9 Expensive Home Repairs You Can Avoid with a Little Maintenance

iStock.com/ClarkandCompany

8. Seal Your Decking to Avoid Rot and Termites

It’s important to look after your deck too, where would you have your summer BBQs without it? While it’ll cost you less than a $100 a year to maintain it, rotting or even termites will set you back up to $10,000 for a full replacement.

You can avoid paying thousands by keeping your deck clean. Every spring clear out any leaves and debris from winter and clean all off the wood with some deck cleaner or a homemade mix of bleach and water. Then once dry, apply a sealant – this will keep moisture from getting inside the wood.

Inspect your deck once a year to signs of rots and termites. Poke the wood with a screwdriver to find soft spots, however, if the screw head goes into the wood more than a ¼ inch or 6mm you might be having problems. If you find anything like this call a carpenter to help.