HOME MAINTENANCE
A regular schedule of manageable activities will not only keep your home in first-rate condition, it will go a long way in thwarting stress-inducing emergencies that could leave your checking account drained.
Learning how your house operates and how to best operate your house are skills that you will develop over time, but lucky for you we have some guides to help you along.
Habitat Chicago Home Maintenance Manual
Chock-full of explanations and advice, this manual is developed for our Habitat houses, but much of the information can be easily applied to most homeowners.
Quarterly Maintenance Checklists
Taking care of your home is an ongoing process and some projects can span several years. It can be helpful to keep a record of all the maintenance, repair, and renovation projects you do and when you do them. Having a plan and keeping track of big and small tasks alike can help you stay on top of seasonal and annual maintenance, so your home can stay in tip top shape.
These handy printouts lay out an ideal maintenance schedule and will bring particular delight to those checklist lovers among us.
Home Fixtures and Appliances
Your home is full of major assets, and, just as you would a car, it is important to perform regular maintenance on them to maximize their useful life and reduce the likelihood of a major repair or replacement down the road. For a list of typical home fixtures and appliances that require maintenance (and eventually replacement), visit this helpful article on Dengarden.
Getting Started on your Next Project
Home improvement projects often require knowledge and a set of skills that can take time to acquire. Most people learn as they go, diving in and picking up skills along the way. One of the best ways to learn is to ask friends, family members, or neighbors who already have the skills to help you start a project. Do-it-yourself manuals can also be found at your public library, covering topics from general home maintenance to specialized projects. Other people may choose to start with online courses and videos to gain the initial knowledge needed to start a project. Here are some online resources available to someone pursuing a DIY project:
Home Care Education
Through Habitat Chicago's Home Care Education programming, we provide workshops, videos, articles, and other materials and resources to help you take care of your home. Visit our webpage to learn more and get inspired for your next project that will surely increase the health, comfort, and longevity of your home.
ReStore Chicago
Need materials for your next project? Looking for a little bit of inspiration? Consider stopping by the ReStore, our nonprofit home improvement store and donation center that sells new and gently used furniture, appliances, home accessories, tools, building materials, and more. Pay a fraction of the retail price while helping us keep usable items out of landfills and supporting the local Habitat mission.
For more information about ReStore Chicago, including hours and directions as well as what's in stock, visit our ReStore page.
Read On
We aren’t the only ones especially interested in home maintenance--if you can believe that! Here are some of our favorite sites for additional tips and tricks:
Watch and Learn
And because seeing is, well, learning, in this case, here are some videos our construction leaders use in our home maintenance course that might be helpful for you.
How to use a fire extinguisher
