The best thing about buying a fixer-upper house is the price. The second thing is the history, heritage, and home-style feeling that comes with purchasing an already-established building. The trees and hedges are fully grown, giving it an air of stability and permanence.
The drawback is, of course, the fixer-upper part. We can’t all have the team from a television show swoop in and start doing all the chores for us—but don’t let that put you in a spin. Approach the project in a systematic way, and you will be well on your path to achieving a beautiful, original home in no time. Here are the first things to tackle when you have bought a fixer-upper house.
Roof
It’s so easy to take a roof for granted. All it does it sit on top of your house, out of the way, looking the way a roof is meant to look, right? Actually, the roof should be the first thing that you fix when you buy a house in need of repair. The roof protects the interior of your home, the walls that support the structure, and the areas that are protected by the eaves.
In addition to all those benefits a roof provides, it is also what the gutters and downspouts are hinged to when the rain needs to be funneled away from the house. If your roof is covered in moss, has missing shingles, or the gutters have fallen down, you should call in a roofing expert immediately. Even if you think there is nothing wrong with the roof, you should still get it checked out before you move on to other projects.
Water Heater
One way to check if you should update your water pump and heater when you move into an old house is to turn on taps in separate rooms at the same time. If the water flow is weak, or if your hot water disappears when you turn on a faucet in another room, then it is time to chuck out your geyser and buy a new one.
The old model water system may have become calcified and inefficient over the years. The thermostats don’t last forever either. The biggest attraction of getting an updated water heater and water pump for your fixer-upper house it that you can upgrade to solar power and always have hot water coming in steady streams in winter.
Garden
If the previous owners didn’t have a reason to fix the roof and water heater, they would have neglected the garden for sure. Begin clearing away old growth and garden debris during the early months of autumn. Get old branches on bushes and creepers cut back before regrowth begins in spring. Try to have that side of your garden overhaul finished before the snows set in.
When spring returns to your backyard, be on the look for any plants you don’t plan to keep in your garden. They will be easier to pull out after some leaves have appeared.
