Our homeowner page is designed to provide you with information that may be valuable or just plain interesting to you as a homeowner. Below is a table with the average life of various components in the house. It may help you to plan for future expenses in maintaining your home.

We also have a section where we will post articles concerning home ownership, some dealing with various products for the home, design concepts, do-it-yourself projects, and many other subjects. If there is a subject that you are interested in, please let me know and we will try to get you the information and pointed in the right direction. Enjoy!

Ever wondered what a particular construction term means, well we have included a cool tool for you to look up words and their meanings, its NACHI's Home Inspection Glossary. Just type in the word, chose which search criteria, and hit search.

Articles for the Homeowner

If you find these articles interesting, we can increase the number and frequency. If you have a topic you are interested in, or want to submit an article on your favorite topic, email us, and we will publish it.

Home Inspection Glossary

Search for:
	Search words only Search words and definitions
	the NACHI Glossary

ITEM	LIFE IN YEARS	ITEM	LIFE IN YEARS
APPLIANCES		HOME SECURITY APPLIANCES
Compactor	10	Intrusion system	14
Dishwasher	10	Smoke detector	12
Disposal	10	Smoke/fire/intrusion	10
Dryer	14	INSULATION
Freezer		Foundation, roof ceiling, wall and floor	Lifetime
Compact	12	LANDSCAPING
Standard	16	Wooden deck	15
Microwave Oven	11	Brick & concrete patio	24
Range		Tennis court	10
Free-standing and built-in, electric	17	Concrete walk	24
Free-standing and built-in, gas	19	Gravel walk	4
High oven, gas	14	Asphalt driveway	10
Refrigerator		Swimming pool	18
Compact	14	Sprinkler system	12
Standard	17	Fence	12
Washer		MASONRY
Automatic and compact	13	Chimney, fireplace & brick veneer	Lifetime
Exhaust fan	20	Brick and stone walls	100+
BATHROOMS		Stucco and mantels	Lifetime
Cast Iron Bathtub	50	MATERIALS
Fiberglass Bathtub & Shower	10-15	Caulking (for sealer)	8-10
Shower Door (average quality)	25	Metal (for coping)	20-40
Toilet	50	Mortar (for walls) & plastic (for flashing)	25+
CABINETRY		MILLWORK
Suspension ceiling	Lifetime	Stairs	50-100
Acoustical ceiling	Lifetime	Rails & disappearing stairs	30-40
CLOSET SYSTEMS		PAINTS AND STAINS
Closet shelves	Lifetime	Exterior paint on wood, brick and aluminum	7-10
COUNTERTOPS		Interior
Laminate	10-15	Wall paint-Depends on acrylic content	5-10
Ceramic tile		Trim and door	5-10
High grade installation	Lifetime	Wallpaper	7
Wood/butcher block	20+	PLUMBING
Granite	20+	Waste pipe
DOORS		Concrete	50-100
Screen	25-50	Cast iron	75-100
Interior		Sinks
Not perfect hollow core	<30	Enamel steel sink	5-10
Solid-core wood	30-Life	Enamel cast iron sink	25-30
Exterior		Porcelain	25-30
Protected overhang-Less susceptible to weather	80-100	Faucets-Depends mostly on the finish. Chrome finish lasts much longer than brass or enamel
Unprotected and exposed-Degradation from rain, snow, expansion, contraction, and decay conditions.	25-30	Low quality	13-15
Folding	30-Life	High quality	15-20
Garage Door	20-50	ROOFING
Garage door opener	10	Asphalt and wood shingles & shakes	15-30
ELECTRICAL		Tile-Depends on quality of time, thoroughness of the design and climate	50
Copper wiring		Slate-Depends on grade	50-100
Copper plated	100+	Sheet metal-Depends on gauge of metal, quality of coating, thoroughness of design	20-50+
Copper clad aluminum