Building and grounds maintenance costs can often feel like they're eating up your budget, which is why we've outlined a number of ways to reduce costs on your next project at your boarding school. With smart planning and a few tips from experienced Queensland building maintenance professionals, you can keep costs to a minimum.
Make it a habit to plan ahead
Emergency fixes will always be more costly than planned and preventative maintenance. If you’ve noticed missing roof tiles or a crack in the wall, it’s already too late for the most cost-effective maintenance option.
When planning a building maintenance budget for your boarding school, we recommend costing out a proactive maintenance schedule and sticking to it. Regular, preventative maintenance will keep disruptions to a minimum and help keep your costs manageable. Check out our guide to school building maintenance programs for more information about what a program can cover, and how it can help you manage costs.
Always start with the worst problems
Even if you’re planning to transition to a preventative maintenance schedule, instead of tackling reactive projects, you’ll need to determine where to start playing catch-up. To reduce your boarding school maintenance costs overall, start by fixing the problems that are deteriorating the fastest.
Implement an asset management system
An asset management system will help you track the status and performance of your assets in as close to real-time as possible. While there are software solutions available to help with this, even a manual system will help keep track of important data on assets from their installation, through operation, maintenance and upgrades. Knowing the exact status of your assets can help you schedule repairs while fixes are still minor, saving you money in the long run. You’ll also know exactly when you need to replace an asset, giving you time to work it into the annual budget rather than having to scramble for funds last-minute.
Leverage economies of scale
Whether you’re following a preventative maintenance schedule, or need to do some reactive maintenance, leveraging economies of scale can reduce your costs by systematically tackling what needs to be done. Contracting a reputable company to complete a group of tasks will save you time, effort and money as, for example, service providers need only one orientation to your project and grounds.
Check your school's HVAC systems regularly
Badly managed HVAC systems (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) can bring in huge unexpected maintenance costs. If one of your units malfunctions or stops working altogether, fixes will be costly — as they often need to be addressed immediately. We recommend inspecting your HVAC systems at least twice a year, and adding each unit to your asset management system to avoid surprises.
Don’t be afraid of calling on experts
Knowing how to reduce building maintenance costs is a skill that develops over time. In some cases, it may actually be more cost-effective to seek out professional help from an expert maintenance provider.
Most reputable maintenance providers will provide a free, no-obligation quote, which can be a great way to assess whether your estimated budget is all-encompassing.
Our First Response Maintenance Solutions team is happy to help you cost out and plan for your next project and answer any questions you may have. Get a quote or contact our team today.