Author: frank

Buying your first home can be one of the most thrilling experiences, but while you determine the price range you’re willing to pay, don’t forget about the cost of home maintenance.

While visiting properties to possibly purchase, you’re already imagining how you’re going to decorate the house, what kind of furniture you want, and the moments you will create.

But there are more homeownership costs than you think. The cost of maintaining a house is quite different from just buying a house.

Before you look for properties, create a budget for not just the house’s cost but also its maintenance. Expect to spend at least 1% of the home’s cost in maintenance every year.

Porch.com studied ZIP codes with the highest home maintenance cost, lowest costs, and where you can expect to spend your money every year.

If you haven’t thought about how often you should be aerating your lawn or keeping your house intact, keep reading.

Average Home Maintenance Costs By State

Any home’s cost depends on where you live, and the home’s style, age, and type can also influence that amount.

From ranch-style

Squeeze some construction adhesives onto a surface, and you might also release potentially hazardous chemical substances into the air inside your home.

Like many products around the house, solvent-based adhesives typically contain high levels of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

These compounds play a role in the formation of smog and pose a health risk when trapped indoors.

For these reasons, a growing number of states regulate VOC amounts. And people across the nation seek green alternatives to VOC-laden products, including adhesives and sealants.

Environmentally Friendly Adhesives

Fortunately, many manufacturers of construction adhesives have developed products that either contain no VOCs or meet state limits for VOC content.

This makes it easy for you to find the right green adhesive for most of your home repair and remodeling projects.

The products you pick will depend in part on how green you want to go. You might search for a product that contains negligible or no VOCs and is sold in sustainable packaging. Or, you might choose one that is VOC-compliant.

Temperature changes cause every home to expand, contract and crack. Sealing gaps around your home’s windows, doors and trim is necessary to keep the elements outside, where they belong.

Now, it’s easier than ever to cover those cracks and create a seal that will stick around.

About Expansion and Contraction

It’s been said that death and taxes are life’s two certainties, but every homeowner knows you can add thermal expansion and contraction to that list.

Building materials expand or contract as the temperature drastically changes. The structure’s size doesn’t matter; neither does the material’s strength. Whether it’s concrete, stone or wood, expect it to expand when heated and contract when cooled.

Thermal impact isn’t the only cause of unsightly gaps. Shifting soil and foundation settlement contribute to the problem.

Think about where window and door frames, along with trim, meet siding. These joints may appear seamless today, but soon nature will take its toll.

Left untreated, these gaps can let air and water