PLANNING AND SCHEDULING MAINTENANCE FOR YOUR OLDER HOME
By John Leeke
Do you feel overwhelmed when faced with caring for your older house? A common reaction is to do what you can to make the place look good and hope for the best.
Often the need to get serious about maintenance is recognized only after disaster strikes. Many times I've been called to a house when owners wake up in the morning to find their gutters and cornices laying in a decayed heap on the lawn. Decades of ignored maintenance finally claims their undivided attention. After dealing with the emergency they realize there is a huge backlog of other maintenance to be done: peeling paint, stuck windows, a broken screen door to fix, and on and on.
If this sounds all too familiar, and you wonder if you can give your building the care it deserves with your limited resources, step back and take a deep breath. It is time to establish a maintenance program. A maintenance program enables you to develop a plan that gives you a fresh perspective and the confidence you need not only to put your building back in shape but to keep it that way.
Case in Point
The gutter and cornice disaster mentioned earlier caught the owners completely by surprise. They knew this would require a major project just to recover from the damage. After a little soul-searching they realized they hadn't even considered cleaning out the gutters and that there could be other hidden problems lurking in the building. At a loss for where to begin they called me in for help.
I surveyed their entire property, noting conditions and causes. Then we sat down to review my findings. Besides the obvious damage to the cornice I found a few other important problems caused by several decades of deferred maintenance and a whole laundry list of minor items. The problem areas included decayed and unsafe front porch steps, a broken back screen door, all of the exterior paint which was peeling due to heavy paint buildup and the windows, a few were in sad shape and many more didn't work right.
Over the next few weeks we planned several corrective maintenance projects to bring these areas back up to a condition that would be easier and less costly to maintain. I showed them how to lay each project out on a Maintenance Plan that scheduled each project and its cost over the next several years. The cornice project was fit into the overall maintenance plan as well.
Referring to the comprehensive survey we set up a plan that projected maintenance a few years ahead so the owners could easily see their cornice project in a wider context. It was not the most urgent, nor the most costly, maintenance they had to face. Anyone could be seriously injured on the front steps so that claimed a higher priority. Dealing with the the exterior paint problem would be a far more significant expense since it affected the entire exterior.
The laundry list of minor items was taken care of by scheduling preventive maintenance tasks such as gutter cleaning, spot paint repairs, housekeeping, roof repairs, and minor door and window work. This would keep the rest of the building in good condition. It took some serious thought and financial juggling but they worked out a maintenance program that was consistent with their families' housing needs and respectful of their financial means.
Now the owners perform their own yearly assessment of conditions late in the fall, walking around the building making a list of conditions that require attention. During the winter they review the program and adjust the plan to meet changing conditions. Every two or three years they call me back for an objective review their plans and to help them investigate trouble spots and develop treatments for specific problems. Each year they follow through with maintenance work in the spring and early summer. Year by year, project by project, and task by task the owners have executed their plan.
These owners like to sit back and enjoy their home during the late summer and autumn when all of the hands-on maintenance work is done. They reflect on their hard work to see how they have done. Since the "year of enlightenment" when the cornice fell off, the owners have felt less overwhelmed by their building and more in control. The condition of their home has gradually improved. They are spending less time and money on maintenance. After just a few years of effective maintenance their house is returning them the favor by providing them with a place they can lead happy and productive lives.
Read on to learn how you can regain control of maintenance at your home.
The following article is an excerpt from the Practical Restoration Report(tm), Managing Maintenance. (44 pages, $14.95, call 207 324-9597)
DETERIORATION AND RENEWAL
All building materials deteriorate. Some, like exterior paint or wood, can degrade within a few years, and others, like masonry, do so over decades and centuries.
As a building's parts wear out they need to be renewed. It is common knowledge that painted wood exteriors need to be painted again and again. The paint weathers or peels away and must be renewed. This is the cycle of deterioration and renewal that applies to the maintenance of all building materials. Maintenance is a continuing process, not a one-time task that can be done and forgotten about.
When parts are damaged they can be repaired or replaced. The wood gutter that fell off the house could be fixed and put back up, or replaced with an aluminum gutter. Either approach would put the drainage system back in order.
