This blog post is written for homeowners who want to make the most of the dryer summer months and undertake necessary property remedial works.
Planning your property maintenance works, ensures you’re able to safeguard yourself against the wetter winter months reducing your overall liability when it comes to costly property defect repairs.
We’re going to be taking a look at our top three tips for homeowners when it comes to actioning those works that are well placed to complete in the summer months.
GUTTERS
Clearing gutters is a sure way to ensure that your property’s rainwater management system is fully operational.
Arranging for a roofer to visit your property and clear gutters will ensure that when the wetter parts of the year come around, gutters will be free from detritus and blockage.
Leaving this in situ can often mean blockages, gutter over spills and resultant internal damp penetration and property damage can occur.
It’s also worth noting that roofers are particularly difficult to get hold of in the wetter months of the year, as this tends to be the busiest period for emergency repairs for homeowners.
FENCES
Fences will commonly suffer dilapidation, damage and lean during their lifespan. This can be caused by vegetation, damage from pets, other animals, or people.
Attending to these in the summer hotter months will ensure you are better placed to find a contractor who can complete the works with minimal mess and nuisance.
It’s important to note that replacing garden fences can be a costly exercise and can also have the unplanned outcome of causing neighbourly disputes.
Before any work to fences takes place, we would advise that you carefully check the land registry title deed and plan to ascertain if there are any “I” or “T” marks present which confirm boundary ownership or maintenance liability.
Equally the wording of the title deed should be checked to confirm if there is any reference to boundary ownership or maintenance liability.
It is not uncommon for boundary ownership or maintenance liability to be mute within the respective title plan and deed. If this is the case, it will very much be a neighbourly matter to determine though discussion.
Boundary disputes can be a highly volatile dispute to be a party to. Emotions are often at their highest point and the smallest of trespass can cause the highest of tensions.
We would advise that careful discussions are had with your neighbours to ensure that they are well abreast of the planned fencing repairs or replacements.
BRICKWORK POINTING
Properties that are built of brick, will all have one characteristic in common, pointing.
Pointing is the bead of mortar that sits between each respective brick.
Overtime, rainwater will penetrate the pointing causing it to erode and pop or pull away from the brickwork.
Another common cause of pointing popping or pulling away from the brickwork is the natural and normal seasonal movement that properties go through as the soil expands and contracts in wet and dry weather conditions.
Rectifying missing pointing can be done by cutting or raking out the blown or missing pointing, wire brushing the newly exposed surface and then refilling with a neat bead of mortar.
We would advise that the repointing is done with a lime mortar mix as this not only comes in a range of colours and mixes allowing you to match it to the pointing of the property. The lime mortar mix also offers far better longevity of life as it is more flexible than cement mortar mixes, this means it will not pop or pull away as quickly.
Any repointing that is done should match the existing pointing type or finish to the existing property, therefore when instructing a contractor to complete this work it is advisable to ensure this forms part of their work brief.
This will need to be done in the dryer months of the year to ensure that both rainwater and colder weather do not interfere with the repairs.
Property defects can be a worrying time for any homeowner, with the cost of remedy often being high.
We would always advise taking the necessary professional input from surveyors, contractors or property professionals to ensure your well abreast of what needs to be done to correctly solve the issue.
If you have a property defect you would like to solve, we are very welcome to offer callers 30 minutes advice with one of our qualified surveyors. – Feel free to reach out to us today!
