Maintenance of Buildings:
Proper and timely maintenance is the key to long life, good appearance, comfortable living and safety

It is everyone's dream to have a house to his liking. But it needs proper planning from the initial stage itself.

The residential accommodation can be of the various types viz. Independent buildings, Row housing, Multistoried apartments (Medium rise or high rise), Villas etc. 

Planning and Design 

The correct approach is to bestow attention to details at the planning and design stage. These should take into account proper orientation to have full benefit of natural daylight; adequate natural ventilation; soil analysis and treatment for termites; adequate plinth height and slope to allow for satisfactory sewage and waste water flow from the premises to the municipal mains; provision for rain water harvesting; provision for installation of solar water heaters and solar cookers as part of energy conservation; use of energy efficient construction materials; easy maintainability; economy; aesthetics; facility for extension/modification; facility for old people and physically handicapped persons; environmental improvement, and, economy. The buildings should confirm to the statutory regulations with regard to setbacks, clearances, FAR/FSI etc. In recent times emphasis is laid on Vastu aspect also. The interior furnishing should be done with ergonomic aspects in view, proper selection of colours for wall paint and drapery and effective carpeting. The exterior should include the right type of plants, trees and lawns.

Safety 

Some of the factors mentioned below are with reference to multistoried buildings, apartments and clusters of interconnected buildings. The buildings and associated services should keep safety as one of the fundamental considerations. This includes among other things proper approach; slope; correct width, tread and rise of staircase steps; elevators of proper rating; emergency staircase; proper illumination for stairways and corridors; marking of exit routes in case of fire/other hazards; non-skid flooring for kitchen and bath areas; use of BIS marked materials and fittings and fixtures; use of fire-resistant and eco-friendly materials; provision of standby power supply for elevators and water pumpsets, and, staircase and corridor lighting. Fire detection and alarm system; proper storage of garbage; parapet walls/barricades in terrace area; emergency first aid facility.

Maintenance 

Proper and timely maintenance is the key to long life, good appearance, comfortable living and safety. This also assures good market value for the property. The maintenance of buildings includes periodic window cleaning; repainting of internal and external surfaces; painting/polishing of doors" windows and ventilators; lubrication of rolling shutters and other metal doors; floor polishing; cleaning of pipes and storm water drains; cleaning oftanks; fumigation/ extermination/pest control; checking of electrical installation including earthing and recalibration of safetrip mechanism and burglar alarm system; checking plumbing system for leaks and corrosion; checking for leaks in walls/roof and taking corrective measures. The maintenance should cover not only the internal areas but also the external surroundings. In the case of multistoried apartments and clusters of buildings attention should be paid to the common areas; and common utilities like elevators, water storage tanks (underground and overhead) and pumps, standby power supply plant, lawns, garbage disposal area, playground, etc. This is normally taken care of by a committee set up by the association of apartment owners.

Following are some suggestions to help have a safe, comfortable and trouble-free dwelling place.

A Few Tips 

• Have the building plan approved by the statutory and adhere to the Regulations.

• Entrust the design to a competent designer.

• Get the work executed by a suitable person with proper licence.

• Draw out contract specifications clearly to avoid disputes at a later date.

• Inspect the materials and workmanship periodically during execution to ensure adherence to specifications.

• Insist on proper safety precautions to be taken by the persons engaged in the construction and maintenance and repair jobs.

• Do not allow engagement of child labour in the works.

• Use only three-pin sockets and plugs of correct rating for use of all appliances.

• Never allow use of bare wires without pins for taking electrical connections.

• Use only approved brand fittings for electrical, plumbing and sanitary works.

• Get weatherproofing done only by reputed specialist agency and get written warranty.

• Use rubber mats for work with electrical appliances.

• Proper heights should be considered for mounting of electrical outlets and bolts and fasteners to avoid access by children.

• Avoid sharp edges in furniture and preferably have them castor- mounted for easy shifting.

• Use energy efficient light fittings and supplement with job lighting where required.

• Make sure of proper earthing for the entire electrical installation.