There are two basic reasons for maintaining parts rather than replacing them. One is very practical and the other is philosophical. Rarely in life does there exist such a convenient marriage between the two. Roger Reed of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission summed them up nicely:
"The practical reason is that maintenance is more efficient. It saves money, time and effort by limiting the need for future expensive work. It is less costly and more efficient to fix a window than it is to wait for it to become so deteriorated that wholesale replacement is needed. Moreover, replacement material is often inferior to the original. For example, modern fast-growth wood is generally inferior to the old slow-growth wood used in old buildings. Maintaining the original wood makes sense because it is less prone to deterioration.
The philosophical reason is that historic buildings are an important part of our heritage. Frequently, our homes and institutional buildings such as churches are the most powerful ties we have to our own past. They are historic only insofar as the materials they are made of are old. That is what distinguishes an historic building from a replica and why we maintain and preserve the historic fabric of a building for future generations. Maintaining the original parts preserves the building's historic integrity".
Maintenance Program
A program is a listing of activities. A maintenance program controls how often the maintenance cycle repeats. It defines, prioritizes and schedules all maintenance activities for a building. By specifying in some detail, where, when and what maintenance activities will take place you control and limit deterioration.
You may think, "I can't be bothered with something as formal and organized as a maintenance program. After all, the time could be better spent actually working on the building." In fact, every building already has a maintenance program. You just have to come to terms with what kind of program controls the maintenance on your building.
Most single family residences are managed with nominal or unfocused programs. Take a look at these three types to see where yours fits in.
Common Types of Maintenance Programs: The Nominal Program
Little is done until there is a major change in use, ownership, or condition. Someone buys the house, remodels it, and sells it. If a section of gutter falls off, all the gutters are removed. If the window shutters need painting they are simply removed and hauled to the dump.
Maintenance Program: Highly Reactive.
Result: A property that doesn't really serve the needs of its users very well and is gradually getting used up.
Preservation: None. If the value of the property falls below the cost of a new building, economics might dictate tearing down and replaced the building.
Common Types of Maintenance Programs: The Unfocused Program
Frequently includes very active housekeeping, lawn care and painting. This can be good, but often more serious problems are glossed over. There is enough money, time and motivation to do maintenance, but, a lack of detailed knowledge about old buildings and why they are important. Exactly what maintenance is needed may not be clear.
Maintenance Program: Reactive and Corrective.
Result: A house that looks good, but has occasional problems that range from minor to extensive and expensive. When gutters fall off, they're replaced. Most maintenance beyond lawn care and painting is corrective.
Preservation: In correcting major problems by replacement important historic details are lost.
Common Types of Maintenance Programs: The Efficient Program
Someone who knows about buildings is in charge. Maintenance is an ongoing activity. Corrective maintenance projects have improved the building to good condition. Preventive maintenance is beginning to be used.
Maintenance Program: Pro-active and Preventive.
Result: A building in good condition that serves the needs of its occupants at a reasonable cost.
Preservation: Loss of important historic fabric is reduced to a minimum.
In the cornice example considered here the maintenance program was unfocused and reactive. Everything was thought to be in good shape until disaster struck.
Managing Maintenance
A comprehensive systematic approach to managing your building can assure attention to even the smallest detail. That may seem daunting at first, but don't worry. You don't have to think of or do everything at once. In fact, the three main tactics used in a maintenance program are (1) to divide the difficult into smaller, understandable, easy to do parts, and (2) to combine or spread those parts out, making them easier to do, and (3) take action.
Remember, it is possible to develop a program consistent with your building's needs that is respectful of your limited time and money. Limited funds is no reason not to do maintenance programming, since it saves money in the long run.
The main principle behind maintenance programing is to control what happens to your building rather than just reacting to its deterioration. One technique is to notice the building's subtle conditions and then to take appropriate action. Consider the gutter case mentioned above. Years before the cornice was decayed, peeling paint on the gutter indicated there was excessive moisture in the wood. The peeling paint got worse and worse. Finally it was scraped and painted. Repainting was just a reaction to the symptom. A more appropriate treatment would have dealt with the fundamental cause by cleaning out the gutter and cutting back tree branches above.
Of course it's easy to keep a single gutter in working order. But with the rest of the gutters, dozens of doors and windows, and two acres of lawn mowing, those gutters are easily forgotten.
