Proposed maintenance plan

Introduction

The plan is for the proposed development that will be neat Central St. in Bolton town center. Maintenance is part of asset management where the goal is for the property to provide intended services and to be sustainable. There will be regular and cyclical or planned maintenance plans that will be used to ensure these goals are achieved. The materials installed in the building will be recorded in the BIM system where information on maintenance and management of the property will also be done.

Maintenance plan

The maintenance plan is related to the proposed redevelopment plan for a property near Bolton town center. The plan will be related to the buildings that are planned and surrounding areas whose effects are likely to affect the state of the to-be-developed property. There is a short-term and long-term maintenance plan for the property that will ensure the quality provision of intended services is not affected or interrupted by the state of the property. The aim of the plan is to ensure required standards of property are maintained as much as possible and strength of the property is maintained as required. A maintenance plan, being a continuous plan ought to be planned and implemented in a way to achieve the main goals of correction and prevention. This will ensure the property are safe and the cost of doing so, in the long run, is minimised. A maintenance plan is part of the asset management strategy as the other goal of maintenance is to ensure the value of the assets are maintained. The type of maintenance will depend on the nature of the property, its use, and the nature of the risk identified. Some will be carried out monthly, annually, or long-term in 2 to 5 years.

Management of the property follows BIM standards that utilises the following model. According to the model, management follows the needs of the customers, what the law says about such developments, the need for investors, and general regulation on commercial development in the area. The four form the organisational plan for the management of the property. This is a multi-agency project that requires input from various stakeholders to meet their various and varied needs.

According to Sanchez et al. (2014) Maintenance of the property will follow the requirements of the principal, who is the client. Maintenance will also depend on how important it is and the benefits derived from the clients. Maintenance is supposed to ensure goals for which this property was designed are maintained. BIM recommends the use of certain key performance indicators to measure and monitor the trend of realisation of benefits for which the property was designed. Other issues that are measured include productivity gains, disaster, and risk preparedness, and sustainability of the resources invested among other issues. These are the ones that will be used in determining when and on what resource maintenance will be done. The implication of this is also that data has to be collected to as deep details as possible to ensure types of resources installed have their data installed and schedule required repairs, and replacement among other issues.

Planned inspection

There will be an annual inspection of the property to assess any possible damage that may have occurred during that period. This will be done to ensure restore wear and tear damages that may have occurred in the process of delivering service to clients, misuse, or natural deterioration.

Facility Exterior

Inspection and maintenance will be done to ensure the building is visible not just to the residents but people that are interested in it. The address to the building will also be checked to ensure people in need to access it get proper guidance to the site. This is necessary as developments are done and some will not follow properly laid down procedures, vandalism could also be a reason for the removal and disappearance of proper road signs to the property. Where signs were placed, they may need repainting or face-lifting so that they do not appear to be neglected and illegible to people. Customers and other people unfamiliar with the property need to be properly directed and appropriate signs are one way to achieve this. The aim is to make the buildings easily accessible. Visibility from the road should be at least 4 inches high. Exits onto pubic areas are also to be checked annually as the need arises.

All obstructions, where applicable will be removed to ease access and exit from the property. In case of an emergency, exits will be needed from all sides. These will be checked annually. Developers will need to get in touch with owners of the property to assess how best to locate their buildings without obstructing those existing, which could be hazardous in the future in case emergencies arise. The allowance should allow entry and exit of equipment to the building in case they need to for repair, delivery, or response to an emergency.

Exterior lights around the buildings will need to be replaced where need be. Trees branches blocking lights, fallen light poles, and blown-out poles will need to be checked and replaced to ensure the facility is accessible. Low-maintenance LED lights that are cost-effective and long-lasting will be checked and installed where they were not used before. Where possible, small solar panels will be installed with a light sensor to turn on and off lights automatically. These are supposed to ensure the facility is secure and accessible at all times.

The external area of the property also has to appear to be in a good state of repair. Paintings need to be redone where need be and generally have to be attractive to the onlooker. Repainting will be scheduled to be done annually giving the properties a fresh look and making them appear to be well-maintained. Overgrown hedges will be trimmed to allow penetration of natural light into the building. However, trees will be maintained to control dust and purify the air around the building.

