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Diagnostic · Free

Home Health Score

Assess the remaining life of your major systems and see what is likely to fail next.

The house
years

Changing this refills every system below with a starting assumption. Correct any you know the real date for.

Replacement costs are national averages moved to local labor rates.

Each system: how old, and how it looks

Condition outranks age. A serviced 18-year-old furnace beats a neglected 12-year-old one, and this scores it that way.

years

Expected life 20–30 years, 25 for planning. Left blank, it falls back to the assumption from the age of the house.

Works, looks its age, nothing alarming

years

Expected life 8–12 years, 10 for planning. Left blank, it falls back to the assumption from the age of the house.

Works, looks its age, nothing alarming

years

Expected life 14–20 years, 16 for planning. Left blank, it falls back to the assumption from the age of the house.

Works, looks its age, nothing alarming

years

Expected life 25–40 years, 30 for planning. Left blank, it falls back to the assumption from the age of the house.

Works, looks its age, nothing alarming

years

Expected life 40–80 years, 60 for planning. Left blank, it falls back to the assumption from the age of the house.

Works, looks its age, nothing alarming

years

Expected life 20–40 years, 28 for planning. Left blank, it falls back to the assumption from the age of the house.

Works, looks its age, nothing alarming

years

Expected life 7–15 years, 10 for planning. Left blank, it falls back to the assumption from the age of the house.

Works, looks its age, nothing alarming

years

Expected life 10–15 years, 13 for planning. Left blank, it falls back to the assumption from the age of the house.

Works, looks its age, nothing alarming

Home health score

64/ 100

A normal, well-used house. 4 systems are inside the 5-year window, which is exactly what a reserve account is for.
Set aside each yearEvery scored system's replacement cost spread over its expected life
$3,600/yr
Coming due inside 5 years4 of 8 systems: Roof, Water heater, Exterior paint and siding, Kitchen and laundry appliances
$31,500
Already past expected lifeNothing is past its planning life
0 of 8
Reserve per monthThe number that keeps a replacement from becoming a loan
$300/mo

Weakest systems, worst first

  1. 1

    Roof — architectural asphalt shingle

    52 / 100

    Roughly 3 years left. Far enough out to save for at $5,167 a year, close enough that you should start.

    Age:
    22 of 25 years
    Condition:
    Serviceable
    Years left:
    3
    Replacement:
    $15,500
  2. 2

    Windows — whole house

    57 / 100

    Roughly 6 years left and nothing in its condition argues with that. Keep it serviced and leave it alone.

    Age:
    22 of 28 years
    Condition:
    Serviceable
    Years left:
    6
    Replacement:
    $14,500
  3. 3

    Main electrical panel

    60 / 100

    Roughly 8 years left and nothing in its condition argues with that. Keep it serviced and leave it alone.

    Age:
    22 of 30 years
    Condition:
    Serviceable
    Years left:
    8
    Replacement:
    $3,400
  4. 4

    HVAC system — furnace and air conditioner

    66 / 100

    Roughly 6 years left and nothing in its condition argues with that. Keep it serviced and leave it alone.

    Age:
    10 of 16 years
    Condition:
    Serviceable
    Years left:
    6
    Replacement:
    $10,500
All 8 scored systems, replacement priced for Columbus
SystemAgeScoreYears leftReplacementReserve
Roof — architectural asphalt shingle22523$15,500$625/yr
Water heater — tank6674$1,700$175/yr
HVAC system — furnace and air conditioner10666$10,500$650/yr
Main electrical panel22608$3,400$125/yr
Plumbing supply piping228038$9,600$150/yr
Windows — whole house22576$14,500$525/yr
Exterior paint and siding6674$8,700$875/yr
Kitchen and laundry appliances8665$5,800$450/yr
Weighted score and total reserve64$69,500$3,600/yr

Address this first: Roof — architectural asphalt shingle

It scores 52 out of 100 with roughly 3 years of planned life left. Start setting aside $5,167 a year against it and get a service call to confirm the timeline. Southern exposure and poor attic ventilation take years off the rated life.

Your replacements are clustering, which is the real problem

4 systems land inside the next 5 years, totalling $31,500. Systems installed when a house was built tend to fail within a few years of each other, and the cost of that cluster is not the work — it is financing three of them at once because they arrived together. Sequence them deliberately: replace the one with the worst consequence of failure first, even if it is not the oldest.

Age is a predictor, not a verdict

Nothing here replaces an eye on the equipment. Installation quality, water hardness, attic ventilation and whether anyone ever serviced the thing move actual life by years in both directions. Use the reserve figure to budget and let condition and repair frequency decide the timing.

What this assumes

  • Service life expectations follow industry association and manufacturer averages.
  • Climate, maintenance history and installation quality shift actual life substantially.
  • Replacement costs are national averages, adjusted by the region you select.

Understanding the result

Replacements cluster, and that is the problem

Systems installed when a house was built tend to fail within a few years of each other. A home built in 2005 can face roof, HVAC and water heater replacement inside the same 36 months. Knowing which is coming lets you sequence and save rather than finance an emergency.

Age is a predictor, not a verdict

A well-maintained 18-year-old furnace can outlast a neglected 12-year-old one. Use the projection to plan and budget, and let actual condition and repair frequency drive the timing.

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