THE UTAH HOME MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST NOBODY GIVES YOU WHEN YOU BUY A HOUSE

Published by: Bradley
Published date: January 14, 2026
Last updated: January 14, 2026
Estimated read time: 12 minutes

Congratulations.

You bought a house in Utah.

Someone handed you approximately 400 pages of mortgage documents, explained escrow using words nobody remembers, gave you some keys, and then everyone left.

Nobody handed you the other document:

The list of shit you now have to keep from breaking.

Because houses don't maintain themselves.

And Utah adds its own particular flavor to the experience: hot dry summers, freezing winters, snow, intense sun, irrigation systems, and enough seasonal temperature change to make exterior materials reconsider their career choices.

The good news?

You don't need to spend every weekend wandering around your property with a moisture meter.

Most home maintenance is remarkably boring.

Look at things. Clean things. Tighten things. Seal things. Fix little problems before they become expensive problems.

Here's the checklist I wish every Utah homeowner got with the keys.

FIRST: LEARN WHERE THE IMPORTANT STUFF IS

Before we discuss seasons, do this.

Not tomorrow.

Not when something breaks.

Now.

Find your:

• main water shutoff

• electrical panel

• gas meter and shutoff

• furnace

• water heater

• exterior hose connections

• sprinkler controls

• sewer cleanout, if applicable

• smoke alarms

• carbon-monoxide alarms

• main HVAC filter

You don't necessarily need to know how to repair any of these things.

You need to know where they are.

Because the first time you go looking for your water shutoff should not be while water is actively auditioning for a role in your basement.

EVERY MONTH: LOOK AT YOUR HOUSE

Yes.

That's the first maintenance item.

Walk around.

Your house communicates.

Unfortunately, it communicates primarily through cracks, stains and weird noises.

Look for things that have changed.

Inside:

new water stains

new cracks

doors suddenly sticking

loose railings

damaged caulk

dripping fixtures

strange smells

signs of pests

Outside:

loose fence boards

sagging gates

damaged exterior trim

peeling paint

foundation-area drainage problems

missing or damaged roof components you can see safely from the ground

You don't need to climb onto the roof every month dressed like Batman.

Look from the ground.

Binoculars exist.

EVERY 1–3 MONTHS: CHECK YOUR HVAC FILTER

Your furnace filter is not decorative.

Check it.

How often it needs replacement depends on the filter, system, household, pets, air quality and manufacturer recommendations.

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends inspecting or cleaning/replacing air-conditioning filters regularly, noting that dirty filters reduce airflow and system efficiency.

If you've got:

pets,

construction dust,

wildfire smoke,

allergies,

or a household apparently generating lint industrially—

you may need to check more frequently.

Don't blindly replace it every 30 days because somebody's grandfather told you that's the law.

Inspect it.

Then follow the appropriate replacement schedule for your system and filter.

EVERY MONTH: TEST THE THINGS DESIGNED TO KEEP YOU ALIVE

Smoke alarms.

Carbon-monoxide alarms.

Test them according to manufacturer instructions and replace batteries and units when required.

The U.S. Fire Administration recommends testing smoke alarms at least once a month and replacing smoke alarms when they're 10 years old.

If your smoke detector starts chirping at 2:13 a.m., this is not the device attempting to ruin your life.

Although it does feel personal.

Deal with it.

And don't permanently remove the battery because you burned toast.

SPRING: FIND OUT WHAT WINTER DID

Utah winter has just spent several months stress-testing your property.

Spring is when we read the results.

Walk around outside.

Look at:

FENCES

Any new leaning?

Loose boards?

Moving posts?

Broken rails?

GATES

Do they still latch?

Did the post move?

Are hinges secure?

DECKS

Loose boards?

Raised fasteners?

Movement?

Soft areas?

Loose railings?

EXTERIOR DOORS

Still closing properly?

Weatherstripping intact?

Any water damage?

EXTERIOR WOOD

Peeling finish?

Cracks?

Rot?

Separated joints?

CONCRETE

Anything changed substantially?

New deterioration?

Trip hazards?

DRAINAGE

Where did snowmelt and rain actually go?

The last question matters.

Water should generally be moving away from the house, not assembling around the foundation for a meeting.

SPRING: CHECK YOUR GUTTERS & DOWNSPOUTS

If your house has gutters, they have one job:

Take water from up there and put it somewhere useful down there.

Make sure they're not:

full of debris,

obviously damaged,

pulling away,

or dumping water somewhere stupid.

