The Overlooked Parts of Your Home That Deserve More Attention

What comes to mind when you think about home repair and maintenance tasks? Is it the fresh coat of paint the downstairs hall needs? Or maybe it's the wooden floors that need a polish, or the walkways you should have jetwashed last week.

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All great aspects to focus on. But there are other, less Instagram-worthy tasks that need completing that, if they fail, can spell disaster for multiple reasons. And you're not alone, every home hides those jobs, they have secrets you only find if you explicitly go looking for them.

If you want to remove any hidden surprises from your property, these are some of the more overlooked parts of your home that could use a bit of TLC from time to time.

Fascia Trim, Soffit Panels, and Gutters

These are the prime examples of things you don't pay much attention to until they fail.

But when your gutters clog or crack and your soffits start to fail, what happens next isn't going to be fun.

A couple of times a year, especially during harsher weather periods, look up and give your fascias, soffits, and gutters a quick check to make sure there's nothing visibly wrong. Look for black streaks, water stains where there shouldn't be any, soggy ground around gutters, or anything hanging off. If there is any damage, you can call roofing or gutter companies like Elite Exteriors to help you rectify the damage and get everything back to full working order.
Flashing, Vent,s and Roof Seams

Again, parts of your home that fly so far under the radar they may as well be invisible. But after big winds or heavy rain and hail, take a walk around your house and look for damage to the chimney vents and shingles, as this is where water can sneak in. Lifted edges, rust marks, and tiles tilting higher than they should are also telltale signs you're experiencing damage that needs checking out. You don't need to be an expert; simply take pictures regularly to compare and alert you to problems before they cause too much damage.

Outdoor Spigot, Vents, and Lines

Every year is the same story; the first freeze catches people out. Split hose bibbs behind the siding, a burst pipe in the wall you don't notice till it's too late.

Before winter, shut off and drain outdoor spigots, add foam covers or short pipe sleeves - both quick and cheap fixes that can save you hundreds of dollars in remedial work.

Don't forget your dryer vents, too. Clean them in the summer, so lint doesn't build up.

The Ground
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As well as looking up, you need to look down to the ground to see what's going on underneath. Especially after storms. Look for puddles or standing water; if it's pooling against the foundations, it's heading inside next.

Rake the soil back to help it slope away, and keep the mulch from stacking too high.

Check for obvious foundation cracks. If any are apparent, mark them and check regularly to see if they're worsening—if they are, it's time to call someone.