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Aug
24
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Korr Building Sciences and Consulting provides solutions for Mould Testing and Mould Removal Services as well as Reconstruction of the interior and exterior of your building or home.
Mould contamination can be a problem if you have had:
- Flooding
- Seepage into a basement
- Water tanks or pipes leaking or bursting
- Chronic or persistent dampness, high humidity and/or window frosting and water condensation
- Crawlspace issues
- Construction issues
Moulds are microscopic fungi that are highly adapted to grow and produce rapidly. Moulds can grow on wood, paper, carpet, and insulation.
Mould growth accumulates when excessive moisture or water is present from leaky windows, decks, roofs and foundations.
Moulds produce allergens , irritants, and, toxic substances called mycotoxins. Mould spores may cause an allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Allergic symtomes include hay fever, sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash. Allergic reactions to mould are common and can be immediate or delayed. In addition, mould exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs .
Contact your physician immediately to protect you and your family.
Certain strains of Mould is a recognized heath hazard, these strains have been connected to heath problems such as allergies, aspergilloses, and mycotoxin poisoning.
The Strands of mould most commonly linked to health issues that are present due to excess water or moisture are Aspergillus, Penicillium, Stachybotrys.
Contact us at Korr Building Sciences and Consulting for all your Mould questions.
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18:11
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Jun
27
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To the surprise of many, Alberta does not have any building code for multi-family or high rise condo building exteriors. The City Of Calgary has taken upon itself to start inspecting single family homes to ensure the builders are completing their projects properly however this division at the City is very small. That all said the people in this division are new to the practices that are standard with building science Engineers and specialists. Codes for this portion of building have been in place for several years in Ontario and British Columbia, why not in Alberta, good question there are many trying to change this. It is individual people, owners and complaints that will ultimately drive and lobby the Government of Alberta to change these codes provincially. Until that time you can check out this blog and keep up to date.
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13:12
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Jun
21
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There is a few ways a condo corporation can finance a condo partial or complete reclad project. In most cases this will be the single most expensive expense a condo corporation will endure. This can be very stressful to unit owners as typically it is addressed by what is called a special assessment. This is especially hard for new first time owners as they tend not to have a lot of equity in their home to borrow against it, to further make this difficult is the mortgage holder may view the unit in a devalued light. In many cases this cost can be considerable and in the thousands for each owner, sometimes up to6 digits per owned unit. In any case there are situations where some owners can’t raise these funds in which case ultimately lead into foreclosure by the condo corporation. This is a very troubling situation for the all involved. The good news is that there are options to that scenario. Financing is available through a select few capital companies and small financial institutions. The interesting part of this is these are not mortgages these are set up as loans to the condo corporation, the structures of these loans are surprisingly flexible and very quick to obtain(within 1 week approval). There are many different ways to structure the loans some owners may want to do the special assessment while others would prefer to finance their portion this one of the few benefits these capital companies can help you with. If financing is an avenue your condo corporation is interested in contact us and we will reply to you with a list.
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13:08
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Jun
15
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Board members for condominium corporations is a donated position to overlook and execute decisions for the owners as a whole in a condo corp. It is amazing that any position on a board is free, considering the time and responsibility these people carry no charge. At the best of times this job can be trying, but when there is a crisis such as a leaky condo syndrome or project on the horizon this stress can be overwhelming. This is the time that any board requires the full support of the other owners and tenants to find and execute a clear path to resolve the problem together. Due to the specialized nature building science restorations it is imperative to partner with engineers and contractors that mirror you needs and expectations such as schedules, management, communication, response time etc. All say they can deliver this but seldom is that the case. I have seen time and time again boards and unit owners to instinctively immediately take low bid only to find out down the road that it was low bid for a reason, all for front bidders if you have four or less should always be interviewed prior to contractor selection, this allows a board as a group to see who they are comfortable with. Partnerships are not only about dollars and cents they are also about, commitment, compatibility, happiness, achieving goals together and trust. If you can add to this list of partnership benefits please do.
