helpful information
If you own a property or a business protecting the value and maintaining it can be difficult. Our helpful information section can answer many of your common questions relating to construction, building maintenance and property refurbishment. We constantly update our website and blog to give our customers as much helpful advice as possible. If you have any construction-related questions you may find the answer on our website. Our blog also has useful information on construction related projects and materials . If you would like to know more about JMCD Developments and our professional construction-related services contact us today. Our blog also has useful information
helpful and professional advice from the leading construction company in west yorkshire
how to draw up a maintenance plan for an older building
Maintenance plans should be proportionate to the size and complexity of the building. For large buildings or those with complex uses, a maintenance plan may form part of a comprehensive asset management plan. For smaller buildings, such as privately-owned dwellings, it might consist simply of a checklist to be used during an inspection. The Your Home section for homeowners has an example of an inspection checklist. Maintenance plans also provide a useful resource for new owners and may go some way towards ensuring continuity of good maintenance practices. While much maintenance is routine, there will be occasions when the need for action is triggered by unforeseen events, such as accidental damage or extreme weather. A good maintenance plan should make provision for dealing with such eventualities. The understanding of the building and its behaviour gained through regular surveys will help to identify areas that might be at risk. For example, if it is known that gutters and gullies are prone to blockage with leaves they should be checked during and after autumn gales. The plan should highlight all areas particularly at risk and assign responsibilities to individuals for ad hoc inspections and action.
how to renovate and refurbish a listed building
Most listed buildings date from before 1840 and 92 per cent are Grade II listed, often built in brick and timber with lime mortar, wooden window frames and a slate or tile roofs.
Ownership comes with a responsibility to maintain and preserve the house in close-to-original condition, so buying a listed property means abiding by specific rules. We have years of experience working on listed buildings. Some of our architects are on (AABC) Accredited in Building Conservation register or RIBA Conservation Architects register. Our structural engineers and mechanical engineers also have many years experience in the renovation of historic buildings. JMCD Developments have the expertise to handle any size of listed building refurbishment. If you are looking for a professional and reliable construction company to undertake the renovation of building in the West Yorkshire area contact us today or click on the button below to learn more about our property refurbishment and listed building refurbishment services.
what you need to know about refurbishing a listed building
Owning a listed property is a privilege that comes with responsibilities, one of which is making sure it’s properly maintained. Here’s how to ensure your renovations and repairs make the grade:
Most listed buildings date from before 1840 and 92 per cent are Grade II listed, often built in brick and timber with lime mortar, wooden window frames and a slate or tile roofs. Ownership comes with a responsibility to maintain and preserve the house in close-to-original condition, so buying a listed property means abiding by specific rules. Make sure you get the appropriate permission. Historic England, the custodian of this bricks-and-mortar heritage, says: “You will need listed-building consent for all work to a listed building that involves alteration, extension or demolition where it affects its special architectural or historic interest.” In fact, it can be a criminal offence to alter a listed building without the right consent. That doesn’t mean you can never change anything but it does mean you may need permission first. Your local-authority conservation officer will also be happy to advise on what’s allowed, as will any accredited conservation architect. Use materials and techniques that fit.
As a general rule, you can maintain your building using like-for-like materials and traditional techniques without special consents. So a careful repair to your timber sash windows will usually be all right. Kitchens and bathrooms, which often have recent fittings, can generally be refurbished without consent, although if you want to put new pipework into the walls you may need permission.
how to effectively maintain your commercial building
Owning a commercial property is a hands-on job. One of your top priorities should be its maintenance in order to preserve the building’s value. The wear and tear of your commercial property is only natural.
But in order to generate some form of profit, there are routine maintenance steps which should be carried out year-after-year.
Commercial building maintenance is generally quite routine. This way, you can also avoid costly renovations which could only hurt your profits down the line. Here are some of the top 10 commercial building maintenance steps to take in order to keep your property in tip-top shape. When it comes to owning commercial property, there are two primary objectives: 1. To maintain its value 2. To generate revenue in order to earn a profit on your investment. Maintaining its value goes hand-in-hand with the condition of the building. The more maintenance is neglected, the greater decrease in value. To add to this, regular commercial building maintenance is a great way to prevent huge, unforeseen costs. A collapsed roof, fire damage, pest infestation or flooding could spell disaster for your profits. The top 10 things to do are: Audit Your Energy Consumption, Fix Your Fixtures, Conduct a Monthly Safety Audit, Prioritize Remodelling Projects, Stay-On-Top of Pest Control, Eliminate All Fire Hazards, Inspect HVAC Systems Annually and inspect all electrical and alarm systems.
what is building restoration?
Historic England’s Conservation Principles defines restoration as returning a building to “a known earlier state, on the basis of compelling evidence, without conjecture”. A number of criteria are set out which normally make restoration acceptable. These criteria include: Weighing up the effect of change restoration work would bring to the heritage values of the building. Compelling evidence for the restoration work. The form of the building as it currently exists is not the result of a historically significant event.
The proposed work respects previous forms of the place.
The maintenance implications of the proposed restoration are considered to be sustainable. The distinction between restoration and repair can sometimes become blurred when architectural details and or decorative elements that are important to the character and appearance of a building become eroded or damaged. Often a programme of repair provides an opportunity for the reinstatement of missing non-structural elements, provided sufficient evidence exists for an accurate replacement, no loss of historic fabric occurs and the necessary consents are obtained in advance. In some circumstances, restoration may provide conservation benefits that cannot be achieved through repair alone.
For example, restoring the roof on a roofless building may be the most cost effective way of conserving valuable internal fabric, such as wall paintings or plasterwork. It may also help to make the building physically and economically sustainable in the long term.
what is maintenance?
Maintenance can be defined as “routine work necessary to keep the fabric of a place in good order” (Conservation Principles 2008). The main objective of maintenance is to limit deterioration. Inspections carried out at regular intervals, coupled with prompt action to pre-empt or remedy problems, are the basis of effective maintenance. Maintenance is cost-effective, the time and money spent on routine care, regular surveys and minor repairs protect the value of the building.
Good maintenance also helps to ensure the health and safety of building users and the general public. Although it is often seen as mundane, maintenance forms a cornerstone of building conservation.
what is property repair?
Repair can be defined as “work beyond the scope of maintenance, to remedy defects caused by decay, damage or use, including minor adaptation to achieve a sustainable outcome, but not involving alteration or restoration” (Conservation Principles 2008). Repair is normally carried out to sustain the significance of the building or place. Equally important in most cases is keeping the building in use, which is the best way to safeguard its future.
In order to sustain significance you first need to understand the values that contribute to that significance and then how the elements that will be affected by repair contribute to those values. For more information on our services contact us.