# How to maintain a home

Upkeep of a house simply involves making steady, consistent [decorations and renovations](home-decorations.md), along with repairs.

- Prioritize survival-based and structural needs (e.g., roof, plumbing) over conveniences (e.g., internet) or luxury/cosmetic (e.g., carpet, smart doorbell):
  1. Roof
  2. Foundation
  3. Outside siding and paint
  4. Gutter and downspout water management
  5. Plumbing
  6. Electrical
  7. Inside paneling and paint
- If it's a nice house, your work is relatively easy, but homes in disrepair will need *many* projects until you can feel comfortable.
- Make sure to [set reasonable goals](success-3_goals.md) and pace it according to your [budget](money-3_budget.md) and [time](success-4_routine.md).

Try to [address](https://adequate.life/fix/) small problems *before* they become large ones.

- Most of the problems will revolve around water, in the bathroom and the kitchen.
- Sewage plumbing blockage is comparatively easier to fix when you have *some* running water through it (e.g., using a drain cleaner).
  - If your plumbing system becomes unpredictable, either flush the toilet paper on a second flush or place it in a trash can.
- Electrical shorts are less miserable to fix than blackouts.
- Fix most leaks as soon as you know of them, which typically comes from old roofing or an insufficient drainage system.
- Improve the drain system with a reliable downspout termination:
  - Send it downhill on at least a 5% slope, which may need a splash block to prevent buildup.
  - A rain barrel catchment system is very convenient for water-based hobbies (e.g., [gardening](horticulture.md)), but needs regular observation.

The issues in your house will be *heavily* defined by the [technologies](technology.md) legally available during its initial construction:

- until 1931: lead or galvanized water main
- until 1940: knob and tube wiring
- 1920-1940: stucco-covered chimneys
- 1949-1955: transite gas vents
- until 1960: galvanized drain lines and water pipes
- until 1962: ungrounded outlets
- until 1980: 9x9 floor tiles
- 1960-1980: transite ductwork
- 1965-1975: aluminum branch circuit wiring
- until 1985: buried fuel oil tanks
- 1970-1988: Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels
- 1920-1990: vermiculite insulation
- until 1992: attic bypasses
- until 2000: asbestos
- 1989 onward: problematic stucco and stone veneer siding

Even then, some things like radon and sewer problems can *always* arise.

The maintenance of your home will add to the [quality of your life](goodlife.md), provide [meaning](meaning.md), and can be a significant [investment return](money-investing.md) when you choose to sell it.

- Carpentry requires a steady hand, but is typically *much* more affordable and customizable than paying for work if you become skilled at it, especially furniture and finish carpentry.
- Masonry and stonework is simple enough to do, if you have the strength for it.
- [Pet](fun-pets.md) projects often give extra opportunities to have fun with your pet.
- Custom shelves and built-in organization can *dramatically* help with [organization](organization.md).
- Greenhouses can help with [gardening](horticulture.md).
- Projects that improve life for [children](parenting-children.md) (e.g., treehouses, swing sets) can profoundly improve on their childhood.
- Building a workshop can make *all* the above, as well as [fixing](https://adequate.life/fix/), much easier.

## Additional reading

[EPA Mold Course](https://www.epa.gov/mold/mold-course-introduction)