Maintenance of traditional buildings

From the HES website:

Overview | Maintenance plan | Types of maintenance | Inspection tips |Maintenance and saving energy

Maintenance plan

Inspection tips

Using a checklist helps you to tackle the inspection in a structured way. The larger and more complex a property, the longer the inspection checklist will be.

Find a template inspection cycles and common maintenance actions checklist in our Short Guide 9: Maintaining your home.

You can use binoculars from the ground for a basic check of higher areas. A ladder allowsfor closer inspection of roofs and chimneys. But we recommend that you have a professional building surveyor or tradesperson carry out this part of the work.

You may prefer to employ a professional to conduct the full inspection. A growing number of general building and roofing contractors offer an annual inspection and maintenance service.

During the inspection:

  • follow all relevant health and safety guidance
  • avoid damage to vulnerable features like slate verges, rhones, downpipes and stone features
  • avoid walking directly on slated or tiled roof surfaces

Take precautions if inspection or maintenance work might disturb or expose hazardous materials. If you think your property contains potentially harmful materials such as asbestos, don’t do any work that could disturb or release the material, and get advice from a suitably trained or qualified professional.