Articles from HomeMaxx.
Keeping a house in shape, in plain English: the maintenance that matters, the improvements that pay, what the season needs, and how to stay safe.
Storm season: the week before, the day of and the day after
Hurricanes, derechos and hail all give some warning. What to do with it, how to document the house, and what to do when the storm chasers knock.
September 9, 2026 · 3 min readSeasonsThe fall checklist: twelve things to do before the first freeze
An afternoon of small jobs in October prevents most of the emergency calls Pros get in January. Here is the list, in the order to do it.
August 31, 2026 · 2 min readMaintenanceYour water heater is trying to tell you something
Tank water heaters fail on a schedule, and the failure is a flood. The four sounds and signs that mean it is time, and the two maintenance jobs that add years.
August 30, 2026 · 3 min readSafetyDryer vents, extension cords and space heaters: the three fire starters in most homes
Most house fires are not electrical faults inside the walls. They start with three ordinary things that get used wrong. Here is what wrong looks like.
August 28, 2026 · 3 min readMaintenanceHumidity, mold and the musty basement
Mold does not need a leak. It needs air over 60 percent humidity and a cool surface, and every basement in summer has both. What the number should be, how to get it there and when a musty smell is a bigger problem.
August 13, 2026 · 3 min readSeasonsHurricane season: the house, the plan and the paperwork
June first is the start, and the preparation that matters is done by then, not the week a storm is named. The roof, the openings, the water, the paper and the thirty-day rule on flood insurance.
August 12, 2026 · 3 min readSafetyWildfire smoke and the house: keeping the air inside clean
Smoke from a fire hundreds of miles away now reaches most of the country some summer weeks. How to seal up, filter and clear the air inside, and what the numbers on a filter mean.
August 4, 2026 · 3 min readSafetyGrills, fire pits and the deck: outdoor fire without the fire department
Grills start thousands of home fires a year, most of them in July, and most of them on the deck or against the siding. The distances, the propane check, the ashes and the fire pit rules.
July 25, 2026 · 3 min readMaintenanceDecks and fences: a summer of care that adds ten years
Wood outdoors lasts as long as it is kept dry and sound. The yearly inspection that catches the failures that drop decks, the cleaning and sealing, and when it is time to rebuild.
July 24, 2026 · 3 min readSeasonsThe summer checklist: keeping the house cool, dry and standing
Summer is hard on a house in quieter ways than winter: heat in the attic, water in the basement air, sun on the paint, and the storms. What to do in June so August is uneventful.
July 15, 2026 · 2 min readMaintenanceIrrigation: watering the lawn without watering the house
A sprinkler system left on its spring settings is the most common cause of a rotten sill and a wet basement that nobody can explain. The heads, the schedule, the backflow preventer and the fixes.
July 14, 2026 · 3 min readMaintenanceGetting the air conditioner through a heat wave
An air conditioner is designed to hold the house about twenty degrees below the outside temperature, and on a 105-degree day it is running flat out. What to do to help it, what not to do, and the signs it is about to quit.
July 3, 2026 · 3 min readSafetySummer power outages: the generator, the food and the sump
Summer storms take the power out more often than winter ones now, and the two things that go wrong are a generator run in the wrong place and a basement that floods while the pump sits idle. The rules for both.
July 1, 2026 · 3 min readSeasonsHeat in the attic: why the upstairs is ten degrees hotter
An attic in July can hit 140 degrees, and everything under it feels it. Ventilation, insulation, the ducts that run through it, and the fixes in the order they pay.
June 30, 2026 · 3 min readImprovementWindows: repair or replace, and how to read the sticker
Replacement windows are one of the most oversold projects in the house. When the old ones are worth keeping, when they are not, and what the numbers on a new window actually mean.
May 27, 2026 · 3 min readMaintenanceSmall leaks, big bills: finding water where it should not be
The leak that ruins a house is rarely a burst pipe. It is a drip nobody noticed for a year. Eight places to look, once a season, and what each one is telling you.