If you deal with maintenance problems as they occur it is easy to get lost in a maze of disparate activities. Practically all management activities fit neatly into four categories: assessment, planning, maintaining, and evaluation. You can ease the job of managing maintenance by combining similar activities into these categories and doing each type of activity all at once. Synchronize these activities into the maintenance cycle to improve your efficiency. For example, assess all conditions late in the fall, plan all work during the winter, maintain the building during the spring and summer, evaluate the results early in the fall. After you go through the cycle a few time there will be far fewer emergencies to break up this efficient routine.
Assessment: Conditions and Causes
The purpose of assessment is to get an overall and accurate view of the entire property. This will help you set the goals and objectives you need to fulfill your needs.
Begin with a complete inspection that will give detailed critical review of all parts of the building and grounds. This must be done by one who has a broad and detailed knowledge of the building trades, both past and present. An understanding of how the building was meant to work when it was built and a knowledge of modern technologies are necessary to accurately determine conditions.
You might need an advisor to do this. If you do it yourself your familiarity with your own home and your feelings toward it will cloud your vision. Following are a few techniques to give you a new perspective to see your building with fresh eyes.
Do the inspection right after you return from a long trip.
Cut a rectangle in a 9" x 12" piece of cardboard. Hold it at arms length and view the building through this frame. This isolates the building or parts you are looking at from their surroundings.
Look at the building through a mirror, over your shoulder.
Take notes and make sketches. Recording conditions in writing forces you to clarify your findings and thoughts.
Conditions and Causes
When you find poor conditions determine the fundamental cause. Ask the five "W" questions (who, what, where, when, and why) more than five times. Begin with the obvious and let the questions lead you to the unknown.
Why did the cornice fall off? It was weak and the ice pulled it down.
Why was it weak? Excessive moisture and decay caused the weakness.
Where was the moisture? It was found in the cornice and the gutter.
Why was moisture in the gutter? Debris buildup trapped it there.
Where did the debris come from? Trees overhanging the roof.
So, debris buildup is the cause. A corrective treatment to rebuild the cornice and a preventive treatment to clean the gutters regularly should take care of it.
But that was only five "W's." If you ask a few more questions you will see you have not found the fundamental cause.
What other moisture problems are there? Just inside the cornice, water condensed on the inside of the bathroom walls due to heat loss.
Why was there so much ice buildup? The lack of insulation let heat rise to the roof, melting the snow, and forming an ice dam.
Without these additional facts the problem would have cropped up again because a fundamental cause, heat loss, was left untreated. A more effective treatment would control the heat loss with insulation, and the moisture with vapor retarders, and ventilation of the cornice. Be certain you find the most basic fundamental cause for poor conditions or you will only be treating the symptoms.
It is important to separate determining conditions from developing treatments.
It is tempting and common to look at an obviously damaged cornice and specify a treatment, without determining the cause. The danger is in treating single symptoms such as a decayed hole in the gutter rather than an underlying cause such as an overhanging tree that drops leaves in the gutter or lack of regular cleaning. Standard treatments that come to mind quickly may not be adequate and can even cause harm such as treating wooden gutters with tar.
Planning: Treatments and Projects
In planning you determine what needs to be done, when to do it, who will do it, and how much it will cost. Planning ahead gives you the lead time necessary to deal with the unusual situations so often encountered working on historic buildings.
In developing a treatment for a specific condition be sure to address all of the causes. Combine treatments in projects.
Plans for dealing with the cornice damage include three main steps: closing the hole, repairing the damage and preventing future damage. Closing the hole left up on the wall should be done right away to prevent further damage. This is all that has to be done on an emergency basis. Rushing into a complete repair without a chance to plan could result in ineffective work.
Repairing damage to the cornice and gutter includes materials and methods that will be long lasting. Stainless steel screws resist corrosion and backpriming the wood helps prevent decay and warping. Insulation and a vapor retarder eliminates one of the contributing causes of the damage. Adding regular gutter cleaning to the preventive maintenance schedule helps assure the damage will not recur.
Maintaining: Progress and Responsibility
Once maintenance is underway there must be one person responsible for keeping the maintenance cycle rolling and on track. Programs where responsibility is shared never truly pull out of the reactive rut. This includes sharing with someone as close as a spouse, or as distant as an impersonal corporation.
