A house shelters a family for 50 years and more, therefore understanding the cost of maintenance should be considered at the inception of the project. This evaluation is referred to as whole life appraisal which is further based on the functional lifecycle of a project.

Here, how the building performs to its function and stands the test of time is evaluated. These evaluations include for example, cost of maintenance of the building; further detailed into cost of materials, general day to day cleaning expenses, servants, repairmen costs, replacements, effect on health and environment, time-cost and time required/ invested in doing the above.

What are the important elements you miss out on when you try to cut corners and save cost, that eventually incur heavy maintenance expenses.