DIY & Building Basics Seasonal DIY

Date Published:

28/05/2008

Your home needs attention all year round. Here's a guide to the jobs that you need to do around the year to keep your house in good condition.

Winter

Traditionally winter is the season most likely to make you wish you'd never become a homeowner, and for the most part your time will be most usefully deployed by making notes of any suspect banging sounds, dripping, smells or patches of dampness that you can address once the monsoon/blizzards have subsided. But before you snuggle back under the covers, your new found zeal for all things homely can start right now.

Lofts

Between now and Easter you'll probably get around to putting away the Xmas decorations. So while you're packing away those humorous Santas why not take a good look around your loft or garage and look for signs of damage?

In the loft check the roof and gable vents for any obstruction. The motion of air through a house can make these vents act like fluff collectors on tumble dryers and you will need to clear them to ensure that moist air is able to leave the loft space in winter and cool air get in during the hot summer months.

Unfortunately the vents can also act as neat little thoroughfares for various critters such as bees and wasps. So approach any delicate looking magic lantern structures in your loft space with caution they are probably wasp nests and, unless totally abandoned, should be moved only by a professional. Wasps are rendered dormant by cold weather but, as you'd probably have to remove the nest through a warm centrally heated house, you wouldn't want them to wake up suddenly.

Garages

Garages, particularly the older variety, can come in for some serious hammer during the winter months. Gales are particularly damaging with seemingly robust structures suddenly becoming interesting garden features four doors down the road.

Creeping damp, leaks, compromised electrics and rusted hinges and mechanisms are all things to look out for and make note of, but perhaps sort out when it's warmer and calmer.

Knobs and knockers

Chances are you will have already noticed how that front door lock seemed to stiffen up about the time the first fireworks began to explode in your wheelie bin. A judicious spray of WD40 will work wonders on most climate-afflicted locks, but now is also the time to inspect your much taken for granted knobs.

Let's face it you only really notice door knobs when suddenly they don't work or they come off in your hand and embarrassingly imprison you in your own downstairs loo or, worse, somebody else's bedroom.

Just a simple yearly inspection of the retaining screws - the ones binding the door to its spindle can remove the spectre of this Carry On style disaster from your life for an entire 12 months. If repeated wear and tear has taken its toll on the screw holes, simply repair with wood putty and give all the metal working parts of the mechanism another spray of WD40 to keep them lubed up and ready for action.

Basements

During the wetter months, any problems with your basement are likely to be most obvious. If your home uses a sump pump to eject excessive rainfall around the house into the sewage system then ensure that the pump is in full working order.

In basements with their own drainage grates, a blockage further down the drainage sewer can cause water to back up and flood subterranean areas - probably not good for the Chateau D'Expensive your grandfather laid down in 1922. Really not very good for the sunbed.

Water damage tends to happen quickly and thoroughly, so be aware of any possible entry points for subterranean or surface water into your property and spend the drier months figuring out a better way of dealing with it.

Heating

As the winter enters its most unforgiving period with deep cold snaps, try and observe how well the interior and exterior elements of your central heating boiler and system are performing. Excessive noise, 'coughing' start ups and unequal distribution of heat can point to possible problems. Use CO2 (Carbon Monoxide) detectors to check for potentially lethal fumes. Ensure system pressure is constant.

Note where further or new insulation may be needed or where double glazing seals may be failing and creating temperature sapping drafts. If your home is prone to condensation start planning which areas may need greater ventilation before mould takes hold.