Page 16 - Nevada Cooperator Expo March 2019

16 THE NEVADA COOPERATOR
—MARCH 2019
NEVADACOOPERATOR.COM
Facade Repair and Restoration
How to Know When It’s Time
BY MIKE ODENTHAL
W
hen you close your eyes and management firm in Bedford, Massachu-
picture any building, you are setts. “It is very difficult – and arguably where you’re only treating symptoms of
quite likely imagining its fa-
cade – the outer shell which protects and ally; they’re all integrated in order to pro-
contains all of the hustle and bustle that vide the intended function of protecting no longer feasible or cost effective, it may thing starts to build, eventually requiring
goes on within. In a residential property, the building structure and interiors, pri-
the facade is what separates a building’s marily from water intrusion.”
occupants from both elements and in-
truders. As such, it’s imperative that the members should develop a familiarity
facade be inspected, maintained and ser-
viced regularly to ensure that it’s secure ings to better assess when something may a problem, and from whence that prob-
and functioning as intended. For a com-
munity association, the responsibility to or at least a professional consultation, is main causes of facade deterioration, and where siding needs to be replaced, the as-
do this falls on the board or management. necessary through day-to-day inspec-
While methods and routines may differ tions,” says Frank Anastasi, Manager of taken hold.
from region to region, facade care should the Riverwood Community Association
be a major priority for every association.
(Non-)Moving Pieces
The standard facade consists of many and “you’ll start to notice rot, receive material quality, age...” says Rick. “The burden out over time, thereby not severely
parts – and all must be in working con-
dition, lest the greater structure start to homeowners, see paint failure or cracked problems become big ones when not ad-
falter.
“We look at building exteriors – or the gins to look quite bad,” Anastasi says. He metal flashing deterioration, failing win-
building ‘envelope’ – as a system of vari-
ous components: the roof, trim, windows, useful life of your facade via your reserve on the type of facade. And hopefully it
exterior cladding (including shingles, report, at which time you should be able doesn’t come to this, but chunks falling
clapboards, brick, EIFS [exterior insula-
tion finishing system], etc.) and all related visually.”
flashings and details,” explains Robert H.
McBride, CEO of the Dartmouth Group, a causes or smaller signs of wear can have – signs of deterioration may or may not tential disruption of normal residential
unwise – to look at any of these individu-
The manager and/or relevant board Kramer, Incorporated in Chicago.
with the facade of their building or build-
be amiss. “It becomes clear that a repair, lem comes, it helps to understand the the future. When buildings get to a point
in Port Charlotte, Florida. Leave your ing weather, lack of preventive mainte-
facade to its own devices for too long nance, building movement, construction and get a loan, then spread the financial
more complaints regarding leaks from important thing to remember is that small financially impacting all of the residents.
wood... the general appearance just be-
further adds: “And you should know the dow seals, interior leaks... it all depends
to assess if things are not looking so good, off the building is definitely a red flag.”
A failure to properly assess root struction – i.e., clapboard versus masonry the timeline for the project (and its po-
that Band-Aid-over-a-bullet-hole effect, adapt an ‘ignorance is bliss’ mindset.
a larger problem, rather than curing it. building is increasingly worn down by the
“When individual, piecemeal repairs are weather, the cost to take care of every-
be time to consider a major repair,” warns much more money than it originally did,”
Kelli Rick, a manager with Draper and says Anastasi. “Eventually things look re-
Root Causes
In order to identify both that there is things out, [and] unfortunately associa-
the tell-tale signs that it may have already sociation does not have time on its side,
“So many factors play into this, includ-
dressed. Look for cracks, concrete spalls, of reserve money as well as that loan to
“Depending on the nature of the con-
be evident,” adds McBride. “In clapboard
– or wood, vinyl, cement siding such as
HardiPlank – telltale signs are usually rot,
peeling paint or interior leaks. The most
important next step is to stop; do not sim-
ply replace the rotted material or repaint.
It’s critical to find the source of any water
penetration. In our experience, nine out
of 10 times, the source is a failure in the
installed flashing. A comprehensive in-
vestigation should be conducted in order
to determine if the problem is isolated or
systemic. It’s key to investigate intersec-
tions – i.e., roof-to-wall, wall-to-sidewall,
or roof-to-chimney, and so on. During
this process, an assessment of the under-
lying structure needs be made. Is there
extensive rot in the wall sheathing? Are
window sills and frames rotted? 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
“Generally, as siding gets older and a
ally bad, and they have to be replaced.
Generally, communities like to stretch
tions often fail to do a great job saving for
so phasing things in isn’t an option. These
scenarios require an immediate assess-
ment, and most associations will go out
And some associations use a combination
lessen the financial impact.”
What to Expect When You’re
Expecting (Facade Work)
When a major facade project is un-
avoidable, there are decisions a board
must make, including choice of vendor,
EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE
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