It’s easy to continuously think of doomsday scenarios when it comes to your home. What if you forgot to turn off the oven before you left for the day? What if your dishwasher overflows and floods your floor? But, in most cases, it’s not accidents like these that cause damage to your house—it’s little mistakes you’re making every day that can lead to major repairs in the long run. With the help of architects, builders, exterminators, and other top home experts, we’ve rounded up the ways you’re causing damage to your house every day without even realizing it.
By Sara Crow |February 8, 2020
Removing your downspout extensions
While downspout extensions—the long piece of gutter that runs along the ground—may not be aesthetically pleasing, removing them can lead to much bigger problems down the line. Downspout extensions keep water away from your home’s foundation, and by removing them, “you risk allowing water to pool directly at your foundation, increasing risk of water penetration into your basement,” says Kate Ziegler, a realtor with Arborview Realty in Boston.
Not only can this compromise the integrity of your foundation, but it may even dampen the wood framing of your house, causing structural issues or attracting pests.
Continue to MSN for the full list.