You know how a car comes with an owner's manual, wouldn't it be nice if buildings came with them too?
I am working with a local historic preservation group to try to write a general homeowner's manual. It's geared for historic buildings, but most of it will be pertinent to new buildings as well. The goal is to put lots of useful information into a concise and easy to navigate book.
Right now I'm starting work on the first section on making an annual inspection and maintenance plan. This way, a building owner will have a checklist of things to look at to assess condition, as well as replace, much like a car's scheduled maintenance list. From replacing the furnace filter to clearing drains and gutters, I want to make an organized list that is easy to follow and breaks down the responsibilities of maintaining a building into smaller, manageable tasks. I've seen that many people simply don't maintain their buildings for a variety of reasons, then the maintenance backlog can cause more rapid deterioration of their building and the whole mess can become overwhelming. The result is often a renovation (very popular, especially on HGTV and TLC) which could be easily avoided.
I want people to be able to spot small problems before they become big ones and have a plan of action in place to deal with it. If it's too much, then call a professional. If it's easy, do it yourself. Either way, the problems can be more easily addressed if the building owner goes out looking for the damage and deterioration and finds it early, rather than letting it go until it becomes a big problem (usually at inopportune moments).
This is the tip of the iceberg. What do you think of the concept?
Dave
I am working with a local historic preservation group to try to write a general homeowner's manual. It's geared for historic buildings, but most of it will be pertinent to new buildings as well. The goal is to put lots of useful information into a concise and easy to navigate book.
Right now I'm starting work on the first section on making an annual inspection and maintenance plan. This way, a building owner will have a checklist of things to look at to assess condition, as well as replace, much like a car's scheduled maintenance list. From replacing the furnace filter to clearing drains and gutters, I want to make an organized list that is easy to follow and breaks down the responsibilities of maintaining a building into smaller, manageable tasks. I've seen that many people simply don't maintain their buildings for a variety of reasons, then the maintenance backlog can cause more rapid deterioration of their building and the whole mess can become overwhelming. The result is often a renovation (very popular, especially on HGTV and TLC) which could be easily avoided.
I want people to be able to spot small problems before they become big ones and have a plan of action in place to deal with it. If it's too much, then call a professional. If it's easy, do it yourself. Either way, the problems can be more easily addressed if the building owner goes out looking for the damage and deterioration and finds it early, rather than letting it go until it becomes a big problem (usually at inopportune moments).
This is the tip of the iceberg. What do you think of the concept?
Dave
