Page 9 - Nevada Cooperator Expo March 2019

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THE NEVADA COOPERATOR —
MARCH 2019
9
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tions. You are required to deal with peo-
ple—kids who are lifeguards. You have to experts in all the elements of a building the necessary knowledge to recognize po-
make sure they are actually doing their shell that keep the structure dry, heated tential problems—and that can be costly lifespan of building components. Exte-
job. There is also the aspect of upkeep of or cooled, and maintain and facilitate a in the long run.
these amenities. If the item is a structure, building’s climate control.
it requires physical plant inspections and
sometimes repairs and leaks. When I say rules compliance for storage issues,” damp climates, but of concern in any com-
leaks it’s not just the repair; sometimes Kravit says. She explains that most asso-
water is lost, yet you are paying through ciations in Florida have very specific and been outlawed in many communities be-
your water bill. It’s not just an amenity—
it’s a structural element that has to be be placed on balconies and terraces, par-
maintained. I’ve heard of buildings with ticularly when it comes to hurricane sea-
swimming pools that have collapsed be-
cause they weren’t maintained properly.”
“Many property managers who run cane is predict-
condominiums have never run an indoor ed, only patio
pool, or have not had to manage a fitness furniture
facility,” adds Edward Corless, President
of Associa Carolinas in Charlotte, North conies, terraces,
Carolina. “There are different codes and decks and pa-
standards that go with that, and there are tios; everything
health and building codes. Also, you have else must be
the challenge of organizing people to use brought inside,
the amenities and creating the social net-
works that will allow community func-
tions to occur. If you move into one of down. Any-
my buildings, there will be someone there thing and ev-
asking you what types of things you like erything
to do, whether it’s bike riding, running or
going to the theater—and we will try to jectile during a
partner you up with like-minded people hurricane, so securing outdoor spaces is
in the community.”
Monitoring for Safety
To maintain the integrity of exterior
spaces, inspections should be made on a most associations—in Florida and else-
regular basis. “Once a year in the spring where—prohibit keeping grills of any
is the best option,” says Boddewyn. “This kind on balconies, terraces, roof decks,
gives you the summer to make any nec-
essary repairs.” Gaynor urges that, “in-
spections should be done by professionals will permit grills, but they must be kept
– untrained owners might not know what at a specified distance from the build-
to look for. Most buildings have a build-
ing architect, and they should do the in-
spection. If not, hire a building envelope
consultant to do the job.” Building enve-
lope consultants are engineers who are professionals. Owners often don’t have well as any building is managed, prob-
“We also do periodic inspections for
strict rules relative to what can and can’t cause of this issue,” says Kravit. “Some no those added later and not built as part of
son. Generally,
when a hurri-
can
be left on bal-
and hurricane
shutters drawn
can
turn into a pro-
crucial for protecting both property and
physical safety.
In addition, because of the fire risk,
and even some patios. In the case of pa-
tios, Kravit explains, some associations
ing, which is why some owners seek out
ground floor apartments.
For his part, Munoz recommends that
be done every three years, and always by
Mold
Another problem more common in casional replacement. The concept is no
munity, is mold. “Carpet on balconies has brick facades every 50 or 100 years.
longer even permit tile—which can hold the original building plan – specific at-
water in and damage concrete.” AKAM tention should be paid during the instal-
manages a building lation, and on an ongoing basis to prevent
in Hallandale Beach, (or at least minimize) damage the roof
Florida, which re-
cently undertook a roofs were not intended for the type of
large project to re-
pair concrete work regular walking. A heel from a shoe can
that included bal-
conies. They have which in turn can lead to water infiltra-
prohibited any type tion and the host of problems that opens
of floor covering on up. So the integrity of the roof must be
balconies to prevent inspected and maintained regularly.
future damage. In-
stead, they are us-
ing a decorative seal governing documents. Are these spaces
coating on all balco-
nies that will be uni-
form throughout.
Colder Climes
In terms of correcting weather damage
in colder climates, Gaynor suggests that
instead of just patching cracked concrete,
a sealant should be used to prevent future
water-based damage. “When a building
is constructed,” he says, “balconies should
have a slight slope to them to keep the wa-
ter flowing off them. That keeps the wa-
ter away from the joint between the build-
ing and the balcony structure. That’s the
spot that fails. Proper waterproofing is
critical. You can’t give the water a point
of entry.”
Terraces are not much different. They
are not flat, but rather have slight grade
variations to aid in water drainage. As
lems may arise simply from age and the
rior spaces may have problems related to
age and simply need maintenance, or oc-
different than the re-pointing required in
In terms of roof decks – particularly
membrane. These typical ‘roll-out’ type
use a roof deck typically gets, nor even for
do serious damage to a roof membrane,
Responsibility for the upkeep of ex-
terior spaces may also depend on your
under the purview of the unit owner, the
association or corporation, or both? They
may be a limited common element, in
which case both the unit owner and as-
sociation are involved. The association
though, would need permission to enter,
inspect and repair. Check with your gov-
erning documents to determine where
your unit – including its exterior spaces –
stands on this very important matter.
Catastrophic failures are rare. All told,
having outdoor spaces like balconies, ter-
races, roof decks and patios is a privilege
and a pleasure – as long as those spaces
are used properly and maintained with
the utmost respect and attention.
n
A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for
The Nevada Cooperator, and a published nov-
elist.
“Responsibility for the
upkeep of exterior spaces
may also depend on your
governing documents.
Are these spaces under
the purview of the unit
owner, the association or
corporation, or both?”