Looking Ahead: Planned Maintenance, Roof Refurbishments and Preparing for Autumn

The summer months have been busy at Navah Consulting, with a varied mix of surveying, valuation and project work across the region. A recurring theme in some of our recent instructions has been the importance of looking beyond immediate repairs and considering how buildings should be maintained over the longer term.

Repair, maintain or refurbish?

One recent project involved advising on the future maintenance strategy for a substantial building where the roof coverings are approaching the stage at which increasingly significant expenditure will be required.

As part of our advice, we considered the balance between ongoing planned preventative maintenance and a more comprehensive programme of refurbishment.

Of particular importance was the presence of asbestos-containing materials within the existing roof construction. Rather than continuing to invest heavily in maintaining an ageing covering, consideration was given to removing the existing materials and recovering the roof using a suitable modern, non-asbestos alternative.

Associated parapet and high-level detailing would also be addressed as part of the works.

While comprehensive refurbishment inevitably represents a greater initial investment, this needs to be considered against the anticipated long-term use of the building. Where an owner intends to retain a property for many years, a properly planned refurbishment can provide greater certainty over future maintenance expenditure and reduce the likelihood of repeated reactive repairs.

This is where a planned preventative maintenance strategy can be particularly useful. It allows building owners to understand what needs attention now, what can reasonably be deferred and where larger capital expenditure should be planned for.

Understanding traditional thatched roofing

At the other end of the roofing spectrum, members of the Navah Consulting team recently had the opportunity to visit a specialist thatching project in North Essex.

The visit provided a useful opportunity to better understand the practicalities of maintaining and repairing traditional thatched roofs.

Unlike many conventional roof coverings, deterioration does not necessarily mean that the entire roof requires immediate replacement. Localised areas can often be repaired or re-thatched, while the ridge will typically have a different maintenance cycle to the main body of the roof.

We were also able to discuss the different materials available, including locally sourced and imported materials, their expected longevity and the various approaches to eventual recovering and re-thatching.

For surveyors inspecting older and more unusual buildings, understanding the practicalities behind these specialist trades is invaluable. It helps us provide clients with advice that reflects not only what we can see during an inspection, but also how repairs are actually undertaken and how buildings are likely to perform over the years ahead.

Looking towards autumn

As we move through the latter part of the summer and towards autumn, changing weather conditions also tend to expose defects that may have been less apparent during prolonged dry periods.

Heavier and more frequent rainfall can highlight issues with roof coverings, flashings, gutters, drainage and external ground conditions. Properties that have appeared relatively trouble-free during the summer can begin to show evidence of water ingress, overflowing rainwater goods or increased internal moisture.

It is therefore a useful time for property owners to review maintenance requirements before the wetter months become established.

Elsewhere at Navah Consulting

Alongside project and maintenance advice, the team continues to undertake a broad range of residential and commercial surveying work across Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, London and the surrounding areas.

Recent instructions have included RICS Home Surveys, Red Book Valuations, defect investigations, planned maintenance advice and project-related work.

The variety is one of the more interesting parts of what we do. One day can involve assessing the future refurbishment strategy for a large roof, while another involves understanding the traditional materials and techniques used to maintain a thatched building.

In both cases, the objective is much the same: understand the building, consider how it will be used and provide practical advice that helps the client make an informed decision.

About Navah Consulting Ltd

Navah Consulting is a firm of Chartered Building Surveyors and Valuers that specialises in surveying services throughout Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, London, and Suffolk. 

We offer a full range of surveys and valuations, including the RICS Home Survey Level 2 (Home Buyer Report) and RICS Home Survey Level 3 (Building Survey). We’re also happy to advise on RICS Valuation, Reinstatement Cost Assessments and Defect Analysis for a range of purposes.

Our Contract Administration services help ensure your project is managed effectively from start to finish. 

Navah Consulting aims to provide all services in a straightforward, efficient and client-focused manner. We understand the importance of providing reports and services in a concise, jargon-free format, in a quick time frame. Check out our reviews page here. 

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