Maintenance – a subject close to a Conservation Architects heart! For anyone who owns or manages a historic property, maintenance is a hot topic. All properties come with a certain level of upkeep, but historic properties by definition have a longer history of wear and tear. Not all ‘seasoning’ is bad – the beautiful patina of mellowed copper just one example of how age can bring beauty – but ongoing exposure to the elements inevitably results in deterioration of a building’s fabric.
Ongoing inspection and maintenance of a property is essential to prevent small issues progressing to big costly problems. This is why The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) run an annual maintenance week every November in which they promote the virtues of doing a quick check over a property to ensure it is ready to face the winter months.
Preventing water ingress and damp into buildings is the focus of the campaign, so they encourage home owners and property managers to check for missing roof slates/tiles, blocked gutters, leaking downpipes and unwanted vegetation amongst other things.
We, at Jonathan Rhind Architects, couldn’t agree more!
The case studies below are some examples of how maintaining / improving the flow of water off a building is so important and can be achieved effectively.