May 22, 2026 · 3 min readSeasonsThe spring checklist: finding out what winter did to the house
Freeze and thaw, snow load, ice dams and four months of heating leave marks. A spring walk-around finds them while they are small. Here is the list, outside then in.
April 20, 2026 · 3 min readSafetyThe electrical panel: what to look for, and when to replace it
The gray box in the basement is the one part of the house that can start a fire without anyone touching it. The brands with a history, the signs of trouble, and what an upgrade involves.
April 18, 2026 · 3 min readImprovementExterior painting: the prep is the whole job
Two houses painted the same week with the same paint can look different in five years, and the difference is what happened before the first coat. What good prep is, and how to read a painting estimate.
April 15, 2026 · 2 min readStoriesThe neighbor who knew a guy
For a hundred years the best contractor in town was found by asking around. Word of mouth still runs the trades, and it is worth understanding why before you trust a review instead.
April 14, 2026 · 2 min readMaintenanceWhat a real air conditioning tune-up includes
A spring tune-up is worth it if it is a tune-up. Here is what a Pro should do in the hour, what you can do yourself, and how to tell a maintenance visit from a sales call.
April 7, 2026 · 2 min readImprovementThe improvements that pay you back, and the ones that mostly do not
Appraisers, agents and contractors mostly agree on which projects return their cost at sale and which are for you alone. Both are fine reasons to build. Just know which one you are doing.
March 20, 2026 · 2 min readMaintenanceDrainage and grading: the yard's job is to move water away
Wet basements, cracked foundations and soggy lawns usually trace back to the same thing: the ground slopes the wrong way. What to look for after a spring rain, and the fixes from cheapest to most.
March 14, 2026 · 3 min readImprovementHeat pump or new furnace? How to decide
The old answer was that heat pumps are for the South. The equipment changed, the incentives changed, and the answer now depends on your fuel, your climate and your ductwork.
March 12, 2026 · 3 min readMaintenanceGutters: the cheapest maintenance that saves the most
A clogged gutter is behind more foundation cracks, rotten fascia and wet basements than any other single thing. Twice a year, and here is how.
February 24, 2026 · 2 min readSafetyCarbon monoxide: the alarm every home needs, and where it goes
You cannot see it or smell it, and it comes from the furnace, the water heater, the car and the generator. What an alarm costs, where to mount it and what to do when it sounds.
February 22, 2026 · 2 min readSeasonsThe winter checklist: getting a house through the cold months
Fall was for preparing. Winter is for watching. The habits that get a house through to March without a burst pipe, an ice dam or a furnace call at midnight.
February 10, 2026 · 2 min readSeasonsFrozen pipes: keeping them from freezing, and what to do when one does
A pipe does not burst when it freezes. It bursts when it thaws, or when the ice blocks the line and the pressure builds behind it. Which pipes are at risk, how to protect them and the right way to thaw one.
January 15, 2026 · 3 min readSeasonsIce dams: why the ceiling leaks in February, and what actually fixes it
The icicles are the symptom. The cause is warm air in the attic, and the fix is insulation and ventilation, not a new roof. How ice dams form, how to stop one, and how to stop the next.
January 12, 2026 · 3 min readSafetyHoliday lights without a call to the fire department
December is the month for electrical fires and ladder falls. Which lights and cords are safe outdoors, how much a circuit can carry, and the tree rules that matter.
January 6, 2026 · 3 min readBy trade.
Every trade's page carries the articles that touch it, beside its glossary, guides and the Pros' own posts.
- Roofing · 11 articles
- Cleaning & Restoration · 10 articles
- Siding & Windows · 8 articles
- Landscaping · 10 articles
- HVAC · 14 articles
- Plumbing · 11 articles
- Electrical · 8 articles
- Around the home · 2 articles
- Remodeling · 4 articles
- Painting · 5 articles
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