Jobs for the summer

The most un-British weather we have had so far this summer means that the long days are ideal for planning maintenance tasks that are harder to undertake in more inclement conditions. The most obvious of these are outdoors, but anything that involves exposing your building to the elements is worth considering.

The first task will be grounds maintenance, with grass needing to be cut regularly and other planting having to be weeded and tidied to keep it looking pristine. It is worth noting that any work on trees is best carried out towards the end of the summer so that the tree has the chance to recover from surgery before the winter, and any dead branches are safely dealt with before wind and rain arrive in the Autumn. Ponds and other water features will need to be inspected and cleaned to prevent the growth of pond algae and blanket weed. Local summer conditions and regulations will dictate how much watering is required or possible and your grounds maintenance provider will need to keep informed of hosepipe bans or other restrictions.

Moving onto your buildings we have discussed in previous blogs that the summer is the best time to look at roof repairs or replacement. While it may seem odd to consider extra insulation in the warm weather, it is however the best time to do this so that you can be sure that the work does not cause condensation rotting the timber. Window repair and replacement, we have also covered before and again the best time to carry out work on these is during the summer when the impact of having the building open to the weather is less.

An area we have not covered before is painting rendering or other exterior coatings. Having a planned schedule of maintenance for exterior works of this sort will mean that any problems are caught early, and your building remains in good, presentable condition. If you have a particular colour scheme or a change to the exterior in mind, then you may need to investigate what planning rules govern your building or locality. When choosing a contractor for your work in this area it is important to make sure they have experience of similar work. A painter who has only worked on small houses will be unlikely to be able to do a good job on a larger commercial project being unused to working at height or dealing with the cladding or other external surfaces commonly found on these buildings.

The last point to consider with any work is of course the disruption to businesses and residents caused by any work being carried out, and with people away on holiday during the summer, working now may reduce this. If you would like to discuss any aspect of your summer works plans, please give us a call.

Categorised in: Maintenance contracts, Property maintenance

This post was written by Express Property Services