Maintenance
Property maintenance in Barbados
Sun, salt and rain are hard on buildings here, and small problems become big ones faster than people expect. Maintenance is the least glamorous money you will ever spend and by some distance the best value.
What we cover
- Repairs — masonry, render, joinery, doors, windows and ironmongery.
- Roof maintenance — clearing, re-fixing, flashings, gutters and downpipes.
- Waterproofing to flat roofs, terraces, balconies and wet areas.
- Painting and decorating, inside and out, prepared properly so it lasts more than one season.
- Damp investigation — finding where the water is coming from rather than covering the stain.
- Water tanks and pumps, cleaning, repair and replacement.
- Small alterations — a partition, a doorway, a fitted wardrobe, a bit of tiling.
- Preparing a property to let or to sell.
Scheduled maintenance
For rental properties, second homes and anyone who would rather not think about it, we set up a schedule: a defined list of checks and small works on a fixed visit cycle, with a short written report each time and photographs of anything that needs a decision.
Two visits a year around the roof, the gutters, the external paintwork, the tank and the drainage will prevent most of the expensive things that happen to buildings on this island.
Before and after the season
The most useful cycle here is a check in April or May — roof fixings, loose items, shutters, gutters, drainage — and again in December, to catch what the season did before it turns into a leak.
The cheap things that prevent expensive things
- Clearing gutters and downpipes
- Re-sealing around windows and doors
- Repainting exposed elevations before the coating fails
- Fixing a small roof leak in the month you notice it
- Keeping drainage running away from the building
- Treating rust stains on concrete early
No job too small
Plenty of builders will not come out for half a day's work. We will, because that is how people find out whether they want to give us a bigger job.
Common questions
Do you look after properties for owners who are off-island?
Yes, on a scheduled visit cycle with a written report and photographs each time.
Will you come out for a small job?
Yes. Small jobs are batched sensibly so they are not priced as if each one is a day out, and you are told when we can get there.
Can you find out where a leak is coming from?
That is most of the work. Water travels — where it appears is rarely where it enters. We trace it and fix the cause.
Other things we do
New Home Construction
Turnkey house building across Barbados — from a cleared lot to the keys, on a written programme and a fixed scope.
Read moreHouse Extensions
Ground-floor and upper-floor extensions tied properly into the existing house, with the planning application handled.
Read moreHome Renovations
Whole-house refurbishment of older Barbadian homes — structure, roof, wiring, plumbing and finishes.
Read moreKitchens & Bathrooms
Kitchen and bathroom refits managed as one job, so the trades follow each other instead of waiting on each other.
Read moreRoofing & Roof Repairs
Re-roofing, roof replacement and storm repair, built and strapped for hurricane wind loads.
Read moreConcrete & Blockwork
Blockwork, columns, beams, slabs and rendering — the structural core of a Barbadian building, done right.
Read moreGroundworks & Foundations
Site clearance, excavation, foundations, retaining walls, drainage and suck-wells on Barbados coral rock.
Read morePatios, Walls & Driveways
Patios, decks, boundary walls, driveways, pool surrounds and outdoor kitchens — built to live outside in.
Read moreHurricane Strengthening
Roof strapping, shutters, opening protection and post-storm repair, before and after the season.
Read moreConstruction Project Management
Running the whole job for you — drawings, approvals, trades, programme and payments — with one point of contact.
Read more