Windows will be checked for any cracks or broken panes. All cracks will be sealed, broken ones will be removed and replaced. Though some of these will be checked and replaced annually, others that affect people directly such as where they are in critical areas and customers need them to be replaced immediately. In such cases, the repair will be done at once. All windows and doors will be checked to ensure they are lockable, missing screens and glasses replaced, and rust or worn-out ones be replaced with new ones.

The foundation of the property will be checked for cracks and dampness. This will be done annually although inspection general assessment can be done at once when doing monthly checks and occupants can also be asked to report any cracks or anything unusual. During the inspection, any suspected problem with the foundation will be checked and appropriate action be taken immediately. 

Roof

The aim will be to assess any leakages, and conditions on eaves and soffits that will require to be painted and sealed. Roofs like foundations do not need regular major maintenance. As Weiler and Scholz-Barth (2011 ) noted, they do require maintenance like regular landscapes would where pruning, weeding, weed control, and plant nutrition are some of the practices. These are regular practices to spruce up the looks of the building.

The enclosure of the facility will be inspected to ensure there is no intrusion of animals or people that may be a bridge to the serenity or safety of the residents. Garbage and leaves will also be inspected to ensure there is appropriate disposal of them to create a clean environment. Drainage will also be assessed during this time to ensure it flows to designated waterways. Drainages, soak pits, and septic tanks will be checked to ensure they are in a sound state. This will be done annually.

Fences and gates will be inspected annually om general condition to ensure there are no broken wires, no wires are exposed and attached lights and security cameras are working as they should. These will also be cleaned and fittings replaced for them to be usable for the next five years. Under fences ought to be sealed to ensure no crawling under should be allowed. All crevices and cracks should be sealed. The top rail will also be secured safely during this annual maintenance. Such will require experts to physically assess them and recommend action to be taken for the whole period. When assessing gates, hinges, and locks should be in place, they should open and close securely or swing properly. This is key as the gates and walls will provide residents with the required privacy and security. Open retainers, where in place will also be checked during this time.

Parking area

Parking areas should be clean and easily accessible from the gate for members that need them. Removal of debris and trash will be a routine procedure that will be done weekly. To discourage visitors and residents from littering in this area, a person has to be assigned to clean this area regularly. If it is already clean, visitors may be discouraged from littering around. Trashcans will be replaced near the parking area for people to dispose of any waste as may be needed by customers. Keeping the environment clean will avoid lawsuits, and prevent diseases by keeping away rodents. According to Field and Tafuri (2006), parking area also needs to have good drainage that will allow the pavement to be dry at all times. This will also ensure the area lasts long and provides useful service.  Senn (2011) also recommended that lights should be checked regularly to restore them to working conditions where necessary. This will allow usage of the area in the dark hours.

Windows and doors

Windows and doors are used daily by residents and due to this frequency, they will need to be assessed if they open and close normally. Doors should be in good condition, locks should be working and glasses should be replaced if already broken. Seals should be checked if they are perfect when a door closes, they should be checked if they are water-sealed, and whether there is any resistance in closing and opening.  Patterson et al. (2015) noted that under the BIM management system, doors, and windows are ubiquitously considered as some of the areas that should be checked as they are digitally classified and captured as areas that need regular maintenance. These should be assessed monthly or biannually and in cases of emergency. The reason for this is that in case they are broken and need to be replaced, the process might be a major disruption to the lives of the occupants. Latches and locks are some of the components that need regular checking to avoid a case of a complete overhaul. These are checked under planned maintenance rather than waiting until they are broken. Regular reporting should also assist in planned maintenance of the same. Type and regular service will also vary with the type of doors installed (Piper & Piper, 2016). Users will also be asked to report any wear and tear or unexpected performance as soon as it is noticed.

Assessment of the external surrounding facility

This is assessed using the BIM databank where CAD information for Bolton is collected and stored in the system. Issues assessed include the stability of rocks and the natural environment, waste management, and outside landscape drainage systems for the area.

