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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
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
7
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A buildings envelope is what separates the transition between the inner and outside wall, it is also what protects the sheathing from the elements of weather. The windows are the first to be installed and prepared for a building envelope to be successful in redirecting and water even if there is a breach or a leak, the industry call this a drainage dam. It is constructed by installing a strip of sloped wood on the bottom sill situated on the inside of the window rough opening ledge. This area then gets a primer application and wrapped with a rubber like membrane material called Soprema, on the outside of the bottom of the windows rough opening, a cut section of building paper is attached to an extended flap of Soprema making it look at the base of the window like its an apron somewhat. After this the window is installed into the rough opening on top of the newly built drainage dam and fastened to the building, then the sides and top of the window receive primmer and Soprema placed on top of and surrounding the nailing flange of the window should water ever get in the window area it will drain down to the bottom of the window onto the drainage dam out onto the apron. After the double layer of building paper has been applied to the buildings exterior the apron is placed on top allowing the water to now naturally drain onto the drainage plain. The double papering of your building believe it or not is the single most important part of a building envelope being successful. Often this part of the construction is done by the least experienced workers and is the single largest reason for building envelope failure we call this reverse lapping.
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9:45
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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
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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Feb
16
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- How many people in your company have over 15 years experience in running projects worth over 2 million.
- What kind of project is your main discipline of work? How many building envelope restorations has your company successfully completed?
- What was the dollar value for these projects, and in detail, your scope of work?
- Upon receiving the award of these projects what was the preset completion date? Did you meet the deadline; if not can you explain why and how late you were to project completion?
- Was your price based on a change order process or a preset contingency percentage?
- What was the price before you started the project, and what was cost at the completion date?
- Have you had any accidents or safety infractions? If so can you explain why and if not can we review your safety documentation from 2 of your projects.
- How many complaints have you received for lack of performance for work being performed in an owners or tenant’s suite?
- Can we review 2 of your projects and contact the board for confirmation?
- Are you or your company involved in any litigation with a condo board, an owner or a condominium corporation?
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10:41
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Jan
26
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There are a few obvious signs of leaky condo syndrome, a building with a stucco finish will have a deep dark staining that never seems to go away, this is a sign that the water is leaking directly behind the stained stucco and in most cases will get trapped, most noticeable around and below windows . The water at this point general penetrates inside the outer wall being generally, plywood, OSB, or exterior grade drywall. The later tell tale sign that your building envelope has failed is that you will see dark stains on the interior walls, around window trim, along baseboards even on the ceilings. You may or may not also see water damage around these locations. If the dark staining occurs it is likely to be mold! There are many species of mold and building materials are an excellent habitat for mold to foster growth.
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1:19
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Jan
23
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MY CONDO IS ROTTING AND MOLDY! - The first concern always is you and your families safety and heath, the first thing you do is inform your condo board members in writing and property manager if you have one, the next step is you must have your condo unit tested to verify what level of mold spores are air born in your suite, yes air born. This test will determine your immediate risk. After that has been confirmed, generally your property manager will have sources that can com in and determine the severity of the damage and rot to deconstruct and reconstruct the problem areas. This can be an isolated incident but generally with how water travels, this most likely will be happening with your neighbour’s suites. If this is the case then it will become a problem that generally all the owners of the condominium complex will get involved and share the burden of engineering and construction costs.
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19:44
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