Austin Real Estate Blog

You can sweep, mop, paint, dust, rearrange and decorate all you want, but if your home is not well kept, not well maintained, it won’t matter how pretty it looks. It will be crumbling around you. It will be a house that no one wants to buy let alone live in, particularly you. Therefore, it is vital that you take care of your home . . . all of it.

The first step in home maintenance starts outside with the exterior. The chimney, roof, gutters and walls must be sturdy. Check to make sure that your roof has no leaks and that all shingles are well fastened. Then, clean out your gutters. It’s not a fun chore, but it must be done to avoid clogs and subsequent pooling. Water should drain out of the gutters, away from the house; the opposite would defeat the point of having them. While you’re at it, check your windows and doors to make sure they are fully sealed and functioning (they should open and close appropriately). Just as turning on the heat with cracked windows would be a waste so would turning on air conditioning.

When you’ve finished the exterior, journey inside. Here, you want to check all faucets for leaks, the refrigerator to be certain it is airtight, the basement for dampness, the attic for weak boards, creatures and leaks, and filters to guarantee proper ventilation. Check out the floors as well for cracked tiles, rotting floorboards or moldy carpet.

If you find any problems, assess them appropriately. Fixing them yourself could save money if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t, it will only cost more in the long run. There’s no shame in calling a professional. In fact, in the end, it will probably be cheaper, safer and less painful all around.

The trend is rapidly turning toward more energy efficiency, not only in public and community buildings, but homes as well. The federal government is getting into the act in a big way by providing tips and suggestions to homeowners to increase the efficiency and decrease the cost of heating, cooling and lighting their homes.

ENERGY STAR appliances are a good start. These are refrigerators, ovens, washers and dryers that, by following strict guidelines for efficiency, have earned the ENERGY STAR. And the ENERGY STAR doesn’t apply to just appliances anymore. Qualified contractors can do a top to bottom inspection and offer advice on reducing drafts, upgrading insulation, replacing exterior windows, and upgrading electrical lighting.

Tax credits are available to homeowners who make energy-related improvements to their homes as well. The IRS has more information. Improvements to existing homes such as insulation that reduces heat loss or gain, windows and skylights, exterior doors and roofing that meet ENERGY STAR requirements. The addition of solar panels can also qualify the owner for tax credits.

The US Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy site contains a comprehensive list of ideas for reducing energy waste in the home. Using structural insulated panels in new construction, replacing old light bulbs with the longer lasting bulbs, and sealing leaky duct work are just a few suggestions. Replacing your old thermostat with a programmable thermostat is one simple and inexpensive way of reducing energy use. Installing solar panels is at the high end of the initial cost spectrum, but could realize substantial savings in the long run.

A top to bottom energy audit of the house by a qualified contractor is highly recommended to assist the homeowner in cutting down on wasted energy and reap the benefits in subsequent savings.

The three-day seminar was hosted by AgriLife Extension, a division of the Texas A&M System, and underwritten by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture. The seminar attendees included not only engineers, builders and architects, but entomologists and pest management experts. Several solutions were discussed, including such simple ideas as screening gaps, sealing conduits for electrical and sewer hook-ups, and creating smaller window ledges that won’t accommodate perching birds.

The focus was to come up with ideas that would eliminate the need for chemical pesticides and poisons, that could easily be incorporated into an environmentally friendly building and qualify for certification under the Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) system.

Seminar attendees took a break from the discussions to tour Hector Garcia Middle School, a near-by green building designed by Perkins and Will. Keeping the typically tight school budget in mind, the designers opted to use the natural environment to advantage. The building features walls of windows and open spaces, classrooms and labs situated in order to utilize the natural northern light. Exposure to the east and west sun is minimized, lowering the need for indoor cooling.

In spite of the care taken with design and location of specific features at the school, though, mice are an acknowledged problem, apparently entering the building at a gap below some doors, and provided a clear example that the problem of pest management should indeed be addressed during a green building’s design.