The Hard Truth: Is It Really Worth Skipping Commercial Structural Maintenance?

When you run a business or own a commercial premises, it’s easy for commercial structural maintenance to slip from your to-do list. But, by doing so, are you setting yourself up for a nasty surprise and even failure?

What Is Meant By Structural Maintenance?

If you don’t know what something is, how can you know if you need it? And with a term like commercial structure maintenance, it can be easy to get confused. This is because it covers a wide range of activities, all of which are important.

An example of regular maintenance of a structure would be fixing any aesthetic damage caused by structural issues. For instance, when foundations sink and shift, it can lead to small cracks in plaster and walls. While these cracks may not be a structural concern — they do not make the space unsafe — they are definitely something worth repairing. Other wear and tear repairs, like fixing a loose door handle or repairing a broken air conditioning unit also count as structural maintenance. Essentially, when it comes to your commercial property and structural maintenance, it’s about making sure that the space is functional for its intended purposes and everyone who uses the space can feel comfortable.

What Is Structural Repair?

So where does structural repair come into this equation if general wear-and-tear repairs are part of maintenance?

Structural repairs definitely do still fall under the definition of structural maintenance, however, they’re more concerned with the big issues. While a cracked wall may be a turn-off for customers or a wobbly desk may be frustrating for employees, structural issues can be downright dangerous. For instance, significant cracks in the walls or ceilings, sinking foundations, and wind and water damage are all examples of structural damage. Rather than just making the space a bit uncomfortable and less efficient than ideal, they can pose a real risk to everyone in the space and lead to further damage to the building. Hence, structural repairs are critical and should not be ignored or put off for long.

Luckily, structural damage can be repaired. How much it will cost to repair the structural damage, though, will depend on the extent of the damage and the repairs required.

Why Is Regular Maintenance Important for the Safety of Structures?

Clearly, structural repairs shouldn’t be ignored, but surely it’s okay to let things slide with commercial structure maintenance? The answer is a firm no.

For the Health & Wellbeing of Those Using the Space

Whether it’s your employees, customers or clients, commercial structural maintenance is for their benefit, and, by extension, yours. For instance, would you want to work in or frequent a business that felt like it had seen better days, with hairline cracks across every plaster board? Chances are, you’d look for somewhere else that felt well-cared for and made you feel good.

For Catching Issues Early Before They Become Big Problems

As part of your regular commercial structural maintenance, your building will be regularly inspected for potential issues that may require structural repairs. This allows you to stay ahead of any problems that could compromise the structural integrity of your building. You can then plan time for repairs and budget for any repair expenses, and potential loss of income over the repair period, to best suit your needs. If you were having to address a large-scale problem, you would need to act quickly and would have to wear the cost, no matter how inconvenient or devastating.

For instance, while cracks in walls can only be a sign of plaster having shifted and not pose a structural threat, they can indicate bigger problems elsewhere. Your regular maintenance team will know what to look out for and where further investigation is required.

For Ultimate Cost-Effectiveness

Speaking of cost and catching things early, regular maintenance is the far more cost-effective way of approaching structural issues and repairs. This is because you are only paying a small amount at any given time, as you are likely only having to deal with small issues, like a few small cracks in concrete or the very beginning of a sinking foundation, rather than wide-scale structural problems.

For Addressing Problems Caused By Extreme Events

With extreme weather becoming a more common occurrence, it’s important that we take the damage it can do seriously. While regular maintenance can’t fully prevent damage from happening, it can ensure that your building is as prepared as possible by keeping its structural integrity high.

Similarly, when damage does occur, like from strong winds or heavy rain, it does not always present as a major issue. It may instead quietly work away at your building until suddenly it is a problem that needs to be dealt with immediately. However, if you have a commercial structural maintenance team regularly working in and inspecting your building, you’re more likely to catch the issue while it’s small, as discussed above. You also will have someone you can trust to fix it quickly!

For Keeping Your Commercial Premises Looking Their Best

While the saying may be that “First impressions matter”, when you’re dealing with a business, every subsequent impression is just as important. If you go somewhere and get great service one day and terrible the next, would you really be willing to give the place another go? You want to be able to present a consistent, best image to the world, and commercial structural maintenance plays a role in this.

Simple things like a neat, functional space can go a long way and be more effective and easy to implement than updating your premises to meet the newest trends or constantly upgrading the technology you use. At the same time, it also helps to maintain, if not improve the value of your property. This is because it’ll be in good condition and potential buyers won’t have to factor in renovations or repairs as part of their overall buying price.

Find a Structural Maintenance & Repair Service That Does It All!

Obviously, there’s a lot to be gained from having regular commercial structure maintenance as part of your business plan. But the question is who do you trust with this vital job? If you’re in Melbourne, you’re in luck, because you can turn to Galaxy City. Experienced professionals who work to meet your needs and requirements, our commercial structural maintenance and repair services are wide ranging but always the best. We can tackle structural concrete repairs and more, rectifying them quickly, before handling any aesthetic issues these problems have caused. This ensures that your building is standing strong and looks great too. Get in touch with us today to set up your regular commercial structure maintenance or to organise any repairs.