Most expensive repairs to a home start small: a blocked gutter that sends water down the facade, a sealant joint that comes loose, a window frame with cracking paint, a central heating boiler that has not been checked for years. If you take an hour each season to walk around your home, and hand a few jobs a year to a tradesperson, you prevent most of that damage. This calendar sets out, season by season, what you check yourself, what you have done for you and which warning signs mean you should not wait until the next season. At the bottom you will find a yearly overview by component and by trade.
Spring: assess the winter damage
- Roof and gutters. After the last storm, walk around the house and use binoculars to look for shifted or broken roof tiles, loose ridge tiles, cracks in the lead and zinc around the chimney and water that stays standing in the gutter. Clean the gutters and the downpipes. A roofer inspects a flat roof for blisters, cracks at the upstands and the condition of the roof penetrations; on a pitched roof they check the connections you cannot see from the ground. How to deal with a blocked or leaking gutter is explained in cleaning or replacing a gutter.
- Facade and pointing. Look for worn-out joints, cracks, white efflorescence and loose bricks at the bottom of the facade and around window frames. Sand that falls out of the joint when you run a key along it is a sign to call a bricklayer. Pointing lasts a long time, but the windward side wears faster than the rest.
- Window frames and paintwork. Press a screwdriver gently into the sills and the lower corners of window frames and doors. Soft timber is wood rot. Cracks and flaking paint let moisture in and call for a painter before the summer is over. Exterior paintwork generally lasts five to eight years, less on the sunny side, and needs a wash and minor touch-ups in between.
- Glass. Condensation between the panes of double glazing means the insulating effect has gone and the pane is due for replacement. Have the outside glass and frames cleaned by a window cleaner; dirt and algae attack sealant and paint.
- Ventilation. Clean the vents above the windows and the extract valves in the bathroom, toilet and kitchen. If you have mechanical ventilation or a heat recovery unit, replace the filters as specified by the manufacturer and have the system cleaned and balanced periodically.
Summer: the season for outdoor work
- Get the painting done. Dry weather and temperatures well above the paint's minimum make summer and late summer the best time for exterior painting and wood rot repair. Plan it early; painters are fully booked in these months.
- Outdoor sealant. Check the sealant joints between frame and facade and around roof windows. A joint that has come loose lets rainwater run behind the frame and only shows itself as a damp patch under the window. This is work for a carpenter or painter.
- Sewer and rainwater drainage. A gurgling drain, a sewer smell in the house or water draining slowly from several drains at once points to a developing blockage or a problem with the venting. A plumber flushes the sewer or inspects it with a camera; do not wait until it backs up during heavy rain.
- Flat roofs and roof terraces. Remove leaves and moss, check that the outlets are clear and that the covering is not lifting anywhere. Heat and UV radiation age bitumen; a roofer assesses whether a new top layer is needed.
- Outdoor taps and garden. Check outdoor taps for leaks and make sure the ground around the house slopes away from the facade, so rainwater does not stand against the foundations.
Autumn: get the house ready for winter
- Have the boiler serviced. Have the boiler checked every year or every two years by a heating engineer, depending on the manufacturer's advice and the age of the appliance; the fire service recommends an annual check. Work on gas-fired appliances may only be done by a company certified for it. Check the water pressure yourself and bleed the radiators. Schedule the service in September or October, before the rush of the first cold days.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Test the alarms, replace batteries and replace alarms older than the lifespan stated by the manufacturer. Smoke alarms are mandatory on every floor; a carbon monoxide alarm next to every gas appliance is strongly recommended.
- Clean gutters and drains again once the leaves have fallen. This is the most important gutter clean of the year: a full gutter in a frost period expands and cracks.
- Draught strips and door closers. Replace worn draught strips and check that windows and doors close properly. This is small work with a direct effect on comfort and your energy bill; what else pays off is covered in Improving your energy label: which measures really count.
- Drain outdoor taps and insulate pipes in unheated spaces so they do not freeze.
- Chimney and flue. If you burn wood, have the flue swept every year; many insurers ask about this after a chimney fire.
Winter: indoor checks
- Indoor sealant. Check the sealant joints in the bathroom and kitchen: at the shower tray, bath, washbasin and worktop. Sealant that is coming loose, black or cracked lets water run behind the tiles and is the most common cause of a damp patch on the ceiling below. Renewing it is work for a tiler or a handy resident.
- Electrics. Press the test button on every residual current device (RCD) twice a year; if it does not trip, it is faulty. Watch out for warm plugs or sockets, flickering lights and circuits that trip more often; those are reasons to have an electrician take a look, especially in a home with an older installation.
- Damp and mould. Winter is the season in which condensation and mould become visible in corners, behind cupboards and around window frames. Usually the cause is too little ventilation; if it keeps coming back after better ventilation, have a plasterer or damp specialist assess whether there is a structural cause.
- Crawl space. After a wet period, check whether there is water in the crawl space and whether the pipes there are dry and insulated.
- Planning. Winter is the time to request quotes for the coming year's outdoor work. Tradespeople then have more room for a conversation and you are at the front of the schedule. How long the various jobs take is explained in How long does a renovation take: lead times per job.
Yearly overview by component
| Component | Check yourself | By a tradesperson | Trade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof, gutters, lead and zinc | Spring and autumn | Inspection every two to three years, flat roof annually | Roofer |
| Boiler and radiators | Pressure and bleeding: autumn | Service every year or every two years | Heating engineer |
| Exterior paintwork and wood rot | Spring | Touch-ups every two to three years, repainting every five to eight years | Painter |
| Window frames, outdoor sealant joints, hinges and locks | Summer | In case of wood rot or loose joints | Carpenter |
| Bathroom and kitchen sealant | Winter | Renew as soon as it comes loose, usually every five to ten years | Tiler |
| Sewer and drains | Summer, or in case of smells or slow drainage | Flushing or camera inspection when there are problems | Plumber |
| Electrics and RCDs | Test button twice a year | Inspection for an older installation or faults | Electrician |
| Pointing and facade | Spring | Repointing where joints are worn out | Bricklayer |
| Interior walls, damp and mould | Winter | Repair and advice for recurring damp | Plasterer |
| Glass and outside of window frames | Spring | Cleaning a few times a year; replacement in case of condensation between the panes | Window cleaner, carpenter |
| Larger overdue maintenance | Annual walk-round | Long-term maintenance plan and combined execution | Contractor |
If your walk-round produces more than one job, it is often smarter to bundle them: scaffolding that is up for the painting can also serve the gutters and the lead, and a contractor can fit several small jobs into one schedule. For an older home, a long-term maintenance plan pays off: it sets out for each component when it is due and how much you set aside for it.
Warning signs that cannot wait
The calendar is a rhythm, not a law. Some signs call for immediate action, whatever the season: a damp patch that is getting bigger, water running from a gutter down the facade, a boiler that keeps losing pressure or going into fault, a carbon monoxide alarm going off, a burning smell or a warm socket, an RCD that keeps tripping, sewage water coming back up, or a crack in the facade that is visibly widening. In case of a leak, Leak: which tradesperson do you call helps you choose the right tradesperson. For everything else, post your job on VerbouwPro free of charge; tradespeople from your region respond with a verified profile and reviews, and you choose who you talk to.