The when cold weather hits you also need to look after the outside of your building. Some areas to consider are:
- Snow is heavier than you may realise. It’s important to consider how heavy snowfall, freezing temperatures and strong wind chills might affect your buildings. For example, a 1cm-thick, 10m-square area of freshly fallen snow at 4˚C weighs around 100kg. As with most other things prevention is better than cure, regular and systematic building inspections are a key part of any maintenance programme in order to help identify problems promptly.
- Get some help if you need it. Early remedial action by a competent person is essential to reduce further, more costly, damage. It may be necessary to engage a competent person with the appropriate skills and equipment to carry out inspections in certain areas e.g. roofs.
- Drains are vital. Blocked or damaged rainwater removal systems will allow damage to the building fabric. They may also prevent water from being drained away from the property and in freezing temperatures, this can result in ice dams forming. Make sure your maintenance team is regularly inspecting gutters etc to ensure they are clear of debris and that water can flow freely. When clearing snow from play areas and outside areas, don’t deposit it at the foot of any downspouts as this may interfere with effective drainage.