Imagine walking out onto your back deck with a hot cup of coffee, overlooking the trees lightly blowing with the wind with not a neighbor in sight, or they are far, far away.
Then you hear something digging and it sounds like it is coming from the house…You discover termites.
Now what? Well, you get it treated and repair the damage that was done. But, how can you prevent something like that from happening again?
Living amongst the trees can be wonderful, but there are a few unique challenges that are important to keep up with.
Regular Clean Up
Make sure to clean your gutters often, or install a special gutter guard. Remove any debris, leaves, tree limbs from your roof, deck, and walkways. This will prevent it building up, getting wet, and inviting pests.
Pest Control
Make sure the exterior of your home is sealed up to prevent small critters from entering. Being in the woods, you are surrounded by natural wildlife, so wood destroying insects are important to keep an eye out for. I highly recommend partnering with a local pest control company for yearly maintenance and prevention.
Fire Safety
This kind of goes hand in hand with regular clean up, but it is extremely important to keep away all loose debris from your home, and flammable material away as well. The last thing you want is to catch your oasis on fire! If you have firewood, keep that away from your home as well not only for fire, but to keep pests away from nestling inside.
Mold Prevention
Keep an adequate amount of air flow in the attic and basement. These are areas that you don’t see everyday, so you have to go out of your way to check these spaces and make sure no moisture is building up. But, it is better to be on top of it instead of having to remediate mold, because it can be very expensive.
Overall, make sure you are maintaining your property to the best of your ability. It is better to stay in front of items that could become issues, instead of letting it become an issue and having to resolve it down the line. At the end of the day, living in the woods requires ongoing vigilance and maintenance to keep it protected from the natural environment. Most of the tasks you can complete yourself, but if you ever need a professional recommendation for some help, I’d be happy to give you the name of some of the local companies that I partner with.
–Amber Fleck loves to welcome people to the area and share all of her favorite hidden gems. She enjoys the little things in life, and is thankful every day that she gets to do what she loves, and thoughtfully and intentionally help others navigate a major life decision. Contact her and learn more on her agent bio page here.