Stepping back in time

Stepping back in time, kind of. I revisited this 17th century property again recently to paint the exterior again, which I did back in 2014. Both the woodwork and the masonry had weathered well considering the property is exposed on all sides
Some filling was needed to repair some minor rot on a couple of windows, the masonry has lasted well, but as it is so exposed to the elements it had faded, and there was some mould and lichen growth.
This was treated and removed before apply two coats of masonry paint. The windows were then painted, pipework and plinth. Once completed it bought the property back up to scratch and to its former glory and now almost glows when the sun is on it that can be seen as you drive along neighbouring roads.
So now this property will look good, and be protected from the elements for at least eight more years.

Getting your home ready for winter

After such a mild autumn we could be in for a harsh winter, so being prepared in advance is vital. Doing essential jobs before the winter sets in could prevent any issues during the winter months.

If you own property and rent it out it is advisable to get your rented property checked over as well, prevention is better than cure as they say.

What to check and fix before the winter

Things such as heating, boilers and radiators are the most obvious things to check and service before the winter, but less thought about things such as gutters and drains also need to be looked at.

Boiler, radiators and pipes

Getting your boiler serviced (by a qualified engineer) could not only prevent a break down when you need it most, but if it runs efficiently it could also save money on your gas bill.
Radiators should be bled to ensure no air is in the radiators and they can supply you with efficient heat, you can tell if your radiator needs bleeding as they will have a cold spot at the top, if it is cold at the bottom, this indicates a buildup of sludge and rust, this should be flushed out to get the most from your radiators this winter.
Pipes, these should be lagged including any pipes outside such as in outbuildings or garden taps. If pipes are not lagged and they freeze, they could burst and cause flooding.

You can read about how to avoid freezing pipes on our Rayfields site.

If you are going away, or you have a empty rented property, it is a good idea to leave the heating on low just to prevent pipes from freezing. Now is also a good time to know where stop cocks and valves are, just in case of an emergency.

Roofs, gutters and drains

Roofs take a battering in the winter with strong winds, rain, sleet and snow. It is a good idea to give it a visual inspection from the ground. If you have access to a ladder you could look at it closer but don’t get on the roof without the necessary safety equipment. Look for missing or broken tiles including ridge tiles, look at the state of the chimney if you have one. If anything needs repairing get it done sooner than later as roofers can get busy.

Gutters get full of falling leaves and can block the downpipes, clear guttering out and fit a downpipe leaf guard to stop debris falling down the downpipe. Also check where the downpipe goes, is it an open drain, does this flow well or is it blocked? A blocked drain could cause damp to your property.

You can read a post I did about cleaning out your gutters on our Rayfields site.

Insulation, doors, windows

Does your loft have enough insulation in it? Are any pipes and hot water tank properly lagged all these should be looked at for both rented and private owned properties. Are you walls cavity insulated or can they be, you may even be able to have it installed for free. So it is worth a little time checking.

Do your windows and doors fit and close as they should? If you have draughts you could fit draughts excluders around windows and doors. If your windows don’t shut well because the handle is broken, get it fixed, reducing draughts will help keep the heat in and cold out, thus saving on heating bills.

Recent listed building exterior job summer 2014

As the summer draws to a close I thought I would post about a recent job I have completed. The job was a 17th century Grade II listed building property in my local area. I viewed the property in mid April 2014 with the intent to do the job late summer.

The property required some repair work to woodwork but was also in need of two new windows, a box sash window on the front elevation and a small window to the side elevation. These windows were made by a local joinery company and fitted by a local builder.

The building is timber framed that originally had weatherboard on the exterior but was rendered some year ago. The roof has a catslide style, this means one side is longer than the other.

Decorating the exterior

The rendered walls had algae growing on them so the first job was to treat this with a algae and anti fungicide wash, this was applied, left for a while, and then thoroughly washed and scrubbed off.

Once the walls were dry I could apply the masonry paint, two coats were applied to the walls of a Dulux smooth masonry paint in Magnolia. Once this was done it was time to do the windows.

There were nine windows in all to paint, the frames were painted in Sadolin Superdec Walnut, and the windows themselves in Sadolin Superdec Magnolia, the front door was also painted in the same Walnut and magnolia.

The guttering and downpipes were painted in a black gloss, the plinth was painted in a black bitumen to finish off the bottom of the property.

The customers were very happy and as you can see by the pictures below, there is a big difference between the before and after shots.

The before and after pictures