Introduction

Building maintenance is the work that is done to keep homes and businesses
in good shape and fix problems when they happen. It includes things like
cleaning, landscaping, and taking care of the electrical system. It tries to
ensure that tenants always live in a safe, useful, and comfortable place.

Some of the most basic things that need to be done to keep a building in
good shape are electrical system repairs, landscaping, cleaning, etc. The
main goal of building maintenance is to ensure a safe, comfortable, and fully
functional system.

Fig 1: Building Maintenance

Importance of Building Maintenance:

• Maintenance is important to ensure the building will last longer and better.
• Climate conditions like rain, wind, humidity, and temperature make it so that
buildings don’t last as long. So, the building has many uses and needs to be
taken care of during
its life.
• Wear and tear happens to a building because people live in it.
Maintenance is necessary because of this.
• The building was built for something different. So, a building needs to be kept
in good
shape to serve all purposes during its life.
• Some building parts are getting weaker and need to be fixed.
• Building maintenance is important to keep the building looking nice.
• Buildings need to be taken care of so they don’t break down and cause
accidents.
• Repairs must be done when an addition is made to an old building.
Types of Building Maintenance:

 Routine Maintenance
 Preventive Maintenance
 Remedial Maintenance

 Routine Maintenance
It’s important to do routine maintenance on the building to keep it
working and prevent it from falling apart too soon. A building is made
up of different parts in different places that are made of different
materials. These can break down over time because of natural wear and
tear. During design, the life of the parts is based on normal
maintenance. For example, a wooden member is assumed to be painted
regularly.

Routine maintenance includes many tasks that must be done regularly to

keep the building in good shape. Some of these tasks must be done daily,
some weekly, and some at regular intervals. Routine maintenance needs to
be done after a building has been built to keep it in good shape and stop it
from falling apart too quickly and becoming useless. Routine
maintenance includes checking the electrical wiring, greasing the hinges,
checking the emergency utilities, cleaning the trash, and so on.

 Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance keeps the building from getting damaged and its
structure in good shape. It helps make the building last longer. Preventive
maintenance also
includes sustainable precautions in the design and construction of a
building so that it can withstand storms, floods, and other disasters.
 Remedial Maintenance
Even if all possible preventive measures are taken, and routine
maintenance is done, a structure may deteriorate and get damaged,
requiring corrective measures to fix.
Remedial maintenance or repairs involve removing any decayed or
damaged parts of the structure or fixing any flaws. For various reasons, the
structure may show signs of damage or distress. Repairs or restoration
work should be done immediately before the problem worsens and causes
more damage to the structure.

Before doing any repair work, it’s important to know what caused the
problem and where it is. If you fix any defect or damage without finding
out what caused it, you could do more damage in the future instead of
fixing the real ones.
Defects in Building:

A. Defects in Plaster:
Blistering:

Fig 2: Blistering
Courtesy: [Link]
Some of the surfaces of the plaster are getting bigger. When water gets
through the wall, it can push the plaster forward. It makes a small bubble in
the plaster, which is called blistering.

Fig 2: Blistering
 Cracks.
The plastered surface is starting to get small cracks. These cracks can be very
small and hard to see or large and easy to see. Crazing is the formation of
small cracks.
Many
things
can cause
cracks in
plastered
surfaces,
like

temperature changes, uneven

surfaces, structural flaws in the building, bad work, too much shrinking, etc.
 Fig 3: Cracks in Plaster

Efflorescence

Efflorescence is when white spots of soluble salt form on a surface that has
been plastered. This flaw shows up on the surface of the plaster when soluble
salts are in the materials used to make the plaster, as well as other building
materials like bricks, sand, cement, etc. Even the water that is used to build
things can have soluble salts in it.

Fig 4: Efflorescence in Plaster Courtesy:

Peeling

Peeling is a flaw that happens when some of the plaster on the surface falls
off and a patch forms. Pilling happens mostly when the bond between coats
of

plaster breaks down.

Fig 5: Peeling in Plaster

Flaking

Fig 5: Flaking in Plaster

Flaking is when a plastered surface gets a small loose mass on it. It is usually
caused by the lack of a bond between layers of plaster

Fig 5: Flaking in Plaster

 Remedial Measures of Plaster Defects:
• The quality of construction work should be raised.
• Uses class A bricks in your building.
• Don’t use salty water to put up the plaster.
• Before plastering, the efflorescence is cleaned off the brick.
• Before they are used to build the wall, the bricks are properly wet.
• After the plastering is done, the surface is properly allowed to dry.

Dampness in Building

The main cause for the dampness is that water flows from the ground and the
surface as rain, etc. Another reason is that sometimes the work isn’t done
well, so the pot is made on the terrace floor. It collects rainwater or water
from sprinklers, which seeps into the slab and makes the ceiling of the house
damp.

Remedial Measures of Dampness:

• The DPC work is done using high-quality concrete to prevent it from
leaching into the groundwater.
• Rainwater can be better contained by using hollow brick masonry.
• Putting bitumen or asphalt at the plinth level helps prevent pollution of
underground water supplies.
Termite in Building

Termites are the primary threat to wooden structures. It causes the wood to rot.
Thus, two measures must be taken to safeguard a structure from termites:
 Soil preparation at the site of construction
The soil is treated with chemicals that kill termites available on the market.
The chemical breaks down in the water, which is then sprayed onto the soil
at the plinth level.
 Building maintenance after completion
The inject method was used to treat the floor in the house. The chemical is
sprayed on the wood and put the chemical on the doorframe
Leakage on Terrace
If you store water on the terrace, make sure it is level. Work on waterproofing
the terrace floor and fixing the pipes letting water out.
Repairing the flooring
If there is damaged flooring, it must be professionally removed and
compacted. Apply a fresh coat of mortar after compacting, and then set it
back into place.

Conclusion:
Building maintenance aims to ensure that the building continues to serve its
purpose and retain its value throughout time by repairing, replacing, and
upgrading as necessary components when they become outdated. We can
improve the building’s market value and give it a more upscale appearance
through regular upkeep.
References
1. Ofori (IET), Engr. Emmanuel. “(PDF) BUILDING MAINTENANCE |
Engr. Emmanuel Ofori (IET) – [Link].” (PDF) BUILDING
MAINTENANCE | Engr. Emmanuel Ofori (IET) – [Link],
[Link]/35889648/BUILDING_MAINTENANCE. Accessed 6
Oct. 2022.
2. “Maintenance.” Maintenance – Designing Buildings,
[Link]/wiki/Maintenance. Accessed 6 Oct. 2022.
3 “What Is Building Maintenance? | MaintainX.” What Is Building
Maintenance? | MaintainX, [Link]/learning-center/building-
maintenance. Accessed 6 Oct. 2022.
1. “Maintenance of Buildings: Meaning, Aims and Types.” Your Article
Library, 19 July 2016,
[Link]/building-engineering/maintenance-of-buildings-
meaning-aims-and-types/85548.
2. Paul. “4 Common Types of Building Repair and Maintenance Services |
Remdal.” Remdal, 23 Apr. 2020, [Link]/blog/4-common-types-
building-repair- maintenance-services.