A home list that catches the expensive repair early
Forty minutes, twice a year. Gutters, water, filters, and the one stain you photograph so you can tell if it grows.
Hristo Stefanov · Wildwood, New Jersey · Sep 23, 2026 · 1 min · Household
The walk
Do this in spring and again before the first freeze. You are looking for water where water should not be, and for anything that has changed since last time. A phone photo with the date is the record.
- Gutters and downspouts: clear them, and watch one downspout during a rinse. Water should leave the house, not pool at the foundation.
- Under sinks and around the water heater: dry cardboard or a stain means a slow leak. Tighten what you can; if the supply line is wet, shut the valve and call someone.
- Filters: furnace or HVAC, and the dryer vent path if you can see lint at the exterior hood. A clogged dryer vent is a fire, not a suggestion.
- Caulk at tubs, windows you know leak, and the fridge door seal. Replace the cheap piece before it becomes the floor.
- One ceiling stain or crack: photograph it with a coin in the frame for scale. Look again in a month. Growth means a roofer or a plumber, not paint.
What you do not do yourself
Gas smell, a breaker that trips every week, a roof you would be standing on, and anything electrical behind a wall. The list is for catching those early and hiring once, not for becoming the contractor.
Write the one item that needs a person, and a month you will call. An unscheduled “someday” repair is how a $40 part becomes a ceiling.
