Making home repairs is something every home owner will have to do at any given point in their lives. Aside from wanting to keep our house in shape for a long time, fixing home repair problems is also necessary if we want to boost the value of the property itself, with a mind to selling it in the future.
We also wouldn’t want our homes to become a dangerous to place to live, and that’s why we need to get home repairs done the moment some form of damage manifests itself in the property.
Obviously, dealing with home repair problems cost money. However, there are certain home repairs that tend to be more costly than others. Read on to see ten such costly home repair problems.
1. Electrical wiring
This is one of the more common home repair problems, especially among those whose houses were built a long time ago. Years of wear and tear on your wiring system, plus the danger faulty wiring can pose on you and your family will eventually force you to shell out thousands of dollars in home repairs.
2. Pest control
No matter what we do, critters of all kinds will eventually, uh, worm their way towards our home. This is why it’s important for homeowners to periodically hire pest control services, which charge up to thousands of dollars. Termite treatment using the safest and most effective chemicals, for example, could cost anywhere between $2,000 and $4,000.
3. Roofing issues
There is no doubt that roofing issues present one of the biggest repair problems cost-wise. Fixing roofing issues is also the most necessary of all repairs, because of the myriad problems that could stem out of a damaged roof, including water damage, mildew, mold and electrical problems. Work on minor roofing issues could cost just a few hundred dollars, but the cost of replacing an entire roof could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
4. Plumbing problems
Prepare to shell out at least $2,000 or more when your house has serious plumbing issues. You can only imagine what it would cost you if your entire plumbing system is so ancient everything has to be replaced.
5. Re-stumping
When your house has rotted or defective stumps, common sense dictates that you do some re-stumping immediately before your home sustains any structural damage. Expect to spend $7,500 or more on home repair problems of this type.
6. Guttering and downpipes
Just like roofing issues, the weakening of gutters and downpipes is typically caused by constant exposure to the elements. Fixing or replacing them will cost a few thousand dollars, but if the problem is not addressed immediately, you can expect more subsequent home repair problems, and the resulting damage to your home can cost you even more.
7. Stormwater drains
The cost of installing stormwater drainage systems on a newly constructed home could reach $20,000. Repairing any damage and removing blockages the system has sustained over the years could also cost you thousands of dollars. Sometimes, dealing with home repair problems of this type could cost more than roofing issues.
8. Painting
There are a lot of factors to be considered when calculating the cost of painting a house, but it is typical of contractors to charge somewhere between $5,000 and $ 8,000 to paint a four-bedroom house.
9. Rising damp
If not treated properly, rising damp can cause a lot of damage to your home, especially when your home is already a bit on the old side. For treating rising damp, contractors and builders charge anywhere between a few hundred dollars to more than $2,000, depending on the degree of home repairs needed.
10. Plastering
Contractors who do plastering for all sorts of cracks in the structure normally charge by the square meter, usually at $30-70 per square meter.
Always keep in mind that there is no such thing as cheap home repair these days. In this world of sky-rocketing prices of materials and contractors who make it a point to charge an arm and a leg for their services, you best be prepared to spend more money than you planned for when undertaking home repairs.