Give Your Auckland Home a Spring Check

Spring in Auckland can be unpredictable. Warm sunny days can quickly give way to wind and heavy rain, sometimes all in the same week.

It’s also when we start spending more time outside, opening the house up and thinking about summer. That makes it a great time to take a quick walk around your property and see what might need some attention.

Look down

We tend to think of the ground beneath our homes as solid and unchanging, but Auckland has a mixture of clay rich and volcanic soils.

Clay rich soils can swell when wet and shrink as they dry. With spring bringing both rain and warmer drying days, keep an eye out for anything new, such as cracks, movement in paving or doors that have suddenly started sticking.

Also look for ground that remains unusually wet or boggy around the house.

Follow the rain

A good Auckland downpour is one of the best times to check your drainage.

Are gutters overflowing? Are downpipes taking water away from the house? Is water pooling somewhere it shouldn’t?

This is especially important on sloping properties where water can naturally be directed towards the house or retaining walls.

While you’re there, check retaining walls for any obvious movement, cracking or erosion.

Look around

Spring growth can quickly hide parts of your home.

Trim plants that are growing against cladding or blocking ventilation, clear leaves and debris from gutters and drains, and check branches around the roof.

Take a quick look over paintwork, cladding and exterior joinery too. Small maintenance jobs are usually much easier to deal with before they become bigger ones.

Give outdoor areas a clean

After months of damp weather, decks, paths and shaded outdoor areas can build up dirt, moss, mould and algae.

Apart from looking tired, these surfaces can become surprisingly slippery when they’re wet. Spring is a good time to give them a clean and check what’s underneath once the grime is gone.

Look for loose or deteriorating deck boards, raised fixings and any movement in steps, handrails or balustrades.

Be a little careful with the water blaster too. Too much pressure can damage timber surfaces rather than simply cleaning them.

Open things up

With doors and windows staying open longer, think about how air moves through your home.

Rooms that remain stuffy, damp areas or ongoing condensation can point to ventilation, moisture or insulation issues.

And insulation isn’t only about winter. A well insulated home can also help keep heat out as Auckland starts warming up.

Think about how you’ll use your home this summer

Once the outdoor areas are clean and you’re starting to use them again, think about whether they actually work for you.

Does the deck need more shade or shelter? Does it connect well with your living areas? Did you use it as much as you expected last summer?

Sometimes living with a space tells you more about what needs changing than any design plan can.

And if you’ve been thinking about a new kitchen or bathroom, an extension, deck or better outdoor living area, spring is a good time to start the conversation. Design, budgets, engineering and council requirements can all take time before building begins.

At Kingdom Construction, we help Auckland homeowners make more of the homes they already have, from renovations and extensions to outdoor living and the challenges of building on sloping sites.

So while you’re giving the house its spring clean, take a look at what could work better too.

Summer will be here before you know it.