You’ve finally purchased the home of your dreams! While you most likely aren’t over the excitement of this milestone, there are several things to keep in mind in order to successfully break in your new home. Keep reading for the important do’s and don’ts for a new homeowner:

DO Tend to Maintenance Necessities  

Purchasing a new home also comes with the expense of handling your own repairs, instead of just calling your landlord. Although issues such as leaking plumbing, leaking gutters, or chipped siding seem small at first, they can evolve into larger problems in the future.

Save money and avoid expenses down the road by zapping maintenance problems from the get-go. As a rule of thumb, any issue that could put you or anyone in your home in danger if ignored should be tended to ASAP.

DO Hire Qualified Contractors

When it comes to maintenance repairs and improvements for your new home, some tasks are not meant to be DIY projects, no matter how qualified you feel with a toolbox.

Your home is an investment, and it is important to have those who know what they’re doing handle jobs such as electrical or roofing work so that costly mistakes and injuries do not occur. Work done by a qualified and licensed professional can fix problems with your home, while simultaneously increasing its value.

DO Get Insurance

Although you may want to, the topic of mortgage and insurance cannot be avoided when it comes to buying a new home. You are required by your mortgage lender to purchase homeowner’s insurance, enough to replace the entire property in the case of a total loss.

In addition, if you live with a significant other, or a child who depends on you to pay the mortgage, you must have life insurance. This will name your dependent(s) as a beneficiary so they do not lose the house in the event of your unexpected death.

DO Stay Organized

With all of this maintenance work, contractors, and talk of insurance policies, it can be easy to lose track of things. Keep a binder or file folder with appropriately labeled sections including contact information for good contractors and realtors in your area, maintenance receipts, and insurance information.

Having all of the related documents on hand and in one place will save time when new maintenance issues arise, or when it comes time to sell your first home.

Additionally, keeping receipts from home improvements helps to increase your home’s basis, and boost your tax-free earnings on the sale of your home.

DON’T Forget to Set Up Utilities

Make sure that all of the utilities are under your name, and that each provider has your correct billing information. This includes the electric and gas companies, the county for sewage and water if it provides both, and cable and Internet providers if you want to have either of these in your new home.

Also find out if the town you live in does garbage and recycling pick up, or if you need to contract it on your own.

Getting utilities taken care of in the beginning will save you a lot of headache once you’ve settled in.

DON’T Waste Money on Expensive Furnishings

You may be moving into your new home from a one or two room apartment, where the furnishings were either included, or were not a huge responsibility due to the size of the place. Even a relatively small house can seem huge at first, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of buying the first couch you fall in love with in order to bring nights of watching Netflix from the floor to an end.

If you really feel the need to fill the space quickly, go with less expensive items from discount department stores, or even see if friends or family are looking to get rid of a chair or two. Avoiding debt from buying that luxury couch right off the bat will save you money to furnish your dream home in the future.

DON’T Take on Too Many Projects at Once

With the excitement of moving into your first home, it’s easy to become over-ambitious and try to check every project off your list at once. Although this may seem productive at the time, taking on too much will likely lead to stress and setbacks instead of completed projects.

Take the time to plan out how long each project will take and how much each will cost. Then decide on a good time to fit each project into the rest of your schedule. A set timeline will prevent you from taking on too much, and will allow you to enjoy your home while making improvements.

Be sure to keep these tips in mind as you settle into your new home. At AROCON, we have the means to help you with several of your needs as a homeowner, including roof and gutter repair, siding maintenance, and other necessities.

Congratulations on becoming a new homeowner!

To increase recognition of the importance of roofs to every home and highlight the value of professional roofing contractors, AROCON Roofing and Construction will celebrate National Roofing Week taking place June 4-10.

The roof is one of the most important components of a structure, yet it is often taken for granted until it needs to be repaired or replaced. Organized by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), National Roofing Week enables roofing professionals to inform the public about the essential role roofs and professional roofing contractors play in every community.

During National Roofing Week, AROCON Roofing and Construction will use its social media channels to promote roofing tips and tricks for homeowners.

“At AROCON, we believe that educating homeowners about the best way to care for their roofs is a core aspect of our mission as a local roofing company.” — Chris Toleman, Founder of AROCON

National Roofing Week takes place each summer. Its mission is to increase awareness across the U.S. about the significance of roofs to every home. National Roofing Week also promotes the importance of hiring a professional roofing contractor and making informed decisions about maintaining or replacing any roof system.

Additional information about National Roofing Week can be found at www.nrca.net/roofingweek.

A crucial element of any home-selling process is the home inspection. If you’re looking to sell your house in the near future, the following steps should help you get it ready for the big day.

Start preparing for an inspection outside, walking around your house a few times and taking notes of any problems you might find, concentrating on these tasks:

1. Remove or cut back landscaping so that there’s a foot-wide air gap between the house and the rest of the world. In strong winds, branches hanging too near to the side or top of your home can whip about, causing damage. Cut back any branches that look like they might be too close, taking care when climbing ladders.

2. Bring your roofing shingles or tiles and underlayment materials up to shape. Make sure that flashing around the chimney is intact, and that its flue is in good working order. Clear out gutters and check that they’re attached firmly. Adjust them if necessary so that they move water away from the foundation.

3. Repair caulk seams on exterior doors, trim, and windows. Missing or damaged patches of caulking let in rainwater and nuisance animals, which can quickly damage a home’s framework and contents.

