Building Maintenance

Maintenance can be defined as “routine work necessary to keep the fabric of a place in good order.

The main objective of maintenance is to limit deterioration. Inspections carried out at regular intervals, coupled with prompt action to pre-empt or remedy problems, are the basis of effective maintenance. 

Maintenance is cost-effective, the time and money spent on routine care, regular surveys and minor repairs protect the value of the building. Good maintenance also helps to ensure the health and safety of building users and the general public. 

Although it is often seen as mundane, maintenance forms a cornerstone of building conservation. 

Repair can be defined as “work beyond the scope of maintenance, to remedy defects caused by decay, damage or use, including minor adaptation to achieve a sustainable outcome.

Repair is normally carried out to sustain the significance of the building or place.
When repairs to buildings become necessary, they should be approached using the basic principle of conservation, that as much as possible of the original fabric of the building is retained.

Too often a decision is taken to strip away large parts of the original material and to replace with replicas. Every historic building, however, loses its historic integrity when a substantial proportion of its original fabric is replaced, as well as the patina that materials gain with age. The replacements are often not exact replicas – either in detail or material – and the result is the loss of a building’s educational value.

Unlike endangered plants and animals that can be encouraged to increase their number, each historic building is different and once lost can never be replaced.