When considering buying, upgrading, remodelling a house or just preparing for the future and potential maintenance costs, it's helpful to have an idea of the the general life expectancy of your house components and systems.
A house is expected to last many years and through several series of owners. But what about the individual components that comprise the house? How many years of service can a home owner reasonably expect from a roof or a door, a floor, the systems (HVAC, toilets and tubs, well, septic systems, etc.) or a window?" What components last the longest? What components have to be replaced frequently?
Fortunately there are several sites that have have analyzed the statistics, compiled the information for you and have presented it in easily accessible online and/or downloadable (pdf) formats.
Here are several sources providing statistics on home component life expectancy:
NAHB / Bank of America's "Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components"
[alternate link]
(click here for summary press release on the National Association of Home Builders/Bank of America Home Equity Study of the Life Expectancies of Home Components)
NAHB: Consumers: Remodeling Your Home [Rebates & Loans for Green Homeowners]
The Old House Web: Life expectancy How long should the components and systems in your home last?
(this is based on the HUD Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide, February 2000, 162 p.)
Septic System Life Expectancy
House Component Life Expectancy and Average Costs
Example Life Expectancies:
It's important to remember that in the long run, it much cheaper to do perform regular maintenance on a house than to wait until a major component fails. It has been suggested by some that a good rule of thumb for budgeting for annual maintenance is one percent of the value of your home.
Additional Blog Articles:
Remodeling and cost vs. value
Property Maintenance and Repair Issues
Homeownership
For real estate resources, help and support services in acquiring or selling properties in New Jersey, Visit my web site: LawrenceYerkes.com
and visit Besthomes-NJ.com to shop for the latest New Jersey Real Estate property listings (Residential, Commercial, Multi-Family, Farm, Land).
Copyright 2007 by Lawrence Yerkes. All Rights Reserved.
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