Take a moment and imagine a house you never have to repaint. A deck that will last through every season. Floors that won’t need to be refinished. Sounds great, right? Well, a low maintenance home isn’t out-of-reach.

As you age closer to retirement, investing in a low maintenance home ensures you’re able to reduce repairs and expenses. After all, you want to spend your golden years enjoying your home, not being bogged down with constant maintenance.

Why Do You Need a Low Maintenance Home?

One of the many benefits of owning your own home is the ability to pick out finishes to create your unique style. While there are numerous homeownership advantages, it also comes with increased stress from high costs and time commitments when you need repairs.

By investing in a low maintenance home, you’ll enjoy the following benefits:

• Minimized annual maintenance
• Less time needed to keep your home’s interior and exterior clean
• Longer life expectancy on home materials
• Increased home equity

So, how do you find a low maintenance home? Let’s dive into the core features to plan for when finding your new home in the greater Dayton area.

Must-Have Features for Every Low Maintenance Home

When you’re looking to build a low maintenance home, the right customizable features will ensure you continue to enjoy your home throughout retirement. Here are a few elements to keep in mind when looking for a low maintenance home:

Exterior Siding

If the thought of painting your home’s siding every few years makes you cringe, you can easily opt for a different material that’s more durable and weather-resistant. Modern siding comes in a variety of shapes, forms, and materials so your exterior still has traditional charm. Low maintenance siding materials include:

• Vinyl
• Aluminum
• Fiber cement
• Brick and stone
• Stucco

Decks

Nothing says “retirement” like sitting outside on your deck or patio and enjoying life’s simple pleasures. While decks often require significant upkeep like routine cleaning, painting or staining, and replacing, using modern materials like fiberglass or aluminum will minimize your overall maintenance and last for at least 25 years.

Fences

Landscape or privacy fences are often an important feature for homeowners. Modern fencing materials, such as PVC and vinyl, are polished on both sides and are resistant to termites, fading, rotting, warping, and more. Unlike wood fences, you won’t need to constantly replace or paint damaged the panels — making them much more hassle-free.

Gutters

Depending on your location, gutters are structures that often need to be cleared of debris so they can properly drain. However, installing a gutter guard will keep your gutters from filling up regularly to avoid them overflowing during a storm.  You can also invest in high-quality materials, such as:

• Stainless or galvanized steel
• Vinyl
• Copper
• Aluminum

Windows

Ready to be warm and cozy in your home? While your windows are made of glass, the frame around them often require maintenance and have a higher chance of failing if they are painted wood. Instead, ensure your new home includes clad windows—constructed from wood and covered with aluminum or vinyl—so you won’t have to worry about sanding, painting, or replacing them often.

Roofing

Roofing materials often last for decades, so you’ll have to decide if you’d rather pay upfront for a roof that will outlive you or know that you’ll have to replace it within 20 years or less. For example, metal roofs have progressed throughout the years and are available in various colors and styles to fit your preference. Not only are metal roofs virtually maintenance-free, but they are also durable enough to handle every season and often last for over 50 years.

Floors

While natural wood flooring looks impressive, they require significant maintenance if you want them to maintain their original appearance. Laminate flooring, instead, has a tough plastic layer that resists stains, moisture, and scratches. Laminate flooring won’t open up during temperature changes, will never need refinishing, and have a life expectancy of at least 25 years.

Countertops

Your kitchen will most likely be a staple location for your family to create new, long-lasting memories together. By installing a quartz countertop, you can ensure a scratch and stain-resistant material that will withstand all your cooking needs. Quartz is also durable, non-porous, and will never need sealing.

Customize Your Home with Low Maintenance Features

When searching for the perfect low-maintenance home in Miami Valley, Dayton, and surrounding areas, you need to look for the most durable and quality materials that will last you throughout your retirement. With move-in ready homes, you have multiple home plans to choose from with a variety of low-maintenance customizations to fit your retirement lifestyle.

Schedule a consultation with Oberer Homes today to discover the perfect low maintenance home.