A settlement’s maintenance system is a shared kit of ladders, probes, scrapers, trowels, ropes and tarps, a stock of spare roofing, plaster and fasteners sized to the rate things wear out, and a log that records what was found and fixed. Reed thatch lasting 25-40 years means 2.5-4% of its area is renewed each year, so stock follows the lifespans, not guesses.
Part of Building Maintenance Schedules
Maintenance systems and tools are the shared equipment, spare materials and records that make inspection and repair possible without a hardware store.
The Kit And The Stock Make The Schedule Possible
The maintenance guide covers the building types the settlement uses (straw bale, earthbag, earth-sheltered, timber frame, stone) and the stock to hold for emergencies: tarps, extra roofing, nails or fasteners and rope. It also describes the systems that tie the schedule together: weekly crews, a communal log and seasonal work parties (Community Maintenance Rotation). This article lists what the kit contains and how to size the stock from wear rates.
Worked Example: How Much Thatch To Keep In Stock
Inputs from the thatching guide (Thatching): reed lasts 25-40 years and long straw 15-25; a 3 m by 4 m building at 45 degrees takes 150-200 bundles on 17 m² of roof, so 9-12 bundles per square metre. Assumed: 40 thatched buildings of 17 m² each, 680 m² in all.
- Share of the roof renewed a year, if the whole roof wears out evenly over its life: reed 1 ÷ 40 = 2.5% to 1 ÷ 25 = 4%; straw 1 ÷ 25 = 4% to 1 ÷ 15 = 6.7%.
- Area a year (reed): 680 × 0.025 = 17 m² to 680 × 0.04 = 27 m².
- Bundles a year (reed): 17 × 9 = 153 to 27 × 12 = 324.
- Straw: 680 × 0.04 = 27 m² to 680 × 0.067 = 45 m², so 27 × 9 = 243 to 45 × 12 = 540 bundles.
The ridge wears out faster than the main coat and is renewed on its own cycle, so the real demand is above these figures. The thatching guide says to re-thatch in sections, the south-facing slope first, and the arithmetic shows why material has to be gathered a year ahead: reed is cut in late autumn or winter and bundles cure for 2-4 weeks.
What You Need
- Ladders: a long ladder and a roof ladder or crawl board
- Probes and gauges: a pointed probe, 6 mm and 12 mm gauge sticks, a tape, chalk, string and a line level
- Hand tools: scrapers, wire brushes, trowels, rakes, a billhook, a saw and a hammer
- Materials: tarps, battens, nails and fasteners, rope, plaster ingredients, spare sheets or tiles, thatching bundles, tar or pitch, lime putty
- The log board and a pencil, kept in the gathering hall
- Safe storage, dry and secure, with a named keeper
Method: Set Up And Keep The System
Step 1: List the roof and wall types in the settlement and the lifespan of each.
Step 2: Compute the yearly wear as in the example and set the stock for the next year.
Step 3: Gather material in its season: reed in late autumn or winter, straw at harvest, and cure thatch bundles for 2-4 weeks before they go on a roof.
Step 4: Assemble the kit, and sharpen and oil the tools (Tool Maintenance Station).
Step 5: Use a ladder correctly. As I recall from standard safety guidance, set it with the base one unit out for every four units of height, and extend it about 1 m above the eave so that you can step on and off. For a 3 m eave the base is 3 ÷ 4 = 0.75 m out and the ladder is √(3² + 0.75²) + 1 = 3.09 + 1.0 = 4.1 m long.
Step 6: Keep the log current after every job.
Common Mistakes
- No stock until a storm. There is no thatch or tarp to hand when the roof opens.
- Stock that has rotted in a damp store.
- Borrowing tools and never returning them. The keeper and the board prevent it.
- A ladder at a steep angle or footed on soft ground. It slides out.
Safety
Falls and rotten timber
Falls from ladders and roofs are the main danger of building maintenance. Foot and tie the ladder, work with a partner, spread weight with a crawl board, and test timber with a probe before stepping on it, because a rotted member fails under the person inspecting it. Keep tar, thatch and tools that can spark apart (Fire Safety & Suppression).
What’s Next
- Learn next: Chimney Cleaning Schedule — a job that needs its own tools
- Combine with: Community Maintenance Rotation — who uses the kit