Flood management

Ordinary watercourses

Flooding is a risk that requires effective drainages to be checked and especially in the period prior to rainy seasons. Groundwater is not common in the area but will nevertheless require an assessment to avoid any possible losses. Using the CAD information provided, the site in question is located in an area classified as a primary aquifer which means its location is below a known natural water reservoir underground. According to Environment Agency (2010), this is an area that needs protection, and the agency has several means of doing that.  Utilisation of this resource can be safely done using superficial drift as per Groundwater Protection Policy. These areas have high intergranular or fracture permeability. Maintenance of the site will also be dine done to ensure principal aquifers are used sustainably and construction can affect the integrity of this resource. Data stored in the BIM will be used to map and assess the quality of water from this resource.  The stability of the rock is not likely to be affected though this will be done regularly in the long run such as every after 10 years to assess it.

Bolton Council is directly in charge of surface water, groundwater, ordinary watercourses, and highway drainage. Others are under Environmental Agency and United Utilities (Bolton Council, 2013). However, Bolton Council will need to coordinate with these to ensure they perform duties in their areas of jurisdiction. The management of the property will ensure the property has appropriate drainage that links to wider systems of the town council to contain and redirect water.

Drainages are the main avenues for water in runoffs. Given the identified risk of flooding from the above sources and the risk of them occurring without any warning, it is necessary to increase the width of these drainages to accommodate more water from all sources identified and to lead to designated areas. For ordinary watercourses, drainages will be made to help drain water into existing connections to divert it rather than into roads, residential areas, and other places where it is unwanted. Where there are culverts, they will be removed as part of the maintenance programme. Doing so will reduce land use problems. Where they will be used, they will be designed in such a way that they will not cause any resistance in water flow.

Monthly/ cyclical scheduled maintenance plan

These are considered risky preventive measures whose attention will prevent possible losses. They are mainly the immediate environs of the property and outside the building where residents will have direct contact with.

Security systems

The property will have installed alarms throughout which will ensure security and safety. Monthly inspection and maintenance plan will ensure all are working properly. Fire and smoke sensors will be assessed that they are operational. By using approved smoke aerosol tester cans, they will be used in the building to assess if they will activate the alarm. Also to be checked in this regard are battery efficiency, connections, housing conditions, and overall conditions to ensure it performs its function as expected. Self-testing intruder alarm systems should be installed and inspected so they are working at all times.

Gas connections will be inspected monthly. The aim of this is to ensure any gas leakage is detected early for response and cautionary steps to be taken immediately. As part of maintenance plans, occupants should be informed of actions to be taken in case gas odours are detected. It is possible the detectors can be faulty.

CCTV cameras and all installed equipment in the building will also be checked monthly. This will be to check their ability to collect information at all times and the ability for data to be retrieved by required officials. There is a need to ensure CCTV cameras are installed in all areas and that they are working properly. This will be useful in assessing intruders and data collection on materials and information that could be hazardous. Data from the cameras can also be useful in the assessment of how various resources in the building are used and this utilisation affects their repair and maintenance. This is part of the data that is stored in the systems where using BIM technologies, all data of the building is stored, and using intelligent 3D model designs, users can assess how the whole building is functioning. This is necessary to have a building for as long as desired. This is possible if all information about the building including materials and cost is incorporated into the design and construction process to enable the decision-making process in asset management. Thus, the asset management strategy is informed by data collected in the area and specific property.

Although there is no data on previous lightning cases in the area, it is necessary for adequate protection to be in place. Lighting protection installation will be checked annually. This inspection will involve an assessment of the conductor system where spikes will be checked and conducted with the conductor and earth rod. All tapes used and fastenings used for joinery should be checked annually to ensure they are in working condition at all times.

The roof solar heating system will also be checked annually. This is to ensure the desired efficiency is maintained and where possible replacements made when the rest of the parts in the building are undergoing maintenance. Internal heating elements such as induction coils should also be checked annually as well and replacements made to guarantee service for another year before another service can be done. Water tanks and water pipes that are exposed in the open should be protected against frost during winter seasons.

