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Not all homeowners have the financial capacity to build their houses from the ground up. Most people will buy a house that was previously owned by another family or one that has been built way before they were born, instead of starting from scratch.
The problem with old houses is that the foundations and structures in place may not have been maintained properly over the years. You could have gotten them inspected before you moved into the home, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t vulnerable to damages.
Don’t brush off these signs of damages as mere disruptions to your daily routines because they might indicate more serious underlying problems. If you think that there might be a problem that you can resolve immediately, then you should do it before it becomes worse and expensive to fix.
Sign #1: Your shower and sink drainage is slow
This can be an indication that your main sewer line is clogged or damaged. If this only happens on occasion, it might not be that serious yet, and you will only need to check the drains to see if the culprit is clumps of hair or accumulated debris.
However, if it happens in more than one location in your house often enough to become alarming, then you should consider having it checked by a plumber. This is because it might be a sign of a more serious problem that cannot be solved by fishing out the hair from your drains.
An expert will let your know if you will only need a trenchless pipe repair or a complete replacement to fix your problem. Knowing this early on will allow you to resolve the issue before it literally comes flooding into your home, and you won’t have any other choice but to fix it.
Sign #2: Your lights keep flickering
This can be an indication that your electrical wiring is loose and, in turn, can be a safety hazard. Many house fires have begun with loose wiring, overloaded circuits, and plugged-in appliances forgotten by the homeowners.
Over time, electrical wiring can loosen up because of wear and tear. Loose wiring results from constant expansion and contraction of wires when heated up and cooled down, respectively. That’s why it’s important to have your electrical system checked once in a while.
Flickering lights can be a sign of loose bulbs, but they can also be a sign of loose wiring, particularly if it happens in more than one place. When you notice that your lights keep flickering even after tightening the bulbs, you should consider calling an electrician who can diagnose and solve the problem.
Sign #3: You spill water, and it runs instead of staying in place
This can be an indication that your previously leveled floors are now sloped and that your house’s foundation is unstable. Slanted flooring can manifest damages to the joists that support your floor, and not noticing it immediately can lead to more serious problems.
Some structural issues you may have on your hands are the eventual settling of your house, which means that your home is sinking into the ground, and the uneven distribution of your house’s weight on the foundation. Both situations can result in sloped floors, which is a hazard in itself.
But because you don’t usually spill water on the floors or not on purpose, this problem can be difficult to diagnose. When you notice it, you should have your floors looked at by a structural engineer or a contractor to find out what needs to be done and how it can be avoided in the future.
Sign #4: You find small puncture wounds on your drywall
This can be an indication of a termite problem that you didn’t have before. The tiny holes in your drywall or wooden furniture might be flying termite exit holes, and seeing a lot of it scattered all over your house is a sign of active infestation.
You see, matured flying termites puncture through your drywall or wood to allow the young termites to get out. These holes may not be immediately evident because other termites can cover them with a plaster-like substance created from a mixture of wood fibers and their feces.
Termites can damage your drywall and wooden furniture from the inside out, which can be dangerous to you because it can leave your structures brittle enough to break down when you use them. So when you see these tiny exit holes, you should contact a pest exterminator and resolve the problem once and for all.
Running a household is not like taking candy from a baby. It requires constant care and routine maintenance to ensure that all aspects are working in the best condition. Keeping the different parts of your home well-maintained can be costly, but remember that not investing in preventive maintenance can be more expensive in the long run.
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