It would be nice to assume that when you move into a new home, it’s good to go. That you can cross over the threshold, dust off your shoes and cross “moving into a new home” off of your list. Ah, that would be a nice life, wouldn’t it? And here’s the tricky part. It will seem that way for you for a while. There’s a reason that when any kind of structure is on the market to be sold that it most likely looks its best. You’re not going to spend an arm and a leg on a property that looks like it has seen better days unless the price tag matches the quality.

So, if you’re selling a home and trying to make as much money as possible, the Restumping Melbourne team is guessing that you invested a dime or two to maximize its value. And when prospective buyers see the home, it’s looking its shiniest and the most enticing to sign on the dotted line. You move in. All is well.

And then time passes. And slowly but surely, different parts of your home start to deteriorate. Sometimes, we’re going to be honest, it’s a hundred per cent on you. Whether you frequently take showers without ventilating your bathroom, it’s inevitable that you’re going to build up mould, which can be pesky to maintain or remedy. If you have a large or active household and the floors are scratched up on a regular basis, you can hardly blame that on anyone but you and your loved ones.

But there are also the general baselines that you can keep in mind (and somewhere in a reminder book) about how long parts of your home’s structure should last. Here are just a few:

Ceilings: Your ceilings should last between 20 and 25 years. This sounds like a long time if you’re just moving in, but think about (and ask about) the history of the home. One of the big variables that the lifespan depends on is whether the old roof was removed at any point. Others include questions around levels of shingles and proper ventilation.

Floors: The magic number for floors is 25 years or even more. This should come as no surprise if you think about how highly certain historic styles of flooring are prized in well-known buildings. The trick with floors is you need to take very good care of them, cleaning, buffing and polishing on a regular basis.

Windows: We’re rounding out this list with windows and perhaps you’ve started to notice a theme in numbers. Windows last 20-25 years. Windows don’t need a tonne of maintenance per se, but they’re not something that you can forget about either. The great thing about windows (and doors as well), is that they’ll start to show any signs of wear and tear early on. If they don’t swing shut properly, or stick when you try to open them, it’s time to call in the experts or embark on a home renovation project.