What to Expect After Moving Into Your New Home: Maintenance & Lifespan
Every home’s components have a life expectancy, and when purchasing a re-sale home (a home that has been previously lived in) there are many things to consider. As realtors, we always suggest that our clients obtain a home inspection prior to committing to the purchase. A home inspection will give you a good idea of the current state of the home; will alert you to any issues that need to be either addressed immediately or shortly after you’ve moved in, along with a list of items or areas of the home that will require ongoing maintenance to help increase the longevity of that component.
Given the intense market we are in currently and have been in for a while now in the GTA often times buyers are purchasing homes firm, without a home inspection at all. With prices continuously increasing we always want to make sure that the price our client pays for a home takes into consideration the amount of time, money and energy they will need to invest into that home to make it right for them. Whether or not you will be obtaining a home inspection prior to buying, you want to consider the life expectancies of the components of your new home. Even if you are buying a brand new home with some limited warranties, these time frames will still apply. The information below has been provided by the reputable home inspection company Carson Dunlop:
Roof*
- Conventional asphalt shingles: 12 – 15 years
- Top quality asphalt shingles: 25 – 30 years
- Low slope shingles: 10 – 15 years
- Slate: 40 – 200 years
- Tar & gravel roof (built-up roof): 15 – 20 years
- Single ply roof membrane: 15 – 20 years
- Roll roofing: 5 – 10 years
Exterior*
- Gutters & downspouts: 20 – 30 years
- Copper gutters and downspouts: 50 – 100 years
- Aluminum siding: 50 plus years
- Wood siding: maintenance dependent
- Stucco: maintenance dependent
- Exterior paint: 4 – 6 years
- Deck: 10 – 20 years
- Asphalt driveway surface: 10 – 20 years
- Driveway sealer: 1 – 3 years
- Concrete driveway: 30 – 40 years
- Garage door opener: 8 – 12 years
Structure*
- Termite treatment: 10 – 20 years
Heat*
- Conventional furnace: 20 – 25 years
- Mid-efficiency furnace: 20 – 25 years
- High-efficiency furnace: unknown, suspect < 20 years
- Cast iron boiler: 35 – 50 years
- Steel boiler: 20 – 30 years
- Copper tube boiler: 10 – 20 years
- Humidifier: 5 – 10 years
- Electronic air filter: 10 – 20 years
Cooling*
- Air conditioning condenser: 10 – 15 years
Plumbing*
- Galvanized steel supply pipe: 40 – 50 years
- Copper pipe: indefinite
- Toilet: 30 – 40 years
- Sink: 12 – 20 years
- Faucet: 10 – 15 years
- Whirlpool bath: 15 – 25 years
- Shower pan: unpredictable
- Submersible pump for well: 10 – 15 years
- Suction or jet pump: 10 – 15 years
- Water softener: 5 – 15 years
- Sump pump: 2 – 7 years
- Water heater: 8 – 12 years
- Tile bathtub enclosure: 10 – 50 years
Interior*
- Paint: 5 – 10 years
- Windows: 20-50 years maintenance dependent
As many of the above time frames can vary, it’s always important to take care of your home to the best of your ability to ensure you are getting the most out of all components and systems for years to come. Whether you plan to live in your home forever or if it is just a stepping stone to your next home, you want to make sure it is in the best condition for re-sale so when the time comes to put a sign on the lawn the level of preparation is much less.
* Source: Carson Dunlop
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