An exterior maintenance plan is a must for every property manager. The plan ensures your premise is well maintained, so it retains its appeal and structural integrity. If you intend to make a good maintenance plan but do not know how to go about it, this piece is for you.
Why an Exterior Maintenance Plan Is Important
An exterior maintenance plan ensures that maintenance is done on time every time, without overlooking crucial areas. Moreover, this helps property managers carry out maintenance tasks according to established best practices.
Apart from optimizing maintenance, the plan can enable you to prepare for severe weather conditions like storms. This plan helps you spot and fix structural vulnerabilities like clogged gutters and loose shingles, to keep your properties running smoothly.
6 Items To Include in Your Exterior Maintenance Plan
There are many areas you’d want to include in your exterior maintenance plan. While it is not a bad idea to include them all in your plan, priority should go to the areas that are likely to compromise structural integrity or compromise safety. These specific parts that you should add to your plan include:
1. Roofing/Gutters
With time, gutters accumulate debris and roofs wear out. As such, you should include these parts in the maintenance plan so you can clear your gutters and repair any damage to the roof.
2. Lawn/Landscaping
The lawn and landscaping are an aspect visitors notice first when they step into your property. It’s important to keep this upkeep on top of mind so your property doesn’t appear neglected on the first impression.
3. Window Sealing
Window seals wear with regular exposure to sunlight and rainfall. Adding window sealing to your outdoor care plan ensures the seals remain intact, so they prevent water infiltration and energy loss.
4. Sidewalks
Due to extensive foot traffic and exposure to the elements, sidewalks are highly prone to wear. For this reason, it’s important to fix cracks, potholes, and depressions before they become a major hazard.
5. Parking Lots
Like sidewalks, parking lots are prone to damage due to traffic and weather exposure. Regularly maintaining your parking lots via sweeping and other services can prevent potholes, cracks, and faded lines.
6. Caulking
Neglected caulking deteriorates over time, leading to gaps around windows, doors, and vents. Keeping up with your building’s caulking can ensure unwanted guests like insects and rain water stay out.
How To Build Your Exterior Maintenance Plan
When drafting an outdoor maintenance plane, you need to assess your property’s exterior parts, including roofing, siding, windows, and landscaping. The inspection enables you to identify areas that need attention during maintenance. After inspecting and understanding your exterior better, proceed to draft your maintenance plan based on the following ideas:
- List tasks required to keep your exterior in top shape
- Classify the maintenance tasks based on urgency
- Draft a schedule to guide you through regular inspections
- Specify the resources needed to execute the exterior tasks
- Outline the best practices for doing each maintenance task
Create an Exterior Maintenance Plan That Checks All the Boxes
Since an exterior maintenance plan is so critical, you should never navigate the process of drafting a care plan alone, especially if you are doing it for the first time. Instead, get a reputable grounds maintenance expert to assess your property and formulate a plan that can get you the most results.
Strategic Grounds Management has been offering reliable commercial property maintenance services nationwide since 2015. Contact us today to get the support needed to create a custom outdoor maintenance plan.