After you’ve finished with the exterior, head inside and focus on these key areas:

4. Eliminate mold and mildew, both of which can damage wooden structural supports. To get rid of mold and mildew for good, target the source, which is often a leaky roof or torn section of siding.

5. Fix leaky plumbing. Not only do leaking pipes raise your water bill, they can damage beams and framework in hard-to-reach places such as behind walls or partitions.

6. Bring your electrical systems up to code and  install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Once both of these tasks are completed, you’ll gain peace of mind knowing that not only your family but also the family moving in after you are adequately protected from fire and electrocution.

7. Check that all heating, cooling, and ventilation systems are working properly. Make the inspector’s job easier by removing clutter from around air vents and machinery so that they’re easy to access.

8. Gather up invoices for things like a repaired asphalt driveway or a replaced roof as well as new or replaced items like a dishwasher or faucet. Getting paperwork together before an inspector comes will reduce everyone’s stress levels.

After all of these steps are completed, clean the house from top to bottom. Many homes need minor repairs or have some small defects, so don’t freak out if your inspection comes back with a few negative items on it. If you need expert assistance in bringing your property up to snuff, the home improvement pros at AROCON will gladly meet – and exceed! – your expectations.

Winter is a time of extremes. Keep your home and family safe this year by watching out for ice dams, a common problem during colder months.

What Are Ice Dams?

Ice dams tend to occur when one or more parts of your roof are warmer than the eaves. If this happens, snow sitting on top of your roof melts due to heat in the attic or crawlspace and then flows down to the eaves, where it refreezes and creeps up under the shingles or roofing tiles. Once beneath the upper layer of roofing material, the ice can tear through even the most sturdy underlayment. Ice dams tend to occur in roof valleys, where different sections of roof come together, since wind-blown snow gets trapped in these areas. Ice dams are every homeowner’s nightmare, so avoid them at all cost.

How Do I Prevent Ice Dams?

1. Install heated wires along the lower edges, or eaves, of your roof to prevent ice dams from forming there.

2. Have ridge vents added. These vents are added to the top of your roof to let the cold air coming in through the soffit vents get back out again. The inclusion of ridge vents in newly installed roofs is now mandatory in many municipalities.

3. Remove built-up snow. Use a snow-rake or a long-handled broom with soft bristles. Avoid using a sharp tool to do this job, since puncturing roofing materials can cause additional problems. If you must climb a ladder to complete this task, use extreme caution and make sure a second person is on hand in case of emergencies.

4. Find and repair any and all leaks in your roof. Leaks create a concentrated spot through which heat can penetrate the many layers of a modern roof.

5. Make sure that the batt insulation stuffed between the exposed rafters in your attic or crawlspace is of proper thickness and evenly distributed. Also consider installing rafter air channels to maintain an air-space between roof deck and insulation. Avoid stacking boxes or other items in such a way that they might restrict airflow throughout the attic. If your home’s furnace is in the attic, make sure its ductwork is properly insulated.

6. Keep your home’s thermal envelope tight and leak-free. Hot air escaping from conditioned rooms will collect near leaks or other uninsulated spots at the top of your house. Improve your thermal envelope by building a cover out of rigid polystyrene insulation that seals off the hatch leading into your attic or crawlspace.

If you notice cold or damp walls as well as rusty or discolored patches of mold growing on the drywall or ceiling in your home, especially in winter, you might have a leak caused by ice dams. For professional help in getting your attic or crawlspace ready for winter, and keeping ice dams at bay, contact our experts at AROCON Roofing & Construction!

Getting your home ready for the holidays can be one of the most fun things you’ll do all year – if you do it right. Gathering the family together on a wintry evening to witness all of your hard work, when you turn everything on, is what memories are made of.

Nearly six thousand people are admitted to the hospital each year, however, for injuries related to attaching holiday decorations to the outsides of their homes. So stay safe and enjoy this holiday season by following these four, straightforward tips for how to properly hang lights:

1. Hang holidays lights on a windless day when the weather is dry. Please use extreme caution and make sure a second person is on hand any time you mount a ladder, especially in wet conditions. Climbing the rungs of a ladder during a downpour is dangerous, even when you’re not carrying a limp cardboard box overflowing with holiday decorations.

2. Work in stages, around a plan. Before the day upon which you plan to actually put up your festive lights, lay some groundwork by staging reliable extension cords in strategic spots and firmly attaching any necessary hooks or hangers. Chances are you’ve got a busy schedule, so working in stages can help you fit in your decorating duties around the rest of the day. Planning out which lights go where and making sure you’ve got enough of them to go around can save unnecessary trips to the store and back. Anchoring your holiday lights correctly will keep you from climbing around on ladders to fix things, later on.

3. Test your lights before they go up. Few things in life are as frustrating as spending hours hanging a string of lights only to find they don’t work. Opting for shorter strings of lights will cut down on the amount of time needed to pull out any section that might decide to stop working. Decrease the risk of moisture intrusion by using duct or electrical tape to seal the connectors that attach one string of lights to its neighbor.

4. Use appropriate materials. Avoid overloading any one socket by plugging all your lights into it. Also make sure to use an extension cord that’s thick enough to power all the lights it’s supposed to supply energy to without overheating or causing a fire. Select extension cords that are rated for outdoor use and tested by an independent industrial body such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL).With some foresight and diligence, the ritual of hanging holiday lights can be a fun and safe time for everyone involved.

At AROCON Roofing and Construction, our experts can help you with all your roofing and home improvement needs! Regardless of whether you just need a quick roof tune-up or a brand new roof, our trained technicians can provide you with customized service to simplify your home improvement project.