you are in the market for a new Augusta home, look no further than Keystone homes. This family-owned and operated company has the knowledge and insight to make your home buying dreams a reality. Visit www.BuildKeystone.com to learn more about their new home communities and be ready to maintain your dream home for years to come.