Downspouts should discharge appropriately away from the foundation based on your property and drainage setup.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency advises homeowners to clean and maintain gutters and downspouts and direct water away from foundations as part of protecting homes from water damage.

Water is lazy.

Gravity tells it where to go.

Your job is making sure that destination isn't your basement.

SPRING: WAKE UP THE SPRINKLERS CAREFULLY

Utah homeowners love irrigation systems.

So do fences, apparently, because half of them are being watered.

When you turn your sprinkler system back on, watch every zone run.

Don't just hear water and assume success.

Look for:

broken heads,

misaligned heads,

leaks,

areas flooding,

water hitting the house,

water hammering fences,

water spraying sidewalks,

and one sprinkler mysteriously irrigating your neighbor's Subaru.

Adjust it.

Your siding doesn't need watering.

Your wood fence doesn't need watering.

Your driveway remains unlikely to germinate.

SPRING: SERVICE THE AIR CONDITIONING BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE REMEMBERS THEY OWN ONE

Don't wait until the first 98-degree day.

That's when every HVAC company in the Salt Lake Valley suddenly receives 11,000 phone calls.

Before cooling season:

make sure the outdoor unit isn't buried in debris,

check the filter,

make sure vents aren't obstructed,

and consider professional maintenance appropriate to your system.

The Department of Energy recommends regular maintenance of filters, coils, fins, drains and other air-conditioning components to maintain effective performance.

I'm a handyman.

I'm not your HVAC technician.

Know the difference.

EARLY SUMMER: INSPECT EXTERIOR WOOD

This is when I want a closer look at:

fences

decks

gates

pergolas

exterior trim

wood doors

railings

Utah summer sun is not gentle.

Look for failed coatings, exposed wood, splitting, loose hardware and early deterioration.

A small repair and appropriate maintenance now may prevent you from calling me several years later and saying:

“So... how much is an entirely new fence?”

I like you.

I'd rather not have that conversation unnecessarily.

SUMMER: CHECK YOUR EXTERIOR CAULK & SEALANTS

Walk around doors and windows.

Look at exterior penetrations and transitions.

Sealant eventually:

cracks,

shrinks,

separates,

and fails.

You're looking for gaps where water or air can enter.

But don't approach your house with a caulk gun like you're icing a birthday cake.

Not every gap should simply be filled.

Different materials and assemblies need appropriate products and detailing.

If you don't know why the gap exists:

Find out before filling it.

This philosophy applies to a surprising amount of homeownership.

SUMMER: LOOK AT YOUR DECK WHILE YOU'RE ACTUALLY USING IT

This is easy because you're already outside.

Walk slowly.

Does anything move?

Any board feel soft?

Any fasteners sticking up?

Grab the railing.

Does it move?

Walk the stairs.

Solid?

A deck should be boring.

No bouncing.

No rocking.

No railing with a fun little wiggle.

If something changes, investigate it.

Don't wait until your Labor Day barbecue becomes a structural case study.

SUMMER: CHECK THE GARAGE

This isn't glamorous maintenance.

It's still worth doing.

Look around for:

water intrusion,

pest evidence,

damaged weatherstripping,

garage-door problems,

loose shelving,

and the gradual accumulation of every object you've owned since college.

Then look at the walls.

If your garage floor is completely full while the walls are completely empty:

You don't necessarily have a garage-size problem.

You have a storage problem.

Vertical shelving and wall-mounted storage can give you back a shocking amount of usable floor.

You may even rediscover that garages were originally designed to contain automobiles.

Controversial.

FALL: THIS IS THE IMPORTANT ONE

If spring is:

What did winter do?

Fall is:

What can I fix before winter gets another turn?

Walk the entire exterior again.

You're looking for anything you don't want to deal with when it's:

28 degrees,

dark at 5:00,

and snowing sideways.

FALL: DISCONNECT THE GARDEN HOSES

Please.

Before freezing weather.

Remove hoses from exterior faucets unless your particular setup specifically calls for something different.

Prepare exterior plumbing and irrigation systems appropriately for freezing conditions.

Utah State University recommends winterizing irrigation systems before sustained freezing temperatures, including shutting off water and removing remaining water from vulnerable irrigation components as appropriate.

For the irrigation system itself, follow appropriate procedures for your system or hire somebody who knows what they're doing.

Water expands when it freezes.

It has no respect for your financial plans.

FALL: CHECK WEATHERSTRIPPING

Stand near exterior doors.

Feel drafts?

See daylight?

Inspect:

door sweeps,

weatherstripping,

thresholds,

and seals.

