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Have you made these essential home maintenance checks?

Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Christina Hoghton
Posted:
Updated:
21/06/2018

A homeowner’s guide to maintaining your property all year round

UK households spend an average £44bn a year on essential repairs and almost a quarter of Brits consider maintaining a property regularly to be the best way to increase its value.

But it’s hard to know what to do when, and easy to overlook some essential checks.

In fact, six in 10 Brits admit that there are things in their homes that need repairing, from broken radiators and toilets to faulty sockets, light fittings and wiring.

Roofing specialist Roof Stores has put together a handy guide to help homeowners stay on top of maintenance and nip repairs in the bud before they turn into bigger problems.

It details some of the essential checks around the home, as well as suggesting the best time of year to address any problems that may arise.

Spring checks

Spring is the time of year to check your home following the colder months. This means looking for issues that may have been caused during winter such as cracks in your exterior walls and also getting on with tasks like cleaning the decking as the weather begins to improve.

Inside the home, it’s best to perform thorough checks for damp penetration, loft integrity and whether your pipes have developed any leaks.

Below is the average cost for the larger jobs:

Exterior paintwork: £850-£1100 for materials and labour
Plumber call-out: £20-£40 per hour
Damp proofing: £200+ per wall

Summer essentials

With summer comes warmer weather (if you’re lucky!) which means it’s time to address problems that can only be solved when there’s little to no chance of rain such as roofing repairs and repointing.

This is the best time to keep any encroaching plant-life such as ivy or trees on your property in check to ensure they don’t get out of hand and cause structural damage.

It’s also crucial to keep your home well-ventilated and use this time to check for any pests such as wasps which build nests in loft spaces and cracks.

The average cost for the larger jobs:

Boiler service: £60-£100 per call out
Repointing: £20-£30 per sqm
Pest control: £55 per nest
Retiling: £300 per day

Autumn jobs

With autumn comes the inevitable falling leaves which should be cleared frequently to ensure they don’t cause blockages to your drains.

These months are also the best time to ensure your outside pipes and taps are properly insulated and switched off at the isolator valve to prevent issues caused by freezing temperatures.

The main thing to take care of internally in the autumn is your loft insulation. Make sure that it’s at least 270mm deep to comply with building regulations. This will ensure your home remains warm into the winter. Here is the average cost for the larger jobs:

Pipe insulation: £20 per pipe jacket
Drain cleaning: £100 per hour
Loft insulation: £300 installation fee

Winter warnings

During winter there isn’t much you can achieve externally due to weather conditions. It’s important to monitor vulnerable areas of your home such as places water can pool, freeze and potentially cause cracks.

Internally, check pipes and place moisture traps to get rid of the worst of the damp. Also, although it might make your house a bit chilly, it’s important to ensure you’re ventilating rooms with a higher risk of damp as this can accelerate in colder, wetter weather.

Here is the average cost for the larger jobs:

Extractor fan: £200 for parts and labour
Tree surgeon: Upwards of £250 depending on tree type
Plumber call-out: £20-£40 per hour