Could 20 Years of Deferred Maintenance Mean Substantial Repairs?

With the shift in extreme weather, dated materials and methods, and improved engineering over the last few decades, the team at RHK Construction is noticing an increase in deferred building and home maintenance.

“If you’re a homeowner or owner of a commercial building, you may be due for an annual check around your property or a walk-through of building operations to look for areas needing preventive maintenance,” explained Robert Heiden, Chief of Operations at RHK Construction in Aurora. “What usually happens is that simple repairs are overlooked, and prolonged and extreme weather conditions cause snow, water, and ice to penetrate problem areas. With these unaddressed repairs sitting for a few years, or even for a decade, it leads to large scale repairs, half of which cause actual structural damage.”

Consider the following tips:

• Walk the property, look for open voids, and see if you can spot cracked or ripped caulk joints around windows, doors, foundations, or corner joints on buildings.
• Look for vertical or horizontal cracks, and chipping or spalling of concrete, brick, and block foundations. If weathering elements can find a way in, the most damage will occur during the winter months.
• Make sure the roof is not leaking; having the gutters draining away from the building’s foundation is key. If water pools around a foundation, it can erode the soil, foundation, and even footings from some of the soundest buildings that have longevity on their side. It can also cause mold, mildew, rot, and spalling, and even deface brick. Seal those joints, check gutters and down spouts, and keep the water away from your foundation.

“Walk your property to look for preventive maintenance opportunities that can be addressed from spring through fall,” added Heiden. “Preventive maintenance will help our homes and community buildings stand the test of time.”

For more information, please contact:

RHK Construction, Inc.

219 West Galena Blvd.

Aurora, IL 60506

331-212-5158

rhkconstructioninc.com