Page 12 - Chicago Cooperator Spring 2019
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12 THE CHICAGOLAND COOPERATOR   — SPRING 2019   CHICAGOCOOPERATOR.COM  EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE  W  hen you close your eyes and pic-  ture any building, you are quite   likely imagining its facade – the   outer shell which protects and contains all   of the hustle and bustle that goes on within.   In a residential property, the facade is what   separates a building's occupants from both   elements and intruders. As such, it's impera-  tive that the facade be inspected, maintained   and serviced regularly to ensure that it's   secure and functioning as intended. For a   community association, the responsibility   to do this falls on the board or management.   While methods and routines may differ, fa-  cade care should be a major priority for ev-  ery association.  (Non-)Moving Pieces  The standard facade consists of many   parts – and all must be in working condi-  tion, lest the greater structure start to falter.  “We look at building exteriors – or the   building 'envelope' – as a system of vari-  ous components: the roof, trim, windows,   exterior cladding (including shingles, clap-  boards, brick, EIFS \\\[exterior insulation fin-  ishing system\\\], etc.) and all related flashings   and details,” explains Robert H. McBride,   CEO of the Dartmouth Group, a property   management firm in Bedford, Massachu-  setts. “It is very difficult – and arguably un-  wise – to look at any of these individually;   they're all integrated in order to provide the   intended function of protecting the building   structure and interiors, primarily from wa-  ter intrusion.”  The manager and/or relevant board   members should develop a familiarity with   the facade of their building or buildings   to  better  assess  when  something may be   amiss. “It becomes clear that a repair, or at   least a professional consultation, is neces-  sary through day-to-day inspections,” says   Frank Anastasi, Manager of the Riverwood   Community Association in Port Charlotte,   Florida. Leave your facade to its own devices   for too long and “you'll start to notice rot, re-  ceive more complaints regarding leaks from   homeowners, see paint failure or cracked   wood... the general appearance just begins   to look quite bad,” Anastasi says. He further   adds: “And you should know the useful life   of your facade via your reserve report, at   which time you should be able to assess if   things are not looking so good, visually.”  A failure to properly assess root causes   or smaller signs of wear can have that Band-  Aid-over-a-bullet-hole effect, where you're   only treating symptoms of a larger problem,   rather than curing it. “When individual,   piecemeal repairs are no longer feasible or   cost effective, it may be time to consider a   major repair,” warns Kelli Rick, a property   manager with Draper and Kramer, Incorpo-  rated, in Chicago.   Root Causes  In order to identify both that there is a   problem, and from whence that problem   comes, it helps to understand the main   causes of facade deterioration, and the tell-  tale signs that it may have already taken   hold.  “So many factors play into this, includ-  ing weather, lack of preventive maintenance,   building  movement,  construction  mate-  rial quality, age...” says Rick. “The important   thing to remember is that small problems   become big ones when not addressed. Look   for cracks, concrete spalls, metal flashing   deterioration, failing window seals, interior   leaks... it all depends on the type of facade.   And hopefully it doesn't come to this, but   chunks falling off the building is definitely   a red flag.”  “Depending on the nature of the con-  struction – i.e., clapboard versus masonry   – signs of deterioration may or may not be   evident,” adds McBride. “In clapboard – or   wood, vinyl, cement siding such as Har-  diPlank – telltale signs are usually rot, peel-  ing paint or interior leaks. The most im-  portant next step is to stop; do not simply   replace the rotted material or repaint. It's   critical to find the source of any water pen-  etration. In our experience, nine out of 10   times, the source is a failure in the installed   flashing. A comprehensive investigation   should be conducted in order to determine   if the problem is isolated or systemic. It's key   to investigate intersections – i.e., roof-to-  wall, wall-to-sidewall, or roof-to-chimney,   and so on. During this process, an assess-  ment  of  the  underlying  structure  needs   be made. Is there extensive rot in the wall   sheathing? Are window sills and frames rot-  ted? Is there extensive deflection or sagging   of roof sheathing?”  Another issue at play here is of course   cost. Lack of maintenance by an associa-  tion can stem from the attitude that doing   preventive or major work would just be too   expensive, and as such the board may adapt   an 'ignorance is bliss' mindset.   “Generally,  as  siding  gets  older  and  a   building is increasingly worn down by the   weather, the cost to take care of everything   starts  to  build,  eventually  requiring  much   more money than it originally did,” says   Anastasi. “Eventually things look really bad,   and they have to be replaced. Generally,   communities like to stretch things out, \\\[and\\\]   unfortunately associations often fail to do a   great job saving for the future. When build-  ings get to a point where siding needs to be   replaced, the association does not have time   on its side, so phasing things in isn't an op-  tion. These scenarios require an immediate   assessment, and most associations will go   out and get a loan, then spread the financial   burden out over time, thereby not severely   financially  impacting  all  of  the  residents.   And some associations use a combination of   reserve money as well as that loan to lessen   the financial impact.”  What to Expect When You're Expecting   (Facade Work)  When a major facade project is unavoid-  able, there are decisions a board must make,   including choice of vendor, the timeline for   the project (and its potential disruption of   normal residential activity), cost, impact on   curb appeal, etc. It's important to partner   Facade Repair and Restoration  How to Know When It’s Time   BY MIKE ODENTHAL  ISTOCKPHOTO.COM  continued on page 14


































































































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