Firefighting equipment should be checked annually. All of the cans and tubing will be assessed to ensure they are in working condition. All of them will be checked annually and used once replaced. The position should be assessed to be accessible in case of an emergency and all obstructions removed as necessary.

Interior facility

Floors are an important part of the property whose type will also need regular maintenance. Although these should be reasonably strong and need little or no maintenance, misuse or accidents such as fallings sharp objects will cause them to develop nicks that may widen with time due to the weakening of the area. According to Panchdhari (1998), terrazzo floors may need grinding but not concrete. The latter will require lying of PVC carpets and where cracks are noted, they will be sealed with resin or cement. Maintenance schedules will be to ensure these extents are not reached.  Schalitz (2010) noted that there is a need to use high-quality materials that will guarantee long-term usage with low maintenance. The floors of this building will be scrubbed and recoated as soon as they show signs of wear, otherwise, they ought to be covered with a material that will prevent fast deterioration. Where tiles are used, there might be a need for additional grouting to improve the water seal.

Maintenance for walls will be done to ensure there are no holes and paint that was applied remains fresh and attractive. This will require annual checks as they are not exposed to external harsh climates as their inner sides. As was noted by Olanrewaju and Abdul-Aziz (2014) maintenance of internal walls may not be as critical but this will be done for image and marketing purposes. This means that regular painting will be done on the interior walls, especially in the kitchen where shades of smoke can be noted to suggest old and poorly maintained buildings. Drywalls should be sealed where there are cracks using either spackle or caulk or as may be recommended.

Inside the buildings, electrical fittings such as switches, sockets, lamp holders, and bulbs will be checked to ensure there are not any loose connections and that each part is firmly secured into place. Firm receptacles should always be checked to ensure they hold the appliance in place. All broken parts will be replaced during this annual or cyclical maintenance schedule.

In the ceiling, the tiles will be checked if they are in place, and all lights and ceiling fans where they were installed. There should be no hanging cables from the roof and all ducts in the houses will be cleaned as necessary. The type of ceiling material used will determine the type of maintenance used for each of the buildings. However, they will be given a new look through polishing.

The kitchen is one area that is frequently used and one that needs regular maintenance. All gas fixtures and electric fittings will be checked. Old pipes are to be replaced not a matter of routine rather than when one is already worn out. The same will happen to all kitchen electrical appliances that tend to draw huge currents. Water faucets also need to be checked if they are in working condition and if no water leaks are detected. The kitchen and toilet sewage system should be working fine and burners should be changed and repaired for those that are not functioning properly. Williams recommended that to keep up the value of the property, additional amenities such as garbage disposal, and trash compactor should be added. The floor and furniture such as cabinets should be checked to ensure they are closed with uniform gaps by adjusting hinges. Lighting should be adequate ins this sensitive area. Similarly, cabinets and sinks for bathrooms ought to be checked.

References

Environment Agency, 2010. Aquifers. [Online]

Field, R. & Tafuri, A. N. eds., 2006. The Use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in Urban Watersheds. Lancaster: Destech Publications.

Olanrewaju, A. L. & Abdul-Aziz, A.-R., 2014. Building Maintenance Processes and Practices: The Case of a Fast Developing. New York: Springer.

Panchdhari, A. C., 1998. Maintenance Of Buildings. New Delhi: New Age International.

Paterson, G., Harty, J. & Kouider, T., 2015. Getting to Grips with BIM: A Guide for Small and Medium-Sized Architecture. New York: Routledge.

Piper, J. E. & Piper, J. E., 2016. Operations and Maintenance Manual for Energy Management. New York: Routledge.

Sanchez, A. X., Hampson, K. D. & Mohamed, S., 2014. Sydney Opera House case Study Report. [Online]

Schalitz, W. J., 2010. Technology of Floor Maintenance and Current Trends, Issue 1448. Washington: ASTM International.

Senn, M. A., 2011. Commercial Real Estate Leases: Preparation, Negotiation, and Forms. New York: Aspen Publishers Onlin.

Weiler, S. & Scholz-Barth, ‎., 2011 . Green Roof Systems: A Guide to the Planning, Design, and Construction of. New York: John Wiley & Sons.