Home Owners Spend Many Warm Weather Months Improving Their Properties

Temperatures in the 60s.
It is only the third week in February, but the temperatures this weekend pushed many home owners into thinking bout spring, and many of the home improvement jobs that need to be done. From roof repair and replacement to window and gutter work, home owners often have to work their way through a long list of needed tasks, and often, prioritize the expense and what needs to be done first, and what could be completed at a later date.
Both commercial and residential roofing, gutter, window, and painting projects take time, research, and money to complete. Consider some of the home maintenance tasks that make their way most often on to To Do lists around the country:

• Home owners understand that the decision to invest in a house extends well beyond the initial purchase. In fact, nearly 88% of home owners in all regions of the country see the exterior of their homes as one entity, and not a sum of its separate components, including the home improvement tasks like roofs, windows, and siding.
• On average, home owners indicate that they will spend between 1% and 4% of a home?s value a year on maintenance and repairs. Not surprising, these maintenance and repair needs tend to increase as a home ages.
• Most home owners find a variety of improvements that they would like to make. Sometimes these improvements are to erase the wear and tear of an aging house. Sometimes these changes are made to simply take advantage of newer, more energy efficient, and lower maintenance offerings.
• Even though home improvement projects are initially very expensive, the return on investment, (ROI) can often be fairly substantial. For instance, window replacement has an average ROI of as much as 78.6%.






• Installing energy efficient windows can serve as a major investment in a home. The wide range of the newest window offerings, for instance, can make a home more valuable in many ways. For instance, few things interest a potential home buyer than new double hung, energy efficient windows that slash the cost of monthly utility bills.
• More than seven in 10 home owners indicate that they will choose new roofing materials that require little or no maintenance. A new roof adds substantial ROI to a home. The fact that these roofs also save money on energy bills add to the value of these expensive changes.
• Painting and siding are other major home improvements for many people. When was the last time that your house was repainted? Have you considered switching your home’s siding to the permanent options that come with warranties that can last as long as 50 or more years.
• Roofing options vary in materials, costs, and colors. In many parts of the country the type of roof that a home owner will select is often determined by weather conditions. In parts of the midwest, for example, new low maintenance roof options need to be ones that can hold up to high winds and storm driven hail.
• One-third of surveyed homeowners indicate that they are limited in the color palettes they are allowed to use on exterior features of their homes. Most often, a homeowner association or an historical area is the group that limits these choices.
• Very often, a home owner will make decisions about the improvements that they make to their home according to the amount of money those changes will cost.
• Every home owner is responsible for the maintenance and repair of their properties. Failing to do so can decrease the value of a home, sometimes by very substantial amounts.
• Most home owners are not able to complete the tasks that they need at their home, and instead involve finding reliable contractors.
• Even the need to paint a home can involve significant research and investigation.
• New homes still need to be carefully maintained. Paying close attention to small leaks in a roof or a window can avoid more expensive repairs later.
• The decision to make a detailed list about the upcoming repairs and improvements in a house can help a home owner make a plan.
• Study and research help most home owners make the very best decisions when it comes to deciding to select new windows, gutters, roofs, siding and doors.