29 Jan Top Construction Resolutions for Homeowners: Securing Your Property for the Year Ahead
Did you make New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of January? Hopefully they’re going well, but along with eating more healthily and going to the gym more, did you also include construction resolutions for your home?
Some requirements have always been crucial for securing your property, while others have become more important due to changing circumstances. Here are five suggestions for late New Year’s resolutions you might make for your property.
Check Your Property’s Structure Regularly
It’s vital to maintain your property’s structural integrity so that it can continue doing its job of protecting and nurturing you. Unfortunately, issues can arise and quickly become serious, increasing the time and cost of the work needed to fix them.
You can avoid this by getting into the habit of regularly inspecting the structure of your home. This will allow you to identify issues like crumbling mortar, cracked brickwork and signs of damp. You can also pick out early signs of subsidence, such as window and door frames pulling away from the masonry.
Prepare Your Home for Climate Change
No one can have missed that the UK’s weather is becoming more extreme, ranging from storms to heatwaves. Besides regular inspections, especially after storms, improving the drainage and installing permeable paving around the house can go a long way to reducing the risk of flooding.
Changes in the weather, as well as the soaring costs of energy, also make it vital to ensure your home’s insulation is working efficiently. This includes not only roof insulation, but also protection for cavity walls.
Don’t Forget External Structures
Most people concentrate on the main building, which is reasonable enough, but your property may also include outbuildings and boundary structures, and these also need attention. Besides ensuring that they’re adequate for the new climate normals, this can also help define the extent of your property and increase the kerb appeal.
Inspect walls, fences and gates regularly along with the main building, as well as any sheds or other outbuildings. It may make sense to upgrade them to more robust materials such as treated timber, metal railings, or masonry walls.
Plan Construction Work in Line with UK Regulations
There are many rules that must be followed for any construction work, which may range from planning permission to Building Regulations, and failure to comply with these can be costly. The best way to ensure this is to choose a contractor with an excellent track record of delivering the type of job you need to high levels of satisfaction. Whether you’re looking for maintenance, larger jobs or piling contractors in London, the surrounding areas or South East England, give U&M a call to discuss your needs.