You've lived in your house for a few years now, and you haven't had to make any major repairs. You know there may be something coming up, but you're not sure how often you're supposed to maintain your home's high priced items such as flooring, roof, etc. Below are a few tips on a some major repairs that will be required in your home's lifetime.

Roof - As it gets closer to that 20 year mark, here are some signs that it might be time for a replacement:

• If you see light coming through the roof of your attic
• If you see pieces of shingles in your gutters
• If you notice shingles missing, especially in the valleys of your roofline.

Hardwood Floors - It will be between 7-12 years before you will need to refinishing or replace your floors. The exact time will vary based foot traffic and the type of hardwood you have. A good test to know if your hardwood floors need to be refinished is to pour a little bit of water on them, and if the water beads, the floor area is still in good shape, but if the wood absorbs the water it means that the coating has worn off completely and you'll need to refinish them.

Central Heating - Due to the dangerous components in every heating and cooling system, you should never attempt to clean these on your own. A trained technician should do cleaning, but you can replace the filter on your own every 3-6 months. It's good practice to have your cooling system serviced before every cooling season, and your furnace serviced before every heating season.