Essential tasks to include in your property maintenance routine
Posted on: 21 July 2016
Share
Taking the time to look after your property can save you a great deal of money and hassle in the long run. By carrying out basic maintenance tasks and inspections on a regular basis, you're more likely to identify and resolve potential issues before they become major problems that require serious repairs. Here are two important tasks which you should include in your home maintenance to-do list.
Look after the gutters
Making sure that your property's guttering is in good condition is crucial; a blocked or cracked gutter can not only lead to dampness, but can also cause damage to a house's brickwork. Lichen and moss, along with tree leaves, bird droppings and other types of debris can accumulate very quickly, which is why you should check your gutters at least once a month.
Should you spot any blockages, make sure to clear them out immediately. This can be quite a laborious and difficult task; if you aren't sure how to do it, or have mobility issues which prevent you from undertaking this type of work, it's best to contact a local tradesman that offers guttering services.
To reduce the amount of debris that needs to be cleaned out, it may be a good idea to trim back or even remove any of the trees in your garden which hang over the roof; this will cut down on the amount of falling leaves and twigs. Additionally it may be worth investing in some gutter guards. These serve as physical barriers that prevent dirt and leaves from getting into the gutters.
Watch out for damp
Damp is an extremely common issue, which if left unaddressed can result in cosmetic and structural damage which can be extremely expensive to fix. Some of the causes of damp include cracked roof tiles, rising moisture from the earth beneath a house, a leak in a property's pipes or overly-porous brickwork.
To avoid the costs associated with dealing with severe damp, it's important to watch out for signs of it around your house; spotting it at its earliest stage will make it that much easier (and cheaper) to fix. Ideally, you should carry out a thorough inspection once every couple of months. Things like condensation on windows, a musty scent in the air, peeling wallpaper and staining on painted walls and ceilings could all indicate that you have a damp problem in your property.
The treatment of damp will depend on its root cause. In some instances, simply repairing damaged guttering or running a de-humidifier in the affected rooms might suffice. However, if the damp is extensive, you may need to enlist the help of a damp proofing specialist.