There are endless reasons to consider buying an oceanfront home. This is why it is an aspiration for many Americans to buy a property beside the sea.
The ones who already own an oceanfront home are lucky. However, the luck may not last if they don’t take good care of the property. You need to make some adjustments to keep your oceanfront home in pristine condition. Yet, there are some things that you need to avoid while maintaining the home.
In that context, we are going to break down the dos and don’ts of oceanfront home maintenance so that you can always have the pleasure of living in one.
The Do’s of Maintaining an Oceanfront Home
Let’s talk about the things that you need to do to have a premium living experience in your oceanfront home. These approaches include the following:
1) Take Care of the Exterior
Do you know what the exceptional experience of staying in an oceanfront home is that no other home can offer? It is the view of the ocean. After a busy day, you can enjoy watching the view while having a cup of coffee or reading a book from the window, balcony, or terrace of your beachfront home.
However, you need to take care of the exterior to enjoy it. Use premium teak furniture outside so that it can survive any kind of damage from nature. Paint the exterior to make them look new. Additionally, use oil, wax, or soap on teak furniture so that it remains luxurious. Moreover, waterproofing the exterior is wise since moisture can damage them entirely over time.
2) Use Fiberglass for Doors and Windows
Instead of using metal or wood, it is advisable to use fiberglass on windows and doors for your oceanfront home. Metal or wood is more susceptible to salt water than fiberglass. Windows and doors framed with fiberglass are more resistant to corrosion.
Aside from using fiberglass on doors and windows, you need to rinse them with clean water regularly. Otherwise, rust may build up easily on the sliding rollers. One solution is using stainless steel material on the sliding rollers. Although it is not fully resistant to rust, it is the best option you have.
3) Check the HVAC Unit
Checklist To Keep HVAC in Top Shape.
Image source: houselogic.com
The HVAC unit is vulnerable to early corrosion and degradation since it is constructed of metal parts. The biggest problem is the air’s high level of sea salt. Especially, if you live too close to the beach, there is a greater chance that salt will harm your HVAC system.
Before salt and dust get to the metal parts, the HVAC system sweeps them away. As a result, it is wise to replace the HVAC filters once a month. Additionally, get a professional to check your HVAC unit once a year to keep it in working order.
4) Watch Out for Termites
Termites have a bad reputation for causing destruction. These insects will nest inside your house if they can find a little entrance and cause havoc. So, keep a regular eye out for these termites’ indicators. Exposure to heat and sunlight can kill them.
The furniture that has been affected by termites can be taken outside and baked in the sun. You can either use pesticides or spray the area with a mixture of 1/2 cup vinegar and 2/3 cup lemon juice. As these insects are barely noticeable until significant damage has been done, you may contact a professional to perform a general check for better pest management.
5) Inspect Humidity Level Regularly
You will feel more humidity while living in an oceanfront home than while living in other areas. For increased humidity, it can be uncomfortable to live during warm weather in the summer. So, you need to check the humidity level regularly, then.
One solution is to have a dehumidifier so that it can balance the humidity inside the house when it is high. To reduce the expense of installing a dehumidifier, you can set it up with the HAVC system of the house.
The Don’ts of Maintaining an Oceanfront Home
The Impact of waterfront location on residential home values.
Researched by Dr. Michael Sklarz and Dr. Norman Miller.
Now that you know what to do to keep your oceanfront home pristine, you should also know what you shouldn’t do.
1) Wood and Metal Items
We have already suggested in the Do’s part to use fiberglass doors and windows instead of wood or metal. More moisture is present in the air near the ocean. If it comes with a metal surface, then rust may build up easily, leading to corrosion.
The same goes for wood, except that instead of rusting, it develops rot. Furthermore, it will not take long for mold to grow if excess moisture builds up on the surface of the wood. So, you need to be extra careful and cautious while picking outdoor furniture. We suggest not using items made of wood or metal.
2) Painting the House
Obviously, you are smart enough to know when to paint your house. The signs will be more frequent for an oceanfront home. However, if you ignore these signs, you will suffer in the long run. The first thing you will notice is the moisture on the wall, which will eventually lead to its destruction.
When that happens, you will have to spend a lot of money on repairs. So, the wise thing to do is to paint the home’s exterior regularly. Experts suggest painting an oceanfront every 5 to 8 years. Painting your home gives it a brighter appearance and shields it from numerous weather elements.
3) Outside Shower
Since you own a home near the beach, you can expect to encounter sand everywhere. Your goal should be to prevent as much sand from entering the house as possible. In that case, an outside shower or hose can play a vital role.
Unfortunately, it is hard to find an outside shower in most oceanfront homes, except for hotels or rest houses. Gardening equipment, patio furniture, barbecue grills, and other items can get sanded over if left outside the home. Therefore, cover them up along with the outdoor furniture.
4) Poor Quality Furniture
If you want to avoid frequent replacement of furniture or other household items, you should buy premium ones. Cheap wooden or metal furniture won’t survive long due to the high humidity in the air, insects, and other natural elements.
If you think carefully, you will spend less by purchasing high-quality items in the first place. Repeated purchases of household items and furniture will waste a lot of money. So, you shouldn’t buy cheap and poor-quality furniture or items.
5) Flood Insurance
This is a very important point that people often neglect. God forbid if your oceanfront home is destroyed by a flood, tsunami, or some other natural disaster, it will be a big loss for you. Even if your home remains, it will require tremendous rehabilitation.
At that time, your ultimate solution can be flood insurance. A house and its contents may be covered by flood insurance. If flooding directly damages your property, you can make a claim with the National Flood Insurance Program. As a result, floods will have a smaller socioeconomic impact. So, if you still haven’t claimed flood insurance, don’t wait any longer.
What Decreases Oceanfront Property Value the Most?
Usually, lakefront or oceanfront properties are valued higher than typical properties in towns. So, you should be careful about not losing the magnificent view of your oceanfront home. You should also buy a home after carefully reviewing the location in the first place.
Based on an analysis by the American Home Shield using 2022 Zillow data,
The value of a property may be significantly impacted by its location.
Zillow also claims that a typical property in Florida will cost around $377,816 (at the time of writing this article). This has increased to 14.2% from the previous year. These include popular areas like New Smyrna Beach, St. Augustine, Naples, Tampa, and so on. Hence, the location also matters in determining the oceanfront home’s value.
However, oceanfront homes are prone to floods and devastating storms. This can always be a reason to drastically decrease the value of these properties. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Climate warming is currently causing sea levels to rise by an eighth of an inch per year.
With that said, people don’t want to buy beachfront properties since they have higher maintenance than normal properties. Additionally, these maintenance costs are higher than usual, and they are needed more frequently. Moreover, there are additional costs (such as obtaining flood insurance) that may not be necessary for homes in other locations.
In summary, you won’t regret buying an oceanfront home despite the additional maintenance and disaster risks. Having a home near the ocean is always fun. Living in such a property is more pleasing than in other types of homes. Just keep your oceanfront home neat and tidy by following the dos and don’ts mentioned in this article.