Maintaining your home’s health is something you have to put a lot of effort into. It’s not just something that comes naturally. However, if you’re willing to put in that effort for ultimate home health, you can definitely end up with a healthy, well-managed home. The problem is that many people don’t put in the effort, which means that it’s unfortunately common for many homes to have health concerns. Here are the most important elements of maintaining your home’s health from the bottom to the top.
Structural Health
One extremely important home health element is your home’s structural health. This usually has to do with the home’s foundation. These are all potential indicators of a structural concern in your home:
- Nail Pops
- Wall and Floor Gaps
- Uneven Floors
- Drywall Cracks
- Sticking Doors or Windows
- Bowed Basement Walls
- Flood Damage
- Cracked Chimney
- Sinking Foundation
- Foundation Settlement
- Vertical, Horizontal, or Stair-Step Cracks
- Cracked Bricks
- Cracked Block Foundation
- Concrete Cracks
The thing is that many of these problems are issues that you might just wave away. Nail pops, for example, are a problem that many people believe are just an element of owning a home. If you’re starting to see these warning signs, you need to consult an expert to find out more about your structural options.
Basement Health
The next potential problem could occur in the basement. Many people don’t visit their basements very often, which means you could be missing these warning signs of basement problems:
- Poor Drainage
- Musty Basement Smell
- Leaking Water Heater
- Leaking Basement Windows
- Leaking in Basement Cove
- Sump Pump Issues
- Swelling or Warped Doors
- Water Stains on Walls or Floors
- Efflorescence
- Wet Walls
- Wet Floors
- Wet Carpet
- Wet Drywall
- Condensation on Windows or Doors
As with the structural health warning signs, an unfortunate number of people seem to have accepted that these problems are just normal. When you see condensation in your basement, do you immediately assume that something’s wrong? You probably should, even if you don’t always assume that right now.
Crawl Space Health
Even if you don’t have a basement, you probably have a crawl space. The thing is, these are all elements of issues with your crawl space health:
- Standing Water
- Floor Joist Issues
- Wood Rot
- Condensation
- Wet Insulation
- Foundation Cracks
- Open Vents
- High Indoor Humidity
- Sagging Floors
- Mold
- Unpleasant Odors or Poor Air Quality
- Rodent or Bug Issues
- High Electric Bills
Crawl spaces can be one of the most difficult places to assess problems on your own because so many of these don’t inherently seem like problems. High indoor humidity, for example, is a problem that some people may just assume is normal for their area. If you’re noticing any of these problems, you should get in touch with an expert as soon as possible.
General Concrete Health
The concrete in your home needs a certain level of health that you may not have paid enough attention to in the past. You could have concrete slabs in any of these areas:
- Patio
- Garage
- Driveway
- Basement Floor
- Sidewalk
- Pool Deck
If you do have concrete in these areas, then it’s up to you to make sure that concrete is healthy and well-put-together. The only way you can make sure you have healthy concrete is to get more information from another person. Calling in an expert can help you avoid cracked, sunken, or generally uneven concrete.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of elements that go into deciding whether a home is healthy. If you want to really maximize your home’s health, you need to align all of these elements. It’s not just as easy as fixing problems when they arise. You might not even know that some of these are bona fide problems. However, when you start noticing that something is different, it’s important to call in a professional who can help.
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