Interesting article in the weekend paper... "Water Damage A Costly Maintenance Nightmare" by the Archicentre.
Over the years we have seen quite a lot of significant damage, simply due to water...
- Fully collapsed ceilings onto carpet and furniture.
- Constant water ingress at door frames; saturating carpet, skirting boards and walls.
- Significant mould causing health hazards.
And often insurance WON'T cover the cost of this damage, if it is found to be due to lack of maintenance.
So here's a few tips to help you avoid this type of damage:
If buying or building:
- Balconies: Make sure the design drawings show drainage for the balcony and away from the door. Also make sure there is a level difference from the balcony up to the doorway to ensure any water build-up isn't against the door-frame and won't flow back inside. (Seems obvious, yet this is an issue that is common and a big problem).
- Balconies: If there is an internal room below, ensure the balcony is properly drained and water-proofed. Ensure the grout between the tiles is well maintained and sealed.
- Patios: If you are installing a new patio adjacent to your home and if the sheeting will flow additional water back towards the house, then ensure the gutter is changed to a box gutter and that additional downpipes and soakwells are installed to manage the additional water.
Established home:
- Get your gutters and valleys cleaned regularly. The frequency required will depend on the number and size of nearby trees and wind blown debris. Most homes annually is fine. If there are a lot of trees nearby, twice per year may be required.
- Consider the installation of gutter guards if you have a lot of nearby trees.
- Inspect your roof annually and carry out minor maintenance to the roof including tile repairs/replacements, pointing, sealing around flues and other items. Or engage an experienced roof repairer.
- Ensure you have enough downpipes, pop-spouts, soakwells and over-flow paths to manage the water adequately.
If you need any assistance with managing water and roof maintenance, roof repairs is one of our key services and our team would love to help you.
