How Long Should My Home Last?

You finally have that home you have always wanted… Hooray!!  You did the right thing and invested in a professional home inspection to ensure everything was in working order…Good for you! You closed on the house and moved in.  You put a fresh coat of paint on the walls, new floors, new landscaping and it is looking sharp.  You even purchased that couch you have had your eye on because it will look perfect in the living room!  The Perfect Home…but for how long?

Most people don’t worry about or even consider the usable life of all the material and systems in your home.  They just hope that things continue to “work” infinitely into the future. The reality, however, coupled with weather, time, usage, and defects can sometimes cause this perception to hit the proverbial fan sooner than we would have liked.

No gloom and doom though… let’s talk about the useful life of many of the things in your home so you have a gauge of when it might be time to save up and replace.  It is always better to replace earlier than too late.  For example, replacing a water heater before it fails and drops gallons of water in your basement could actually save you money.  Here is a list of some of the common items in your home and what you are looking for usable life.

 

• Shingle Roof:                                        15 to 20 years
• Tile Roof:                                             25-30 years
• Brick:                                                       100-plus years
• Veneer:                                                Lifetime
• Caulking:                                               2 to 5 years
• Stucco:                                                 50 to 100 years
• Wood decking:                                   10 to 30 years
• Doors:                                                    20 years to a lifetime, depending on the material
• Poured foundation:                        Lifetime
• Garage door openers:                      10 to 15 years
• Paints and stains:                             10-15 years
• Shutters:                                                 15 to 20 years
• Gutters:                                                   20 to 100 years
• Asphalt driveway:                              15 to 20 years
• Windows:                                               10 to 30 years
• Enamel steel sinks                             5-10 years
• Security system                                   5-10 years
• Carpet                                                     3-5 years
• Smoke detector                                  fewer than 10 years
• Faucets                                                   10 to 15 years
•  Air conditioner                                  10 to 15 years
• Asphalt                                                    12 to 15 years
• Hot Water Tank                                       8-12 years
• Pool Surface                                             10-20 years

 

These are some great timeframes to keep in mind and maybe even put on a calendar well in advance so you can be read.  The photo below gives a great illustration of a few more!

 

Written By Matthew Allen