In my own family we struggled for years to improve and maintain our house. We tried to keep things rolling, but, for many reasons (some practical and others psychological), we lived with peeling paint outside and exposed insulation inside for over a decade. Then we decided my wife would be the manager and I would be the worker. By focusing responsibilities the situation improved overnight.
Many homeowners find it difficult to make the choices that lead to efficient maintenance. The building products industry stands ready to choose for you. Seasonal advertising campaigns prompt, cajole and sometimes trick homeowners into maintaining their buildings. At times this coincides with the needs of an old building and sometimes not. Siding and replacement window manufacturers and installers are notorious for creating markets and sales where none are needed. Too often, the products and services the industry wants to sell can damage the fabric and character of historic buildings.
Base maintenance on the needs of your family and the building, not on the needs of some profit-motivated business. Of course, you may still use those building product suppliers and installers, but use them on your own terms.
In every case where I have seen gutters falling off buildings there was either no one assuming responsibility for maintenance or there were too many trying to share responsibility.
Evaluating: Quality and Value
The last step in the cycle is to consider the quality, value and success of the maintenance done. The results can be used to improve the program. For example, if you find evidence that a specific paint is peeling after just two years, or galvanized flashing is just as effective as lead-coated copper, it will influence how you do the same work the next time around. This feedback is important because it completes the cycle of maintenance activities, giving the next cycle some solid information and results on which to build.
Why would you want to bother with maintenance programming? It saves old buildings and it saves money. A study of the maintenance plan shows that the cost for this cornice recovery was $6,020. That's enough to pay for the 25 years of routine gutter cleaning ($170./year) that would have prevented the damage with nearly $1,800. left over. In these difficult economic times $1,800. could be put to better use than feeding fungi.
John Leeke is a preservation consultant who helps homeowners, contractors, and architects understand and maintain early buildings. For help with maintenance at your home contact him at:
John Leeke, Preservation Consultant
Compuserve: 71045,1365
(Assistant SYSOP, Handyman Forum, Old House Section)
Internet: 71045.1365@compuserve.com
US Postal Service: RR1 Box 2947, Sanford, ME 04073 USA
Voice phone: 297 324-9597
PRACTICAL RESTORATION REPORTS (tm)
by John Leeke, Preservation Consultant
Practical Restoration Reports are a detailed technical series on
preservation topics packed with practical methods you can use now. The
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Managing Maintenance, 44 pages, $14.95
Use the four steps of maintenance programming: Assess, Plan, Maintain, Evaluate, to reduce deterioration. Learn to set priorities, schedule work and control the costs of maintaining your building. Includes worksheets and forms.
Wood Gutters, 16 pages, $11.95
A detailed guide for repair and maintenance. Also covers assessment of conditions, replacement, flashing and preservative finishes.
Epoxy Repairs for Exterior Wood, 10 pages, $ 9.95
Save and stabilize decayed exterior woodwork. Covers materials and methods for long-lasting repairs.
Exterior Wood Columns, 17 pages, $11.95
Stabilize and maintain wood columns (up to 10' tall). How to buy the right columns for your project with sources of supply and installation methods to make restored or new columns last longer.
Mouldings, 12 pages, $ 9.95
What can you do if your early building is missing short lengths of a few wood mouldings? You can spend hundreds of dollars in setup costs at the millworks each time you need a few mouldings, or you can save money by learning how to make short runs of wood mouldings yourself. Includes names and shapes of mouldings and three methods to reproduce them.
Exterior Woodwork Details, 16 pages, $11.95
Reduce maintenance and extend the life of exterior woodwork with good design, proper materials selection and effective installation methods.
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These reports are based on real projects and the author's twenty-two years experience as a preservation tradesman and contractor. He brings that experience to work for the readers of these reports. He developed these reports in response to the needs of professionals, contractors, and homeowners for detailed and accurate information about their old and historic buildings.
About the Author and Publisher
John Leeke is a preservation consultant from Sanford, Maine. Leeke helps owners, tradespeople, contractors and architects understand and maintain their historic buildings. He has been restoring historic buildings in New England for over 20 years and still spends a good part of his time "with hammer in hand." Leeke has a national reputation as a consultant and writer on restoration and preservation
topics. His articles have appeared in Fine Homebuilding, The Journal of Light Construction, The Old-House Journal and other national publications. He is Contributing Editor with The Old-House Journal and was recently revisions editor for the noted Audel Carpenter's and Builder's Library.
