Are you trying to figure out how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance, and you aren’t sure what kind of repairs you can afford? If so, you aren’t alone. Many people struggle with this step and find that they have no idea which renovations and upgrades require saving the most money.
Thankfully, it is possible to understand how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance and the amount of money you need to save to avoid serious financial troubles. In addition, by understanding the costliest upgrade options, you can know how much to start saving and what kind of repairs you may need for your home’s overall strength.
1. Foundation Repairs
When you’re trying to learn how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance, you’re likely going to run into the problem of foundation repair. This concern is one of the most costly of all types, occurring between $450 to up to $11,000 in repairs. Just a few types you might need include:
- Foundation Upgrades – When you see that you’re getting cracks in your walls and your doors and windows don’t shut, you may need to upgrade your foundation. This process may require adding new support beams or checking to see what kind of elements may be seriously damaged.
- Tree Removal – Why would a tree removal service be essential for repairing your foundation? Tree roots often damage foundations and make it harder for them to stay strong. Usually, it would be best if you worked with window shutter installation experts as well to get your windows back in proper order.
- Soil Replacement – Unfortunately, there’s also a good chance that you’ll need to replace a lot of soil in and around your foundation. That’s because the ground helps to support your foundation, and if it is weaker for any reason (such as having too much sand), you may need to get new soil.
Try to save up for these repairs to ensure that you get them done correctly. You might need to consider a loan for some of them. However, you can also manage this problem by carefully deciding what kind of upgrades and renovations you want and focusing on them to minimize any issues.
2. Roof Repairs
Few people understand the vital importance of their roof. Your roof must stay strong, or your whole home may suffer. But knowing how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance to your roof is often a complex task. Typically, you need to save up to $650-$6,000 for repairs like:
- Shingle Replacement – As one of the least expensive repair issues for your home, you still need roofing services to help you. While it is possible to replace shingles yourself and to do it smoothly and efficiently, it is usually best to get a professional who can help you easily handle these steps.
- HVAC Help – There are many situations where your HVAC system may need to be repaired on your roof. That’s because your ducts, the system itself, and many other factors may all play into your unit’s overall strength and stability and must be upgraded to stay solid and secure.
- Overall Roof Repair and Replacement – After anywhere between 15-50 years, you may need to replace your roof entirely. This situation is often quite complex and may require you to get regular maintenance and installation inspections every 3-10 years after your initial replacement process.
Talk to your local and state government to find out if any grants are available for your roofing needs. For example, some states may provide high-quality funding for things like solar panel installation and may even pay to repair the damage needed to keep your solar panels strong.
3. Pest Damage Repairs
If you have a lot of pest damage to your home, and you’re still deciding how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance, it is vital to know just how much you’re likely to spend. Pests like termites and ants can cause a surprising range of damage in your home, meaning you might need:
- Electrical and Plumbing Help – Ants and termites may cause damage to your electrical and plumbing elements, requiring the use of electricians and other professionals to keep your home safe. Make sure to work directly with these experts to minimize any confusion that you might experience here.
- Kitchen Upgrades – Termites and ants often focus on areas with a lot of water and food, such as your kitchen. As a result, you may need to pay to replace kitchen cabinets and many other elements throughout your home to ensure that they stay strong and secure for years to come.
- Garage Repair – Did pests like cockroaches and other creatures move into your garage and damage its various structural elements? You may need to work with garage door repair experts who can help you fully manage this process and minimize other types of complications with your home.
- Wood Replacement – Do you have more than one solid wood door that termites and ants have destroyed in your home? You may need to get high-quality professional repair teams to help. These teams can give you the overall necessary assistance to minimize these problems in your life.
Expect to spend at least $500-600 for treating all of these pests and potentially up to $7,500 repairing their damage. Your costs can go down significantly if you catch them sooner and treat them more effectively. However, the overall repair investment is something you might need to save up to afford.
4. Severe Water Damage
Does your home have a lot of problematic water damage that you’re not sure how you’ll pay to fix? Unfortunately, this problem is not uncommon when deciding how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance. Just a few issues that you might notice when you get these types of restorations include:
- Serious Leak Problems – Do you have a large amount of leak damage occurring throughout your home? For example, you might notice that your roof leaks and causes water damage to your roofing and ceilings. If so, you may need to work with a professional repair team to get help.
