All houses need looking after. Property Maintenance is just as important (if not more so), as building new ones.
Over time, for various reasons, properties are subject to wear and tear and if not attended to, they will deteriorate, and one of the key factors that can cause major damage is water leaks.
Whether it’s a leaking waste pipe under a bath, a cracked tile on a roof, crumbling grout in a shower or worn out silicone around a sink, if it’s exposed to water, the water will find a way through.
Once it’s through, and then builds up over time, water can cause all sorts of expensive problems; wooden floors will rot, plasterboard walls will turn to mush and concrete will crumble. I write this from plenty of first hand experience, having been working with Jewell Plumbing and Property Maintenance Ltd. on a regular basis since April 2016 (that’s long enough to do a degree).
A downstairs toilet that was in quite a state before, while working with JPPM, we first removed all the old and deteriorated tiles, the loo and the sink.
The Loo, once we had completely refurbished it. It looks much better, don’t you think?
So what is Property Maintenance and why is it so important?
Well, I can tell you one thing it generally is, and that’s grotty work, particularly when water has been leaking, undiscovered, for a period of time. Despite having been part of a team that have refurbished numerous bathrooms and kitchens, I never cease to be surprised at how much damage a small water leak can cause. It’s ironic really; water is massively important to us in so many ways. We use it to drink, cook with, wash in and to transport heat around our homes. But if it gets into places it shouldn’t be, it can quickly create a massive mess!
The skill set required to repair the damage to property, during a refurbishment is extensive, and includes;
Controlled demolition; ripping out the old stuff (this is particularly grotty work!).
Carpentry; rebuilding floors, walls, box work, doorways, skirting boards and kitchens.
Dry lining; plaster boarding stud walls, ceilings and box work.
Plastering; Creating a durable, flat, paintable finish on walls and ceilings.
Decorating, Tiling, Electrical and Gas engineering and very importantly, Plumbing.
This is not a complete list, but I hope to use it to help explain why I have titled this post ‘The Zen of Property Maintenance‘; The true nature of a house is that over time, it will need looking after in order for it to remain pleasant. And problems, particularly water leaks, are better found and rectified, sooner rather than later. If a person wants to work efficiently, doing property maintenance, they will benefit from a broad, practical skill set, excellent problem solving skills and a knowledge of materials, both modern and traditional.
It is important to be intuitive, as not all problems have a straight forward solution, and if one is not calm and focused, the already grotty work only becomes harder. Meditate on it if you like.
Can you imagine what it’s going to take to look after your house? Maybe you’ve already noticed a wet patch in the ceiling and are wondering what to do about it. I certainly recommend doing something as if there is a problem, the damage is probably only going to get worse and more expensive to repair over time. If you feel like tackling it yourself and have any questions about how to proceed I am happy to help if I can.
Or, If you live in the Bristol area and want some help maintaining your property, then I highly recommend you check out Jewell Plumbing and Property Maintenance’s website; www.jppm.ltd
They deal with small problems fast, which will save you money, and can also handle complete property refurbishments. To demonstrate the range of work
Jewell Plumbing and Property Maintenance have experience in, I have included the following photo gallery, that shows various stages of work from some of their projects, that I have been involved in.
Freshly plastered walls and a Plasterers most important tools; a hawk and a trowel. Plastering Work by Geoff Lloyd for jppm.ltd 
The beginnings of a new doorway. Concrete lintel put in place by me and Geoff Lloyd for jppm.ltd 
Acrow props in place supporting the wall while putting in a new doorway. 
In this property, while working for jppm.ltd, Geoff Lloyd and I created a lovely big living space by removing the dividing wall between the kitchen and sitting room and supporting the ceiling with a RSJ lintel. 
Crisp looking walls and woodwork with new electrical sockets. Installed by Jewell Plumbing and Property Maintenance Ltd. 
Because of the change of use from a Spiritual Centre, this flat needed an entrance lobby to pass building regulations. So Geoff Lloyd and I built this stud frame for jppm.ltd 
Entrance lobby plastered and with a first coat of paint. 
New Doorway with Period Architrave rescued from another part of the building. A JPPM project. 
Simple hand draw floor plan, drawn by myself for a JPPM project. 
A bespoke oak vanity unit I built for one of jppm.ltd’s customers. This bathroom was really shabby before we started work. 
This compact but modern kitchen was installed by the whole JPPM team in a smart Redland Flat refurbishment 
This kitchen, installed by JPPM helped the Landlord of the property get over his asking rental price by new tenants, eager to move in.
Want to find out more? Click here to get to the jppm.ltd website.