Check your home regularly for potential problems that may affect structural integrity and weather resistance.
A quick visual check will help you identify areas that need attention.
Look for cracks in your walls.
Mortar is designed to allow for small amounts of movement. Occasionally a very strong mortar mix will bind the bricks to tightly together and any building movement will make the bricks susceptible to cracking.
Stone Building and Rendered walls may also show structural cracks.
Areas around doors and windows have the load carried across the opening on a lintel. Movement and weakness around openings can show as stepped cracking as the mortar beds move apart.
Ensure correct ventilation by clearing debris from airbricks.
In modern homes; there is a continuous membrane that runs around your property to prevent damp rising from the ground.
It is usually visibly as a black plastic membrane in the mortar joint.
Paths and gardens should slope away from the house slightly to prevent rainwater build-up and should be 6 inches (150mm) below the Damp proof course
.In older properties the membrane could be constructed of bitumen or slate. If there is no damp proof course look for evidence of chemical injection where a water resistant chemical has been impregnated into the brickwork via small holes drilled 2 per brick in a horizontal line a few inches above ground level.
Wooden door and window frames are often sealed with paint or varnish and have a mortar or flexible mastic seal next to the brickwork to prevent water ingress. Glazing is fixed in place with putty that can become brittle and crack over the years. Double glazed units may be more susceptible to water ingress or condensation between the inner and outer pane.
Make sure that the seal is intact and that the wood and sill have not started to rot.
If they're in good condition, remove any flaking Paint or Varnish and Re-coat.
Plasic windows and doors should be virtually maintenance free. It's worth monitoring the brickwork above replacement units for movement in case the frame acts as a support and the brickwork starts to settle causing cracks.
Check the line of the ridge has not started to sag suggesting movement to the roof trusses.
Check that the mortar holding Ridge tiles in place has not slipped or worked loose. Look for moved or missing Roof tiles or Slates. Roof Life expectancy varies from about 40 to 100 years for a tiled or slate roof.
Flat roofs have a reputation for being short lived and leaking due to the high thermal stresses they have to endure. Modern coverings can last for 25 years or more.
In chimneys associated with coal fires; the mortar can undergo sulpahte attack and the chimney can appear to curve.
Check for broken clay chimney pots, missing mortar suggesting the chimney should be re-pointed, loose flashings sealing the joint between chimney and roof.
Old gutters may be made from asbestos-cement matrix, cast-iron or even lead lined wood.
Asbestos based gutters are typically a dull woolly grey rather than smooth grey of modern PVC gutters.
Cast iron is generally black and may have rust showing through.
Wooden Gutters vary.
Check for stains or damp patches on walls that may indicate blockages. Alternatively, watch how they perform during a period of heavy rain
Lift manhole covers and check that waste is moving freely. Check any external drains for blockages.