No matter how well you maintain your house, there are bound to be problems sooner or later. This does not mean that you are a bad owner but that structural problems have accumulated over time and at some point they became apparent. Water damage due to a leaky pipe is just one example of how issues that you take no notice of can eventually wreak havoc. There is an unofficial list of all the house problems that you really shouldn’t ignore as they need to be taken care of as soon as you notice them. By knowing where (and when) to look, you will stand a good chance of preventing any damage to your home.
Wall moisture
Because they often get the chance to see moisture on walls in the basement, many homeowners grow used to it and they aren’t much alarmed when they spot moisture on the inside walls of the house. It might be normal to see temporary moisture on the basement walls due to the humidity of the air but inside the house, there should be zero tolerance to any moist patches on the walls. Its presence can be an indicator of a burst pipe inside the wall and over time it will lead to the formation of mold and mildew.
The latter is devastating for the human respiratory system, as children are especially vulnerable. Once you notice paint peeling off due to moisture, react instantly because neglecting this problem can lead to your house becoming impossible to live in.
Live wiring
There is a good reason why electrical wires are placed into indentations in the walls created during construction and then sealed off. Although most cables that conduct electricity have rubber casing around them, you can never know whether the rubber is stripped in some places. This usually occurs when you break a switch or an outlet and the wires get exposed. Open wires are a huge issue that you cannot afford to disregard for a single minute. Firstly, you need to shut down the power, put some insulating tape around the problem area and call the electrician to sort things out. One way to protect your kids from tampering with the wires is to raise the height outlets are placed at.
A leaky pipe
We spoke about the problems that can occur if there is a leaky pipe inside the walls. This is the worst-case scenario because you have to tear down walls to reach the problem areas, skyrocketing the final cost of the repair. However, even smaller leaks in easily accessible places, like under the sink or beside the bathtub can be troublesome as well. Since you are bound to notice a leak in these places right away, the extent of the damage might fool you into not reacting. One tiny drop every five minutes might not seem like much but things could quickly escalate if a valve bursts due to high water pressure. Then you will be scrambling to find the number of companies like Tallis Plumbing who specialize in emergency plumbing. That is why it’s better to call them sooner rather than later unless you want to face a full-scale flood in your home.
Safe foundations
Water and electricity are not the biggest dangers around the house, as gravity can prove to be merciless if the structural integrity of your house gets jeopardized. For sure, we have all notices cracks in the walls or in the concrete base of our house but most of them are indicators of the shifting ground beneath our feet, not of a real structural problem. Things start to get serious when you can stick your finger or a pencil into a hairline fracture in your façade. This is an indicator that things got serious and that your house might not be safe to live in any longer. You need to call a structural engineer that will advise you on the best measures to take before the whole structure comes crumbling down.
Repairing the roof
As you might have realized by now, water damage is by far the most serious threat your home will face. This is because it works its way slowly through the material the walls, floors, and the roof is made of. The latter is very important because rainwater and snows that thaws can endanger your house from above. That is why inspecting the roof for missing tiles, faulty flashings, and ruptured gutters and drains should be a top priority. These are all issues that can lead to water damage in the roof structure and this includes wooden support beams that will rot away over time if exposed to water.
Apart from the 5 problems listed here, there are numerous other, smaller issues that you should never ignore. For instance, the house chimney will have to be covered during the period of the year it is disused. For other issues, a speedy reaction is the best possible prevention against house problems that have the potential to destroy the inside of your home.
Author-Bio:
Liam Smith is a young and aspiring Australian blogger with a passion for everything related to home, design, and lifestyle. He has a B.Sc. in Interior design and is an avid reader.