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13:08
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Apr
15
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A drainage plain is simply the area between the paper and the finished building exterior component such as siding, conventional stucco, or an efis application etc. this area between the wall is somewhat expected that there can be water present in this area of the envelope. Its sole purpose is to allow the water to drain down the wall and exit at the bottom of the wall system through drainage ports. This can be a woven plastic mat or can be pre formed groves on the back of foam panels(styrofoam) mainly used on concrete buildings with a glue on application, or just a void between conventional and the building paper. This is very important that the paper does not have a reverse lap. A reverse lapping of paper happens when a non trained worker installs the paper with the over lap facing to the top this allows water running down the paper above immediate entrance into the wall and creates a trap for the water to penetrate into the interior walls.
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9:56
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Apr
1
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Insurance is tricky these days many people believe that they are fully covered and that their agent ensures that they have the best coverage. However, most policies don’t cover moisture damage, most people confuse this with flood damage that is also confused with the standard sewer backup damage the later is quite often a shock to people that if the sewer doesn’t back up then the repair cost are their own. This can be serious amounts of money, you need to be very specific and ask for attached riders on your policy. In most cases the cost is low for this but often overlooked.
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9:43
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Mar
24
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Alberta (Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer & BC (Vancouver) restoration general contractor launches new web site! Looking for a general contractor that has over 25 years of restoration/renovation, mold removal/remediation, new construction, design build, high-rise restorations, condo renovations, new commercial construction experience? Check this construction management general contractor out!
General Contracting Construction Management, Calgary, Edmonton Alberta & Vancouver BC, Canada
Providing construction management and consulting services, general contracting for condominiums, high rise multi family dwellings, including commercial, residential and commercial projects.
design-build condo high rise restoration contractor
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23:08
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Mar
24
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The first and most critical task when buying/purchasing any condo for first time buyers as well as experienced investors is, you must fully understand the bylaws of the condo corporation. You should have a lawyer review the documents for you, but it is advisable that you also fully understand the conditions and terms of the condo corporation.
After you are confident that you understand these documents then communication should commence by email with a condo board representative if you are purchasing a condo from a board member be sure that your emails are directed to an alternate member of the board. These should include questions like has there been any discussions regarding future special assessments or are any currently planned. What is the equity of the reserve fund, and its pan for the future. Has there ever been any moisture problems, or leaks of the windows.
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9:43
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Feb
26
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Each policy can different from one insurance company to another. You need to review your home owner’s policy and ask your representative to clearly explain what coverage if any you may have for mold. Always ask if there are others options to add on a trailer policy, some of these that offer more coverage can be as follows:
- Environmental liability policy
- Director and officers liability policy
- National New home
When you hire a Building Envelope Engineer or a Building Restoration Contractor they should be able to determine whether your insurance policy covers mold remediation. Mold inclusive insurance, if you don’t have it, is highly recommended to add to your policy even if your building is newly competed, this will be very advantageous if you building is determined after testing that you have level 2 or level 3 category remediation work required.
WHY TEST FOR MOLD?
Certain strains of Mold is a recognized heath hazard, these strains have been connected to heath problems such as allergies, aspergilloses, and mycotoxin poisoning.
While not all mold is harmful, growth of any micro organisms in occupied building should not be allowed. Testing helps determine the hazard level and how to handle them safely.
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10:47
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Feb
21
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- How many contractors do you use when you are tendering a bid?
- Where have these contractors performed work with you? Can we get the boards contact?
- Who of these contractors have completed projects for you on time and on budget?
- What were these projects that have been completed on time and or on budget, who would we contact on those boards?
- If a project goes past the preset completion date do your fees remain the same? If not who is responsible for this cost, you, the contractor, or does this expense revert back to the board to pay.
- Who determines the time required for successful completion of any given project? The engineering firm or the contractors.
- When you give a budget price for construction costs what is considered an acceptable plus or minus percentage for cost variables.
- What percentage of your completed projects are within 10% of your initial estimated budget and does the percentage reflect the added time or is the project delayed considerably more on average.
- When you do the minutes of a project are there companies that require less supervision and inspection than others.
- Do you have a select group of building envelope restoration companies you like to work with? Can you provide us a detailed rating for quality and performance of 2 projects for each of these contractors?
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10:42
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