The Department of Energy recommends weatherstripping movable building components such as doors and windows as part of reducing air leakage.

This is one of my favorite maintenance projects because it's:

small,

relatively inexpensive,

and something you may notice every single day once it's fixed.

Your furnace shouldn't be trying to heat the front porch.

FALL: GET THE FURNACE READY

Don't wait until the first cold night to discover the furnace has developed opinions.

Check the filter.

Make sure vents and returns aren't blocked.

And have the system professionally maintained as appropriate.

If you have fuel-burning appliances, carbon-monoxide protection becomes particularly important.

Again:

I fix a lot of things.

I'm not going to stare thoughtfully into your gas furnace and pretend the leather jacket gives me HVAC credentials.

Call the appropriate professional.

FALL: LOOK UP

Roof.

Gutters.

Trees.

Anything obviously damaged?

Anything likely to become a problem under snow?

You can inspect plenty from the ground.

If roof access isn't safe, don't climb up there.

I would strongly prefer you pay somebody qualified to inspect something than save $150 immediately before spending $6,000 on orthopedic surgery.

Home maintenance is supposed to preserve assets.

You are also an asset.

WINTER: WATCH WHERE WATER & ICE GO

Snow gives you information.

When it melts:

Where does the water go?

Do you have:

persistent pooling,

ice forming repeatedly in the same strange location,

water near the foundation,

or drainage patterns you didn't notice during summer?

Pay attention.

You don't necessarily need to solve the entire drainage problem while the ground is frozen.

But take pictures.

Come spring, you'll remember what was happening.

WINTER: PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DOORS

This is when some doors reveal their seasonal personalities.

If a door suddenly:

sticks,

rubs,

doesn't latch,

or develops a gap—

note it.

Wood and building materials respond to environmental conditions.

If the problem disappears when the season changes, that's useful diagnostic information.

Don't immediately sand half an inch off a good door because it misbehaved during January.

Your August self may become furious.

TWICE A YEAR: LOOK UNDER YOUR SINKS

This takes approximately 90 seconds.

Open the cabinets.

Look.

Touch.

You are checking for:

moisture,

drips,

staining,

swollen cabinet material,

corrosion,

and things that smell wrong.

Small plumbing leaks can quietly damage cabinetry and surrounding materials before anybody notices.

If you find active plumbing problems, get the appropriate repair.

I'm telling you to look under the sink.

I'm not deputizing you as a plumber.

TWICE A YEAR: CHECK YOUR CAULK IN WET AREAS

Tub.

Shower.

Sink.

Backsplash.

Look for:

cracks,

gaps,

separation,

and deteriorated sealant.

Water management is one of the least sexy and most financially useful parts of owning a house.

The EPA recommends addressing water problems quickly and drying wet materials within roughly 24–48 hours where possible to reduce the chance of mold growth.

You want water:

inside the shower.

Inside the pipe.

Inside the sink.

Inside the toilet.

We have created many excellent designated locations for it.

Encourage it to remain there.

ONCE A YEAR: WALK EVERY DOOR & WINDOW

Open them.

Close them.

Lock them.

Check the hardware.

This is especially useful in older Salt Lake homes.

You're looking for:

sticking,

loose hinges,

damaged locks,

failed weatherstripping,

broken hardware,

water damage,

and changes from the previous year.

Don't normalize workarounds.

If everybody in your family knows you have to:

lift the bathroom door and pull left while turning the knob

the door does not work.

You've simply developed institutional knowledge around its failure.

Fix it.

ONCE A YEAR: INSPECT YOUR FENCE & GATE

Don't just look at the boards.

Look at:

posts

rails

connections

hardware

ground-level deterioration

Then operate the gate.

Does it:

sag?

drag?

latch?

move at the post?

A failing post is considerably more important than three ugly pickets.

Catch structural fence problems before half the run starts leaning.

ONCE A YEAR: REVIEW YOUR HOME'S PUNCH LIST

This is the habit I want you to steal.

Make one list.

Keep it on your phone.

Every time you notice something:

add it.

Door sticks.

Cabinet hinge loose.

Need shelf.

Fence board cracked.

Baseboard damaged.

Garage storage.

Drywall ding.

Gate sagging.

Then every few months, look at the list.

Prioritize:

1. SAFETY

Anything that could hurt somebody.

2. WATER

Anything allowing water where it doesn't belong.

3. ACTIVE DETERIORATION

Things getting worse.

4. FUNCTION

Things that don't work properly.

5. COSMETICS

Things that annoy you aesthetically.

Now you've got an actual maintenance strategy instead of waiting until random household failures achieve consciousness.

