Cutting Costs On Home Maintenance Now Could Mean Big Spending Down The Road
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- As economic uncertainty persists, many people are looking for ways to save money. One of the ways they are doing it is by cutting corners at home, but that decision, according to experts, could be costly.
Sometimes saving money later means spending money now. Jennifer Galluzo told CBS 2's Maurice Dubois she learned that lesson the hard way when her shower floor began to buckle under her feet.
"It had completely molded out underneath. The shower needed to be completely gutted and redone," she said.
The repairs cost Galluzo thousands of dollars, an expense that could have been avoided if she had made simple repairs earlier.
"When you're on a tight budget, the mentality tends to be 'why fix it if it's not broken,' but instead it should be 'let's take care of it now before it becomes an issue,'" explained Polyana De Costa of bankrate.com.
More and more homeowners are skipping basic maintenance and repairs to save money, but spending now can help you save later. Annual check-ups on heating and air conditioning units or by pest control can prevent costly problems down the road.
"I've seen people who have to replace an entire wall because of termites. They can do substantial damage," De Costa said.
Failing to clean a chimney or clean out dryer vents can cost a family their home.
"Periodically, the dryer vent either needs to be cleaned out, or it needs to be rally replaced if it's a flexible dryer vent," said Rob Weitz of RTK Environmental.
The roof can be another area where trouble lurks.
"Over a period of time, the shingles will start to curl. They'll become deteriorated. If you put it off too long, then water will enter the house," Weitz said.
the moral of this story is homeowners without a maintenance plan may find out the hard way about the cost of cutting corners.
Do you have a hove maintenance plan? Let us know in our comments section below...
