How do you maintain your house?

[Sparkymoo]

As in keep on top of it?

Do you sit down once a year and look at what needs doing?
Notice jobs and then make a clear plan to actually do something about it?
How do you afford/prioritise/choose to live with it?

This is how I do it now, however when I was younger and poorer (single parent) I literally did not have enough money to keep on top of things and if something broke or repairs were needed they just didn't get done. Now I:

• save a set amount each month to use for emergencies
• Have my boiler serviced annually and put a reminder in my calendar once done for the following year
• have urgent repairs dealt with immediately. I have a reliable handyman and for specialist stuff use tradesmen that adverise locally
• make a plan at the start of each year for what non urgent stuff needs doing - redecoration/upgrading and plan when it will be done. I decorate myself (usually take a few days annual leave for bigger jobs) and the handyman does bits I can't.

I follow a tip I saw somewhere years ago which is to go round each room with a notebook writing down anything that needs doing. I do this in January once all the Christmas stuff is out of the way. And we both do it separately and compare notes.

Any smaller things from those lists goes into a big list and we'll get a handyman in for a half day or day a year to deal with that.

Anything bigger goes into a spreadsheet which I started when we bought the house, it was originally based on the surveyor's report. Those are the tasks that we'll need to save up for.

Oh and I use a monthly savings account to pay for this. We don't take out extended warranties on things or pay for a boiler maintenance contract but we do pay a similar amount into the savings account so if something needs doing there is money for it.

Have been a homeowner for 28 years. Have never taken a notebook out to keep on top of diy. We have just done what we can when it needs doing. Simple as that. Obviously some things happen and you have to deal with it there and then, like a broken boiler or a leak) but otherwise it’s a case of prioritising.
Of money is an issue it would make sense to save a portion of your salary each month but I don’t keep money purely for diy. Have used credit cards in the past and repaid asap. 0% cards are great for this.
You don’t need to do everything, your home doesn’t have to be perfect. We could do with new windows but can’t bring myself to spend ££££.

• Have an annual boiler service.
• About once a year, usually about this time of year, ask the window cleaner (who also does guttering) to have a look in them/check them over.
• Do a surface clean of every room every week, but pick one room a week for a deep clean.
• Check radiators every so often, bleeding them if required.
• Get the log burner serviced and chimney swept annually, usually in the summer.

I tend to save external things for the summer months. Next summer will be getting the felt on the flat roof of the extension and garage replaced, and getting the driveway professionally cleaned.

We have a list of annual jobs that need doing (check gutters, boiler service, chimney sweep). I diarise a reminder for the following year.

We also do a proper spring clean once a year which is quite good for picking up any issues.

Other than that it's on an as needs doing basis based on priority/ cost/ ease of job. We do put some money aside each month for house maintenance, but bigger jobs will come out of general savings.

How often would you dust crown moulding and plasterwork on walls and ceiling? I need a tall ladder to do this so need to work out a schedule. Once a month? Or can I get away with once every 2-3 months? I’ve never dusted a ceiling in my life so I have no idea, but they’ve not been decorated:)

I hoover cobwebs and dust off ceiling with long hoover extension

When they look dusty….

Chimney sweep before the cold starts. Service boiler and Aga around then too. Get gutters cleared in January. Check roof / attic every 6 months when I worry about it.

The rest is just responding to emergencies or decorating when I have energy / time. Cleaning is the same.

house is too big and we don’t have enough money for it to be made perfect. But good enough is good enough!

They don’t look dusty six weeks after we’ve moved in, but shelves and other surfaces are dusted once a week and they do look dusty after that time. So they must be dusty though they don’t show. I don’t intend to devote too much time to them but I also want to avoid a build up, and establish some kind of a routine.
@hillsandtreess it’s a good idea with a hoover, but I will need a ladder anyway as the ceilings are very tall.

Gosh people are organised!
I renovate houses for profit and did my current one when I moved in. I have a boiler care plan. I just keep my eyes open. But I don't go round making lists. I know that there's a bit of water damage to the ceiling right outside my bathroom from steam, the front door needs repainting and I know I'd like to replace my uPVC windows... but not much else. Top job currently is my dishwasher needs repairing before Xmas descends. But unless the roof starts leaking I don't really think about it.

But unlike shelves, they aren’t lying flat so won’t collect as much dust. A hoover as pp said every few months should suffice unless you see cobwebs dangling.

That sounds manageable, @greengreyblue , thanks!