- Mold Dangers – Mold has a way of spreading throughout your home and can cause a lot of severe damage. Outside of your home, you may notice mold on things like your fencing, requiring the use of fence companies who can remove or replace your fences to minimize this problematic issue.
- Metal Rust – You likely have a large amount of metal spread through your home that could quite easily rust when exposed to excessive water problems. This issue could require replacing all of these metal items or performing other types of repairs to keep them as strong as possible for your needs.
Just how much do these types of repairs cost you? That all depends on the severity of the problem and how bad it gets in your home. However, you can usually anticipate paying around $2,330 or so for these upgrades and renovations. So, pay attention to these concerns to avoid serious issues.
5. Plumbing Problems
Another important repair issue to seriously consider is your plumbing system. When learning how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance, you must pay attention to these concerns and do what you can to minimize their impact. Just a few issues that you might have to save up for include:
- Pipe Leaks – Sometimes, a plumbing team can simply patch up pipe issues and minimize leaks. However, they may also need to replace pipes in some instances, which is usually a more extensive repair and renovation process that may be pretty hard for some to execute appropriately.
- Rusty Water – If your water has a rusty taste or smell, you likely have serious problems that need to be managed right away. Otherwise, you might end up with long-term complications that could result in a total plumbing failure that will be pretty expensive to operate appropriately.
- Sewage Problems – Every once in a while, it is possible that you’ll experience issues with your sewage system that could cost you a lot of money to repair. These problems are often quite complex to repair and require a team of high-quality professionals to properly manage and minimize.
Expect costs of at least $550 for drain pipe repair and replacement, around $2,500 for sewer line repairs, and about $1,060 for installing all-new pipes. Anticipate having to handle all of these steps when getting plumbing repairs. Otherwise, you might end up spending more money than expected.
6. Concrete Upgrades
You likely have a large amount of concrete in and around your home. As a result, you’ll need to know how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance to minimize your financial struggles. What kind of problems are you likely to experience with your concrete? Anticipate issues with:
- Cracks in Concrete Surface – Concrete is quite strong and should last for a long time without significant issues. However, cracks may occur during freezing or warm periods and are likely to worsen and spread if you don’t get them managed as soon as possible when they appear.
- Support Problems – Your concrete slabs sit on an extensive support system that can become damaged over time and require help to repair. By working with a high-quality contractor, you can minimize these concerns and ensure that you get the best overall results for your needs as a homeowner.
- Widespread Damage Concerns – If you’ve left your problems with your concrete alone and haven’t paid to get them repaired, expect general problems. You can anticipate things like problems with alligator cracking that may require replacing all of your driveways to get great results.
You can anticipate costs of over $500 for your typical concrete patching and repair on a minor concern. However, cracks and more extensive problems may require a concrete contractor who can perform highly complex maintenance. You can pay up to $3,000 or more, though on average, you’ll likely pay around $1,500
7. HVAC Repairs
Lastly, you need to know how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance for HVAC repairs. This rate can vary between around $372 for AC repairs and up to $300 for furnace upgrades. However, you may need to spend $1,500-2,000 replacing these items and performing other repairs:
- Filter Replacement – While not that expensive of a repair to perform, missing out on it could cause more widespread problems. For example, problems with your air filter could lead to extensive damage throughout the cooling coils by allowing dust to build up and worsening their operation.
- Mechanical Upgrades – Your HVAC system often needs upgrades and repairs to help keep it operational. These small changes (such as a new thermostat or duct system) may be small on the surface but can add up over time to cause issues with your overall repair costs.
- Total Replacement – There comes a time when your unit (and its pipes, ducts, and other elements) may need to be completely repaired or replaced. This common issue affects many people and requires the use of a high-quality repair and renovation crew to manage with ease adequately.
The best thing to do when considering these types of repairs is to start out small and work your way up. If you schedule yearly inspections, you should be able to spot common mechanical problems with your system and repair them before they worsen. In this way, you can avoid serious and costly repairs.
By now, you should have a good idea of how much to budget for home repairs and maintenance for your needs. You’ll need to carefully work with your family to save up by cutting back on unnecessary expenses. It is also a good idea to look into high-quality grants and loans that help pay for these repairs. Doing so can help to keep your home safe and secure for years to come.
