03 · Everyday essentials
Owning & maintaining a tropical home
A beautiful home is not necessarily an easy home to maintain. Warm temperatures, humidity, intense rain, UV, salt air, fast-growing vegetation, termites, mold, wildlife and intermittent utilities affect everything from the roof to your internet. Evaluate a home as a system—and prevent issues rather than constantly repairing damage.
In this chapter
Keep appliance manuals, model and serial numbers, warranties, service dates, shutoff locations and authorized contacts together. Ask the installer to explain what is normal and what requires a call. This is especially useful for a remote owner or a house with several pumps and water tanks.
Before hiring someone, define the task and request a written quote with parts, labor, currency, taxes, exclusions and warranty. Personal repair, pool and maintenance recommendations will be reserved for members when actual access is implemented; no invented contacts have been added.
- Water source, tanks, pump, filtration and last service.
- Electrical panel, protective equipment and professional inspection records.
- AC units, fans, appliances and replacement-part information.
- Pool system, septic/wastewater system and garden schedule.
- Roof, drainage, pest treatment and warranties.
My home maintenance checklist
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