Beware of old spouting
Awell-built home is a joy to own, but maintaining it requires some protection, especially during the cold, wet months now setting in.
Spouting is one of a home’s most vital lines of defence. Should it fail, timber and paintwork can rapidly deteriorate as dampness and mould spread unseen through ceilings and walls.
As an aspect of home care, spouting is easy to overlook. However, upgrades can yield immediate and lasting payoffs, both shoring up a property’s existing value and producing a modern new look.
Streamline Spouting Systems is one of the region’s leading installers of high-grade continuous spouting, along with matching fascia covers to protect timber framing.
A wide range of attractive, natural colours are available. For added peace of mind, the company can also fit snow straps to an average sized home for just a few hundred dollars, providing valuable reinforcement in a winter storm.
Owner Danie Van Biljon often assesses spouting for insurance companies and says for a lot of people damage
can be hard to spot. Gutters that are out of kilter might look fine to the untrained eye but with heavy rain they can cause water to pool and overflow. Support brackets can also buckle if previously weakened.
Danie says the key message now is one of timing, with the opportunities to make improvements becoming more limited.
‘‘We’ve been painting a lot of fascia boards in recent months but there are only going to be a few more days when the weather is good enough for that. We can still do the fascia covers but it’s time to start making those plans,’’ he says.
Streamline Spouting Systems provides services across Canterbury and much of the West Coast, offering free quotes and a long track record of quality workmanship.
Danie says as wider building work tapers off, a growing number of inexperienced installers are being tempted to try their hand at spouting, making it more important than ever people choose a firm they can trust will be around to back their work in years to come.