The great thing about a new house is that everything is, well, new. Nothing is scratched, stained, or worn out. It's wonderful: Everything works! That's one of the main attractions of buying a new home.
But, as any homeowner knows, the rigors of day-to-day living can cause that blissful new-home feeling to fade. It's an inevitable process, but one that can be stemmed or slowed with proper maintenance of key systems and finishes.
Once homeowners take the keys to their new home, they become responsible for maintenance of the entire structure and all its systems. Typically, professional builders will ease that transition with a warranty, but ultimately the baton is passed to the owners to protect their investment, enjoy the comforts and maintain the value of their new home.
The thought of staying on top of everything in a home can seem daunting, but really, it comes down to common sense, some diligence, and a short list of critical products and systems, including:
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Q: Is there a comprehensive home maintenance book or other resource you recommend?
A: Home maintenance is a topic rich in printed and online resources. Among a library full of books, two of the best in terms of practicality and usefulness are the New Fix-It-Yourself Manual: How to Repair, Clean, and Maintain Anything and Everything In and Around Your Home from the editors at Reader's Digest, and The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair from Creative Publishing International. Both are available at online and retail booksellers. A good web site to check out is Home Tips, which provides information as well as links to several other resources.
One of the by-products of a consumer-based society is that we all collect "stuff," from sports equipment and garden tools to holiday decorations, craft and hobby gear, and clothing. In some cases, people have so much stuff that it commandeers their closets, outdoor sheds, and garages to the point of overflow and disorganization.
Homebuyers want relief from their storage woes. To that end, a variety of products and organizational ideas that can add convenient capacity have cropped up for every nook and cranny of the house.
Overall, the most popular trend in storage is the use of modular, adjustable systems that can easily be manipulated to accommodate changing storage needs. In any storage setting, be it a garage or a walk-in master suite closet, these systems employ a simple backbone of tracks or channels secured to the walls on which you can hang a wide variety of components without any penetrating fasteners.
In a clothes closet,
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