Summer house and bach maintenance
10 jobs you'd rather not do this summer, (but probably should)!
Job 1: Check the paintwork for signs of deterioration, especially north-facing exposed window frames, doors and sills, which are usually the first areas to decay. Crazing, cracking, blistering and fading are signs of paint break-down. The earlier it is dealt with, the easier your job will be. Check out Resene's tips on preparing your home for re-painting.
Job 2: Check the cladding. If your home or bach is clad in weatherboards, check for splitting, loose boards, and rot. If clad in panel products check for cracked or damaged panels. This may be a good time to consider re-cladding – especially if you are looking for low-maintenance solutions for baches and beach houses. Find out more about re-cladding with Linea.
Job 3: Wash the exterior of the house. Sand, salt, and grime are a fact of life at the beach, but regularly washing down your beach house will certainly slow the process of deterioration and corrosion – particularly of roofing, spouting and aluminium joinery. Low pressure washing using a mild detergent will clean without damaging the paint surfaces.
Job 4: Check the decks.
- Check the decking carefully for any signs of rot. Replace any decking that shows signs of wear and tear, splitting or decay.
- Check for popped nails and screws, hammer or screw them back in.
- Waterblast or use chemical cleaner to lift mould and dirt. Make sure you test the strength of the water pressure on a small area first to make sure that it doesn't cause splintering.
- Check structural supports for any signs of rot or damage. Check railings around the deck to make sure they are secure.
- Reseal or restain your deck if necessary.
Haven't got a deck? Need to give your tired, weather-beaten deck a face lift? Check out our summer living feature: Hit the Decks!
Job 5: Check roof and gutters. Finding little problems before they become big problems next winter is a good idea. The first step is to clear your roof of debris. Sweep the roof off with a long-handled broom and get rid of any vegetation, especially creepers which can grow in under the roofing and cause problems.
Check iron roofing for rust. Brush away surface rust with a wire brush. If it is only superficial you can treat it by painting with a rust inhibitor. Where rust has progressed further you may need to patch with aluminium backed flashing tape, or replace the whole sheet of iron. Check that iron or tiles are secure, refix anything that is loose.
Check gutters and downpipes and clear any blockages or growth. If water supply is collected on roof, take particular note of the state of pipes to water holding tank.
Job 6: Cut back any trees that are rubbing up against the house. This can cause serious damage to guttering and cladding.
Job 7: Have the chimney cleaned. It makes sense to do this now so that you are set for the next winter.
Job 8: Check security of doors and windows.
Job 9: Test smoke alarms – replace batteries if necessary.
Job 10: Fix dripping taps.
