Home Maintenance Tips to Wrap up Your Summer

While you’re probably still enjoying all kinds of summer fun, it’s time to start thinking about any projects you want to complete while the weather is still in your favor. Home projects may not be the highlight of your summer, but being sure to keep up on regular home maintenance will help prevent any long-term damage.

Follow this home maintenance checklist to close out the season and keep things looking their best all year long!

Clean your gutters

This might seem like a spring project, but leaves and other debris can build up all year long. When water can’t flow through the gutters, it can overflow and damage your foundation and basement. Be sure you have a sturdy ladder for this, and place it somewhere where it can’t shift underneath you. Spread out a tarp below the gutters and remove debris with a gutter scoop. These can be found at the hardware or home improvement store, but a spatula or child’s sand shovel works great too! Rinse everything with a hose when you’re done to get all remaining debris washed away.

Inspect your Roof

While you’ve got the ladder out, take a look at your roof. Remove any buildup of debris or leaves that you see both on top and beneath the eaves. If any shingles are buckled or curled, they need to be replaced. If the majority of your shingles look like this, it may be time to replace the entire thing. Take a look at the metal strips around chimneys and vents as well. If anything is loose, make needed repairs to prevent water damage.

Freshen up the exterior

If you have a buildup of debris on the outside of your home, consider power washing the exterior. Just make sure you use the right amount of pressure for your siding. Hot weather can also fade paint, so, when you’re done cleaning, consider having the outside of the home painted. You could just opt for the spots that seem to get the most sun exposure.

Clean up your landscaping

When summer really starts to come to an end, start doing some clean-up around the yard. Prune flowers, bushes, and trees away from your house, pull weeds and remove extra debris. When the leaves begin to fall, you’ll have much less to clean up as you rake. This is also a great time to plant bulbs for spring blooms!

Replace old windows

It’s hard to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home if the windows are old or aren’t properly sealed. You don’t want to have your heating and cooling systems running more than they should. Consider replacing single-pane windows and filling gaps with caulk to keep your home efficient during the colder months. While you’re at it, fix any broken or missing screens.

Clean your fireplace & chimney

Building a fire might not be at the front of your mind right now, but if you have a wood-burning stove or fireplace, now is the time to have them cleaned and inspected. Burning wood produces soot and creosote that can build up over time. This is the dark residue that you see coating your firebox. This substance is highly flammable and should be removed every season to prevent chimney fires. Take time to have it cleaned now so you can be ready to get cozy when the cold temperatures hit!

Clean your deck

Your deck might be looking a little rough after all those summer BBQs! Spend a weekend cleaning off all debris, and giving it a wash. A hose and a gentle scrub with soapy water will do that trick. Be careful with power washing as some decks are not suited for it. When you’re done cleaning, take a look and see if any boards are loose. If any are damaged or rotting be sure to remove and replace them. Loose and broken deck boards can be a hazard for you and your guests!

Owning a home can be a lot of work, but if you follow this end-of-summer checklist, you’ll save yourself time and money by preventing future damage. If you’re feeling a bit out of your league with some of these tasks, don’t worry! We can help.

One of our many services is property maintenance. Whether you’re looking for annual home maintenance, property management maintenance, or commercial and industrial maintenance, we’d love to help you with the upkeep of your property.

You can count on Total Home Solutions to provide quality craftsmanship and exceptional customer service in everything that we do. We bring innovative ideas, building strategies, and forward-thinking in the construction industry, all the while promoting relationships that compliment both our business model and your construction needs and expectations.

If you have home maintenance or any other projects you’d like to get started on, we encourage you to reach out soon as we’re in our busiest season of the year!

Call our office at 541-647-0213, email us at info@mytotalhomesolutions.com, or submit your information at mytotalhomesolutions.com/contact. We look forward to working with you!

Rental Renovations

Mountains, rivers, sun, music, food, beer… need we say more? What’s not to love about the wonderful town of Bend? If you live here, you know, and if you’re planning a move, you’ll soon find out. But you may not realize the rising cost of living that you must pay to enjoy its perks. Fortunately, homeowners can take advantage of our growing little city and high demand for housing with rental properties like apartments, homes, ADUs, tiny homes, and vacation rentals of all shapes and sizes. Bend is scattered with housing and properties, old and new, and those who can afford them can usually benefit from renting them out at least temporarily.

So, let’s say you do own or are planning to own a rental property in town. Whether it was just built, or you scored a fixer-upper in the historic district, you’ll need to keep it up and maybe even make some (or many) changes. But before your tenants move in, make sure to do the basic checks for any water damage, need for an exterminator, change any filters, test all smoke detectors, and either has you or a management company available for periodic requests from your incoming tenants.

Now, let’s talk renovations and remodels. You know, the stuff WE can help you with. Take note, that there is a difference between renovating (updating or restoring an existing structure or feature) versus remodeling (changing the entire function of a room or feature design).

Buying a property is an exciting undertaking, with so many options within reach. Whether you’re looking to:

·      Revamp a kitchen

·      Add a fresh coat of paint to any room

·      Update flooring, carpet, or fixtures

·      Make repairs

or increase your rental potential as well as the value of your rental property… we’re here to celebrate your new home and we can help!  

Our team has multiple decades of knowledge and hands-on experience that we put to work for our valued clients to help make their dreams a reality. We know the area, the trends, and how to make your vision come to life. And we’ll be as honest with you as we can about your home’s potential. We find it very important to have long-term relationships with our clients, providing exceptional services they can count on year after year.

Bathrooms, window and door installation, siding, custom projects, concrete, roofing, ADA renovations, fencing, decks, porches, flooring, stairs, handrails, cabinet installation, there is no job too large or too small for us and that’s the truth!

We’ve also created the perfect network of professionals to get all your home’s needs met because sometimes, it takes a village to reach your project goals as a homeowner. We have long-term subcontractors in all trades that are part of the THS team to help bring your vision to life. Our team’s subcontractor network includes professionals in:

• Electrical

• Plumbing

• HVAC

• Tile setting

• Custom cabinet design

• Architects

• Interior and exterior design

• Exterior and interior painting

With an array of professional partners in these fields and more, our team is truly able to meet your total home needs!

Circling back to trends, here are a couple we’ve noticed that are popular this year for rental (and other) property renovations and remodels:

·      Luxurious spa-like bathrooms

·      Improved outdoor living spaces, decks, and gardens

·      Large window banks

·      Multifunctional kitchen islands and countertops

·      Built-in storage

·      Spacious mudrooms

·      Rooms that double, multifunctional spaces

Let your imagination run wild! When it comes to your rental, your options are endless.

We provide quality craftsmanship and exceptional customer service while maintaining the highest level of dependability and professionalism in the relationships we cultivate with our clients, vendors, and employees. It is the culture of our company, and we believe that "Teamwork makes the dream work," and everyone plays a crucial role in the success of the project!

By consistently offering reputable solutions and services at a fair market and competitive prices within a reasonable timeline, we tackle your home’s needs with the intent to earn your repeat business and referrals.

Reach out today to get things started, we are heading into our busiest season of the year!  

Call our office at 541-647-0213, email us at info@mytotalhomesolutions.com, or submit your information at mytotalhomesolutions.com/contact.