Regular maintainence

Whilst ‘surfing’ the property sites found this guide to regular maintainence… your property is ‘worth’ more than your car so keep it in good working order.

THE BIG 5 YEAR MAINTAINENCE GUIDE

Maintenance is part of owning a home and an orderly, planned approach is the only way to go. Lay your plans by drawing up a maintenance schedule – grab pen and paper, wander around the home making notes, then hang the hammock in a cool spot and plan the next five years’ activities.

Every three months
Check under the house for termites by learning to identify the mud tunnels they build. If you find evidence, don’t disturb the tunnels – get a pest exterminator to check whether they are active or old workings.
Test all smoke alarms and make sure fire extinguishers and fire blankets are where they should be.
Check all lights for blown lamps and replace as necessary.
Check taps for leaks – dripping taps indicate a worn washer, while leaks under the cover plate or up the spindle indicate worn O rings. Get a plumber to repair as soon as possible.
Operate hot water pressure relief valve to make sure it is working.

Every six months
Remove spider webs and insect nests – carefully.
Clean and wash windows and walls.
Operate all windows and doors – ease if they are sticky (but not after long periods of very damp weather when timber naturally swells).
Check for and remove mould from walls and ceilings. Mould is related to humidity and does not necessarily occur in the same season throughout the country. Investigate ways of decreasing the water vapour in the air, such as venting tumble-dryers outside, using an exhaust fan at shower times and improving general ventilation.
Check for cracked glass and replace as necessary. Broken glass should be replaced immediately.

EVERY YEAR
Spring
‘Spring clean’ the house thoroughly, recycling or discarding unwanted items. If you haven’t done a spring clean for a while, the first year will be the hardest.
Replace or repair damaged insect screens and screen doors.
Free paint-bound windows if not done quarterly.

Summer
Check for drummy tiles – gently drag the plastic handle of a large screwdriver over tiles – you will hear the hollow sound of poorly adhered tiles. Re-glue as necessary.
Have wall cracks assessed if they have changed over the year and decide whether they need attention.
Prune plants away from house, specially near underfloor vents.

Autumn
Arm yourself with overalls, kneepads, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, large screwdriver and a good torch. Crawl under the floor if you have timber floors and check for soundness of floor. If you can move termite shields (ant caps), the floor is not properly supported and should be packed out. Note any other work needed, such as tipped-over or sunken piers which need rebuilding, or floor framing which needs replacing due to rot or pest attack. Check for dampness under the bathroom.
Check roof for damaged and dislodged tiles and repoint ridge and hip capping as necessary.
Remove rust from metal railings, posts and roofs. Treat and repaint as required. Don’t leave rust too long as the problem will quickly escalate.
Check for draughts around doors, windows and skirting boards and take measures to seal the gaps.
Check and clean chimneys and flues specially if you mainly burn softwood.

Winter
Remove moss and algae from paving and steps.
Remove oil stains from concrete.
Punch down nails protruding from a timber deck.
Check cold parts of the house for condensation. If surfaces are wet, increase ventilation or insulate to keep warmer.

[i]Five to 10 year tasks to tackle[/i]

Paint the interior of the house. Divide the number of rooms by five and allocate rooms to each of the five years. Adjust for relative size and complexity of each room. Interior painting is an ideal task during the hotter summer months as you are out of the sun and it’s great drying weather.

Paint exterior of the house. Over a period of four years you can paint the north, west, south and eastern walls, windows and doors, which is much more manageable than trying to do it in one hit. The ideal seasons are spring and autumn – the paint dries well but surfaces are not too hot. Take a holiday during the fifth year, unless you have a metal roof to paint.
Check brickwork for missing mortar and repoint as necessary. This is slow work, and is best done during autumn and spring.

Things to check after a major storm
Check that the weather stripping and flashings around the house have stood up to the storm. Look for wet stains around doors and windows, below where roofs join walls and under box gutters.
Check that your drains were working adequately – clean leaf debris and silt from the drains and silt traps if you have them, ready for next time. Increase capacity of system (larger or more pipes) if water did not get away quickly enough.

Quick response tasks for those who move fast!
Change a fuse or replace with plug-in circuit breaker when circuits blow. If this is a frequent occurrence have an electrician check out the circuit.
Clear blocked drains as soon as possible to avoid flooding.
Repair loose brick steps and paths as they can be dangerous.

REDWING

“The man that thinks at 5o as he did when he was 20 has wasted 30 years of his life”