Thinking Ahead: Expensive Repairs, What They Are and How to Avoid Them

Purchasing a house involves a lot of expenses. You also need to budget for closing costs and of course home improvement, and you might have even begun thinking about remodeling or decorating parts of your home-sweet-home. But there is something else every homeowner has to be ready for: expensive home repairs.

 

Of all of the expenses involved with home ownership, the expense of the several fixes you will face is the hardest to plan for. Some are low-cost, minor diagnostic updates, while others are significant projects that carry a high price tag. And since you never really know when a water heater will stop or if your AC will choose to go on the fritz on a hot day, you will need to do everything you can currently to be ready. We have listed out 10 of the most costly home repairs homeowners face, including their overall prices and what you can do to prevent them.

 

Foundation Repair

 

If your home was constructed in a place where the soil will swell with drains and contract during times of drought, then those changes place your foundation in danger. Foundation repairs are complex and can become very expensive.

 

Price: Anywhere from $450 to $11,000

Evidence of a Problem:

Doors and windows that don't actually fit their frames and are tough to closed

Cracks showing up around the home

Sloping floors

Water pooling on your basement or around the borders of your residence.

 

Roof Repair

 

Your roof is the most important part of your home for protecting everything else inside from the elements. If it needs repair, it is important to do it quickly.

 

Price: Typical of $650 for a partial fix or $6,000 for roof replacement

Evidence of a Problem:

Leaks

Missing shingles

Preventative Steps:

Hire professionals to inspect your roof occasionally (10 years following installation, and every 3-5 years later ).

Look on the roof in between inspections to identify weak spots or minor repairs you can address.

 

Water Heater

 

The water heater is something most of us depend on each day without thinking too much about it, but the water heater issues may result in flooding and more expensive issues.

 

Price: Typical of $523 to fix, and $1000 to replace.

 

Termite Damage

 

Bugs in your house are an inconvenience at the very least, but one kind causes a lot more trouble than any of the others. If you are unlucky enough to take care of termites, it is important to care for the issue -- and treat it quickly.

 

Price: Treatment costs an average of $541, but damage from termites averages $7,229

Signs of a Problem:

Swarms of flying bugs, or insect wings in the cellar

Hollowed out timber

Mud tunnels about the width of a pencil top up to your outside walls

Preventative Measures and Maintenance:

Install termite monitors

Keep dirt and dirt away from the exterior of your house

Have your house inspected for termites after annually

 

Water Damage

 

Water can rot wood, cause mould growth, and create metals rust. Whether due to flood, a flow, or damage which happens little by little water is one of the biggest culprits in expensive home repairs.

 

Price: Typical of 2,330

Signs of a Problem:

Leaks

A musty odor

Fuzzy discolorations from the ceilings or walls (mould or mould )

Peeling paint

Preventative Measures and Maintenance:

Clean your gutters

Repair leaks in pipes or roof right away

Test your sump pump once a year. Plumbing issues are another potentially enormous expense, as they are generally located in areas that are tough to get to (underground and interior walls).

 

Heating/AC Repair

 

Not only are AC and heating repairs pricey, the systems necessarily appear to break at the right time of year you want them (because it is when they are working the hardest). You won't need to wait on getting them repaired.

 

Price: Typical of $372 for AC, $288 for furnace

Signs of a Problem:

It is not heating or cooling (ugh)

The device's leaking or making odd noises

Preventative Measures and Maintenance:

Hire a professional to perform annual maintenance

Replace your air filters every 3 weeks

 

Mold Removal

 

Mold in your home can cause numerous health problems, especially for anyone with allergies. Even if you're not allergic to mould itself, it can have a significant impact on your home's resale value.

 

Price: Typical of $2,155

Evidence of a Problem:

Musty odor

Discoloration from the walls or ceilings

Allergy symptoms

Preventative Measures and Maintenance:

care of leaks immediately

Inspect your home occasionally for signs of mould

 

Electrical Issues

 

Very similar to dealing with plumbing issues, it is not easy (or safe) for the average homeowner to access or attempt to fix electric issues because the pipes is located within walls.

A septic tank not functioning properly can be a large, messy problem (ew).

 

You can avoid a good deal of the very costly home repairs by doing your due diligence with preventative care. But even when you do everything you can to keep on top of how everything works in your house, you might still find yourself stuck with a large, expensive repair to take care of. It is a good idea to have cameras around the outside and inside the home. Simply starting with a doorbell camera can prevent certain things from happening, because you know what is going on in and out of your house.

 

When that happens, make your initial call your house insurance company. What they will pay and how much of it they will cover will vary dependent on the fix and your coverage, but oftentimes, you won't be stuck paying for the entire thing as long as you make certain you check in with them .