Like car, our house also needs regular maintenance, as it depreciates due to changing weather conditions and age. Frequent inspection and repair however can help increase the life-span of your home by 5-6 years, plus it keeps the overall expenditure low.
Here are few basic tips and advices to maintain your house:
M. Rahamn Baig, principal architect, Evolve Architecture Studio avers, “Always allow enough light and ventilation in each room, to avoid growth of fungi, dampness and dust. Regular good quality painting is a must. While doing so, try using washable paints for easy maintenance. One must avoid water stagnation under sinks, utility areas and toilets.”
“Frequent maintenance regime is a must for every home. Right from wet mopping the tile/granite/marble flooring to dry mopping the wooden flooring, mild acid/detergent cleaning for all toilet surfaces and ceramic surfaces, dusting of all window and door surfaces, etc. helps increase the life span of any home,” says Bhuvan Ashish, principal architect, IdeinLab Architects.
“Immediately fix wall dampness, leakages from walls or plumbing lines, delay will cause more damage. Items such as taps and faucets, kitchen cabinets and hardware, bathroom tiles, terrace finishes, external wall paints, etc. must be regularly checked for any wear and tear,” adds Baig.
In case you have been living in your home for over 10 years or more, it may require special and immediate action:
Ashish says, “10 years is a long time, and many materials and products installed in the first place should be replaced with better and long lasting ones. In case of wooden doors and windows, they must be checked for termite attacks, and in case of infections, must be attended to by professionals. In worst cases, these could be replaced with UPVC frames, which are eco-friendly, long lasting and cost effective than solid wood doors and frames.
Baig advices, “Replace the plumbing fixtures as they must have worn out by now, check your terrace for re-waterproofing (if required), In case of an individual house, redo the plinth protection concrete bed in the exterior. And also, re-fix your skylights.
What if your house is close to sea?
In such a case, completely avoid the use of steel in facade elements as it will corrode faster. Instead these external facades can be clad with natural stones like laterite, granite, limestone which will serve dual purpose of minimising heat and also reducing facade maintenance. Use antirust coats for gates and railings. If you are constructing try using natural stone as building material and if design permits have a central courtyard for better cross ventilation, which will in-turn keep the home dry and moist free.
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