EVERY FEW YEARS: LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE

Some components don't need monthly attention.

But you should have a general sense of the age and condition of major systems.

Know approximately when your:

roof,

water heater,

furnace,

air conditioner,

windows,

exterior paint,

deck,

fence,

and major appliances

were installed or last substantially serviced.

I'm not giving you universal replacement ages because that's how perfectly functional things end up in landfills.

Condition matters.

Maintenance matters.

Installation matters.

Usage matters.

Know what you own.

Then monitor it.

IF YOU JUST BOUGHT AN OLDER SALT LAKE CITY HOUSE

Welcome.

Now go find your inspection report.

You paid hundreds of dollars for it.

Please don't put it in a drawer and allow it to become historical literature.

Turn the findings into three lists:

NOW

Safety, water, active deterioration.

SOON

Functional repairs and aging components.

EVENTUALLY

Cosmetics and improvements.

Then start working through it.

Especially if you've bought a 1940s or 1950s home in places like Rose Park, Glendale, Poplar Grove, Liberty Wells, Sugar House, Fairpark or other established Salt Lake neighborhoods.

Old houses aren't automatically problematic.

But they reward homeowners who pay attention.

WHAT SHOULD I DIY?

Plenty of routine homeowner maintenance can be DIY-friendly if you know what you're doing.

Changing filters.

Testing alarms.

Basic cleaning.

Visual inspections.

Some minor maintenance.

But don't let a YouTube video convince you that ownership of a house automatically granted you licenses in:

electrical,

plumbing,

HVAC,

structural engineering,

roofing,

and arboriculture.

Know your limits.

I have limits too.

That's why you'll occasionally hear me say:

“You need a plumber.”

That's not me losing a job.

That's me knowing what my job is.

THE BRADLEY 15-MINUTE MONTHLY HOUSE WALK

If this article made homeownership sound like a second career, don't overthink it.

Once a month, give me fifteen minutes.

Walk outside.

Walk inside.

Look for:

WATER.

Where it shouldn't be.

MOVEMENT.

Where things shouldn't move.

GAPS.

Where things should be sealed.

DAMAGE.

That wasn't there before.

CHANGE.

Anything behaving differently.

That's it.

You don't need a maintenance spreadsheet with 412 cells.

You need to notice your house.

THE ENTIRE UTAH HOME MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST

Screenshot this part.

EVERY MONTH

Check for leaks, stains and obvious changes.
Test smoke and CO alarms.
Check the HVAC filter as appropriate.

SPRING

Inspect winter damage.
Check gutters and drainage.
Inspect fences and gates.
Inspect decks and railings.
Start irrigation carefully.
Prepare AC.
Check exterior wood.

SUMMER

Inspect exterior finishes.
Check caulk and sealants.
Maintain decks and fences.
Watch sprinkler coverage.
Organize and inspect garage storage.

FALL

Clean/check gutters.
Inspect exterior again.
Winterize irrigation.
Disconnect hoses as appropriate.
Check weatherstripping.
Prepare furnace.
Check exterior doors.
Address repairs before freezing weather.

WINTER

Watch drainage and ice patterns.
Notice seasonal door/window movement.
Monitor for leaks.
Take pictures of problems to address in spring.

TWICE A YEAR

Look under sinks.
Check wet-area caulk.
Review your repair list.

ONCE A YEAR

Operate every door and window.
Inspect fence posts and gates.
Inspect deck components.
Review major-system ages and conditions.
Revisit your original home inspection.

There.

That's the document they should've handed you at closing.

AND PLEASE DON'T TRY TO DO ALL OF THIS IN ONE WEEKEND.

Homeownership isn't a renovation show.

Your house does not need to be finished.

In fact:

Your house will never be finished.

That's the arrangement.

Something will always need:

tightening,

cleaning,

painting,

adjusting,

repairing,

replacing,

or staring at while saying:

“I should probably deal with that.”

The goal isn't perfection.

The goal is catching the important stuff before it becomes expensive stuff.

Take care of the house.

It'll usually return the favor.

GOT A PUNCH LIST?

Good.

I like those.

Send me the whole thing.

Not just the one broken hinge that finally made you call somebody.

Doors.

Trim.

Shelving.

Cabinets.

Drywall.

Fence.

Gate.

Deck.

Garage storage.

Installations.

The seventeen small projects you've accumulated since buying the place.

I'll tell you what's Built by Bradley territory, what I'd prioritize, and what needs another trade.

Call or text Bradley:
(801) 644-3329

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