General home maintenance items left unattended may over time cost significant sums of money to repair e.g. an external tap constantly leaking may eventually cause foundation movement and damage to a building and/or attract termites.
It is important to understand that defects caused by lack of owner maintenance can have serious impact on a building. Your contractor is not responsible for fixing defects caused by lack of owner care.
Maintaining your Home
Lack of home maintenance can cause serious problems. Click here to access information about:
Roof leaks
Termites
Buying a new house
Looking after your existing home
Wooden deck finishes
Subsidence
Footings and Slab
Things to be aware of:
All buildings move - bricks expand and timber and plaster shrink
Some minor cracking and movement may occur in a significant portion of buildings (particularly those on reactive clay) and you should be prepared to repair minor cracking as part of normal building maintenance
Foundations
All soils are affected by water but most problems arise on clay foundations. Changes to moisture content can cause soils to shrink and swell. You should try to maintain stable moisture conditions post construction giving attention to:
Drainage - water should not pond or pool against, under or near the building
Garden beds - must not be located adjacent to a building and over-watering of gardens close to a building should be avoided
Trees and shrubs - should not be planted near a building as this may promote moisture changes. Removal of existing trees or shrubs may cause similar problems
Leaks - in water supply, sewerage, stormwater pipes and plumbing should be repaired promptly
Hot Water System Overflows
The valve prevents a build up of pressure in the storage tank. There should only be an intermittent overflow which should discharge into a drainpipe. Hot water tanks and their supports should be located a minimum of 25mm away from a building to allow clear and uninterrupted visual inspection for termite activity.
It is recommended that you obtain a copy of the hot water tank manufacturers written instructions and implement any recommended maintenance procedures.
Signs of abnormal function of the overflow valve:
Water constantly dripping from the valve
Ground around system permanently wet
System refilling too frequently
Potential consequences can include foundation movement and/or building damage and termite attack. Any heated water service system showing signs of abnormal behaviour should be serviced or repaired by a licensed plumber.
Gardens
Gardens can have adverse effects on the foundations of a building causing movement, building damage and provide access for termites if placed too close to the house. You should avoid overwatering any garden beds.
Where landscaping work is to be carried out you should seek advice from a competent person experienced in termite control to ensure:
That any barriers are not bridged or breached
That appropriate termite management procedures are in place
