More and more people want homes that don’t need much maintenance. When people put money into their homes, whether they are building a new one or fixing up an old one, they should choose durable products that don’t need much upkeep. Check out our list of the most popular low-maintenance products and trends and what you should think about when buying them for your new home or home improvement project.
Below is a list of the most commonly used low-maintenance building materials and their estimated lifespans.
The outermost layer of the house’s exterior, siding, is a barrier against the elements, so it’s best to be generous with the materials you’ll use here. Fortunately, the materials that require the least maintenance are also the ones that last the longest. You can use brick and stone, traditional stucco, fiber cement, wood (cedar or redwood), synthetic stucco (EIFS), engineered siding, vinyl, or aluminum. These materials are guaranteed to last for 50 years.
The ultimate question is whether you’d rather pay more for a roof that will outlive you or pay less for the one you’ll need to replace in 20 years. The cost of installing a roof will vary depending on the roof’s height, pitch, and complexity.
Using clay and concrete tiles will last at least 100 years or more; galvanized steel and aluminum will last for 40 to 80 years; copper will last for 70 to 100 years; and cedar for 30 years.
Installation is a snap with laminate plank flooring, requiring little to no maintenance. This type of flooring uses a transparent plastic wear layer that resists scratches, moisture, and stains for a more aesthetic and smooth finish. Lifetime warranties are available from some manufacturers for staining, fading, and wear. Its life expectancy can exceed 25 years.
Painting or staining wood fencing extends the fence’s life and necessitates more frequent maintenance. If you want a low-maintenance fencing material, you can use either vinyl or composite, but they cost more to buy and install.
Even though low-maintenance materials are more expensive to buy and install, you’ll save money in the long run. It’s because materials that require a lot of upkeep can also cost you money every time you have to maintain them, which also takes up a lot of your time and effort.