A year's care for an Auckland property

Auckland is mild, wet and salty. Rain falls in every month, with the odd very heavy fall, and July has more than twice as many wet days as January. The summer sun is hard on paint, and salt air reaches anything near the coast. A property here rarely fails in one dramatic event. It wears a little each season, and the care that keeps it sound is small work done at the right time.

This is the year I work to, outside and in, with the reason each job falls where it does. Most of them are a look, not a repair.

Autumn, March to May

Autumn is preparation. Auckland's wet days climb from about eight a month in March to thirteen in May, and whatever you fix now is something the winter cannot find.

March, the roof and the chimney. Look over the roof from the ground, with binoculars if you have them. Lifted or rusted flashings, loose fixings, cracked or slipped tiles, and moss or lichen holding water against the surface are small fixes now and leaks by July. Leave walking on the roof to a roofer. If you have a wood burner or an open fire, book the sweep. Fire and Emergency advises a clean before the first fire of the season.

April, spouting, downpipes and smoke alarms. Once the leaves are down, clear the spouting and flush every downpipe. Spouting that overflows keeps the fascia wet, and wet timber rots. The full routine is in Clear the spouting before the autumn rain. Daylight saving ends on the first Sunday in April. Test the smoke alarms monthly, as Fire and Emergency recommends, and use the clock change for the bigger check: vacuum the dust out of each alarm and read the expiry date on its base.

May, drains, gully traps and the heat pump. Clear the grates on the driveway channels, the sumps at the foot of the steps, and every gully trap. A gully trap's rim should sit at least 25 mm above paving and 100 mm above soil or grass, so surface water cannot pour into the wastewater. Every downpipe should run to the stormwater, never into a gully trap. Then the heat pump: wash the filters, clear around the outdoor unit, and book the service before the cold sets in. More in Heat pumps, filters, sizing and service.

Winter, June to August

Winter is observation. The wet shows you the weak points, so look while it is showing them.

June, ventilation. Check the bathroom fan and the rangehood both run, and both vent outside rather than into the ceiling space. Air the house for ten to fifteen minutes each morning and keep the rooms you use between 18°C and 21°C. Water on the windows every morning is a sign of too much moisture; Condensation and mould in winter covers what to do.

July, the ceiling space. July has the most wet days of the Auckland year. On a wet day, look into the ceiling space with a torch. Daylight where it should not be, damp or flattened insulation, and water stains on the timber around pipes, flues and skylights are leaks found early, while they are a flashing and not a ceiling.

August, the subfloor. After a week of rain, look under the house. Standing water, wet soil along one side, damp piles and a musty smell mean the drainage around the property is not coping. Bare ground under a suspended floor can give off as much as 40 litres of water a day for every 100 square metres, and a polythene ground moisture barrier is the standard fix. After heavy rain, where to look first has the full walk.

Spring, September to November

Spring is the wash and the walk-around. The weather dries out, and a clean house is the only kind you can inspect.

September, trees, gardens and the alarms again. Cut back anything touching the roof, the spouting or the walls; branches scour paint and leaves fill spouting. Keep garden beds and soil below the bottom of the cladding and clear of the subfloor vents. Daylight saving starts on the last Sunday in September, which makes it the second big alarm check of the year.

October, the house wash and the paint check. Wash the outside once a year with a house wash solution, a soft brush and a hose. Never use a water blaster on weatherboards. Wash under the eaves too, where the rain never reaches and salt builds up. Then walk the house in good light. Chalking, hairline cracks and lifting at the joins are a touch-up now and a bigger job later. Wash down and check the paint in spring is the painter's version.

November, decks, steps and balustrades. Wash the deck, check the fixings, and lean on the handrail. Press a thumbnail into the base of each post. Soft timber at the foot of a post holding up a balustrade is a question for a builder, not a paintbrush. A stained deck in full sun usually wants a maintenance coat about every two years.

Summer, December to February

Summer is the dry season, the one part of the year timber reliably dries out, so outside repairs and coatings belong here. Book the painter and the builder in spring.

December, water and plumbing. Before the holidays, check under every sink, around each toilet, the washing machine hoses and the outside taps. A slow leak in an empty house can run for weeks. Check the hot water cylinder is set to at least 60°C. Many cylinder guides also ask you to lift the relief valve's easing lever every six months to keep it free. If yours does, and the valve does not reseal afterwards, call a plumber.

January, exterior painting and repairs. Paint wants dry timber, mild air and no direct midday sun. Resene's guidance is not to coat timber above 17 per cent moisture content, and to apply waterborne paint above 10°C, finished early enough to dry before the evening dew. Rot repairs, resealing, window putty and deck recoats belong here too.

February, windows, doors and next year's list. Wash the aluminium joinery, every six months as a rule and more often near the sea, and clear the drainage slots in the sills so water can get out. Then write down what the year showed you: the stain that grew, the drain that pooled, the board that went soft. That list is next autumn's work.

What to do next

Most owners know the list. What slips is the timing, and the paperwork from each job. Your care plan in the Archive is set to these seasons and shows what is due now and why it matters, and the photos and invoices from each job sit on your record as it is done.

When a check finds more than a look can fix, call the trade for it: a roofer for flashings, a plumber or drainlayer for drains, a builder for soft timber, a painter for failing paint. If you would like a name, the Odyssey Network is the trades and suppliers we have worked with and trust.