What Are the Levels of Building Maintenance?

Whether it is your work field, a landscaping project or one's health, there is one commonality-the need for maintenance. Yes, one may be at the top of their field, have a beautiful yard or be in great shape, but without maintenance, these attributes will eventually fade. When it comes to buildings, it is no different.

A building might have been built with top of the line materials, but if no one takes the time for basic building maintenance and care, the structure will no longer be beautiful or safe. Simply put, diligent building maintenance is a must! But what, exactly does this involve? By definition, one could say that good building maintenance is the routine, non-destructive actions taken to slow down the aging of a structure; it may involve minor repairs, refinishing and replacement of any damaged parts.

Building maintenance has been divided into three basic categories- corrective, planned and emergency. If the first two are done, many times the third category can be avoided. To have an effective maintenance routine, it is helpful to understand each of these approaches.

Corrective building maintenance is the work that must be done (especially if one is dealing with an older home or building) to bring the structure to an acceptable standard of occupancy. These requirements can vary by the building and any local ordinances that must be observed.

Planned building maintenance is when one makes a close inspection of a building and notes any updates that need to be done, determines the order of importance and then puts the plan in place to get any work done. These jobs may include simple things like keeping the gutters clean to larger jobs like replacing weak flooring or old shingles. However, not doing these jobs can lead to the next category of maintenance!

Emergency building maintenance, like the name implies is the unexpected problems like plumbing or electrical issues, broken windows, rotten flooring and other jobs that need to be dealt with sooner rather than later. These are jobs that, if not addressed promptly, can cause one a great of inconvenience as well as time and money.

If you are not sure how to determine where a maintenance need might rank, then consider calling a professional builder or inspector. A qualified building inspector or someone who specializes in building maintenance will have the knowledge necessary to help you create a list of needs and develop a plan of action for keeping a home or building to the standard it needs.