The Roots Blog
Practical guides on home maintenance, projects, and getting the most from your biggest investment. Looking for a specific schedule? See Roots Answers.
The Ultimate First-Time Homeowner Maintenance Checklist
Congratulations — you've closed on your first home. Now what?
Read the guide →Yes, there are apps for tracking home improvement projects. What features actually matter, and where a general project tool falls short.
The first 30 days after closing, in order: utilities, safety checks, inventory, documents, and the maintenance to book before anything breaks.
The tools and supplies a new homeowner actually needs in year one, what to skip entirely, and where spending more genuinely buys you something.
A fair, feature-by-feature comparison of HomeZada alternatives for homeowners, including where each tool genuinely fits and where it does not.
Spreadsheets are free and infinitely flexible, and most home maintenance ones are abandoned within a year. An honest comparison of the trade-offs.
A six-question framework for deciding DIY or professional on any home task, covering complexity, time, real cost, safety and long-term value.
Six warning signs a water heater is near failure, what replacement costs, and why replacing before it bursts is far cheaper than after.
A home inventory is what turns an insurance claim from an argument into a form. How to build one quickly, and what to record for each item.
A spring home maintenance checklist for first-time homeowners: what winter damaged, what summer will test, and the order to work through it.
The 1% rule is a starting point, not an answer. What it gets right, the four things it misses, and how to budget for repairs more realistically.
HVAC maintenance basics: how often to change filters, what a professional service actually checks, and the DIY checks that prevent most breakdowns.
Deferred maintenance is not saving money, it is borrowing at a terrible rate. Real examples of what small repairs cost when they are left.
Clogged gutters cause foundation damage, roof rot and pests. Why gutter cleaning matters, and how to do it safely in under an hour.
Build a home maintenance schedule you will actually keep: monthly, quarterly and annual tasks, and reminders that survive a busy month.
The maintenance new buyers skip in year one, from HVAC and plumbing to gutters and foundation checks, and what each one costs when it's left.
What a new roof costs by material and size, plus how to tell whether you need a full replacement or whether a repair will do.
Real kitchen remodel cost ranges for every scope, from a cosmetic refresh to a full gut renovation, plus ROI data and where to save without regret.
A seasonal home maintenance checklist that breaks the year into what to do each month, across spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Should you DIY or hire a contractor? A practical way to decide on any project, covering cost, skill, permits, and when DIY seriously backfires.
Which home improvements actually increase value? Ten projects with the best returns, and the popular ones that rarely pay back.
Wondering how to budget for home repairs? Learn the 1% rule, how to build a repair fund, how to prioritize what gets fixed first, and when to finance.
A phase-by-phase bathroom remodel guide: real cost ranges, timelines, what to DIY, what to hire out, and the mistakes that blow the budget.
The home maintenance mistakes that cost homeowners thousands in avoidable repairs, and how to fix the habits before problems compound.
How to tell when a roof needs replacing rather than repairing: the warning signs, realistic costs, and when waiting stops being an option.
Keep a renovation from spiralling: how to define scope, budget with a real contingency, vet contractors, and manage the disruption without losing control.
Older homes come with systems that were normal when installed and aren't now. Here's what to check by era, what's urgent, and what's fine to leave alone.
Owning a condo doesn't mean maintenance is someone else's job. Here's the line between owner and HOA responsibility, and the tasks condo owners still miss.
Typical lifespans for roofs, water heaters, furnaces, HVAC and appliances — plus what actually shortens them and how to plan replacements before they fail.
An inspection report lists 60 things with no priority order. How to sort it into urgent, this season, and safe to ignore.