When Do You Need A Professional?
When do you need a professional over a handyman? Handymen provide essential services and today, they take risks just going in and out of homes. But some repairs should be done by a professional, with experience in the type of exterior home repair work you need. When you bought your home, you might have been excited about adding your personality to it. Over time, the responsibility of home maintenance sank in, and you decided to try to handle many of those repairs yourself.
According to fool.com, a real estate investing publication, homeowners spend between 1% and 4% of their home’s value each year on maintenance. So just for the upkeep of your home, if your home is worth $250,000, you can expect to spend between $2,500 and $10,000 annually. Just a reminder here, that a stitch in time really can save nine. The sooner you handle home repairs, the less damage those repairs need to cure. Facing home maintenance costs can make it tempting to look for less expensive ways to have the repairs done, but on big jobs, like a new roof, new siding or replacement windows, that decision can spell disaster.
One couple owned a 2700 square foot ranch, that needed new gutters, soffits and fascia installed. Trying to save money, they asked a handyman to take care of the repairs. He replaced the fascia boards, but never cured the leaking gutters and the whole system needed to be redone a few years later. By then, some of the house trim needed to be replaced as well, but it could have been worse. If the water from leaking gutters had backed up and soaked the under roof, that couple may have been looking at more than gutters, soffits, fascia and trim. So, when do you need to go with the pros?
- Safety Issues. When you or your family’s safety is at risk, you should consult with professionals. If the roof is the area of your home that needs attention, learning on the job can delay the finish at best, but can lead to future leaks, infestation, mold, or a roof collapse on you or a family member, at worst. When you consult our professionals at All Pro Xteriors, Inc. we can digitally deliver an estimate, complete with photos. Our experienced crew can then quickly do the job, from tear off to finish with little disruption to your routine. You won’t need to climb a single ladder.
- Jobs that need to be done concisely. If you don’t have experience in window installation, doing the job yourself could mean improperly installed windows that allow water, vermin and weather damage into your home’s supporting walls. Ignoring signs that your windows need to be replaced, gives water time to spread out where it can damage more than just your windows. Even if you don’t end up with mold problems, you still could end up needing entire sections of exterior walls to be replaced. Professionals on the team at All Pro Xteriors, Inc. expertly install windows, and have performed those installations for over twenty years. Your beautiful new windows will be properly sealed, and airtight, so you can breathe easy while you enjoy the view.
- Big Projects. When a project is bigger than one person, think about whether your experience has prepared you to do that job. Siding on a house protects the home. Installing siding is not as easy as the DIY shows on TV make it look. It takes knowing how to order your new siding, what thickness and material weathers well. It takes knowing how much to order, so the whole house is sided within one dye lot. It takes experience in leveling the strips so the reveal is even, and knowing how to finish off pieces to look smooth while being watertight. If you don’t have experience, but your home needs siding, call All Pro Xteriors, Inc. at (952) 486-7834. We will give you a no-contact digital estimate and can have the job completed quickly, so you can begin enjoying the view from your yard once more.
All Pro Xteriors, Inc. handles exterior work on homes and commercial properties. For over twenty years our professionals have expertly installed roofs, windows, siding and gutters. When you need work, you need someone professional and local, who will still be here years from now. All Pro Xteriors, Inc. is that someone.