Bath RiverWalk HOA president Phil Day shared, “We learned so much working with Criterium Engineers as we transitioned ownership to our board. When our board was ready to do a reserve study, we went back to the experts at Criterium to help us make informed decisions about our community and planning for future investments.” Located….
HOA News
About the Roof
Inspection Techniques for Surface Survival The roof surface of your condo building is probably the most important common element under association control. Water intrusion into the interior will cause more damage or unit owner outrage than almost any other problem brought to the board’s or property manager’s attention. It bears careful consideration. There are many….
Seeing Clearly with Window Replacement
Challenges Associated with Window Replacement Window replacement can be one of a condominium board’s greatest challenges. This is due to elements of mystery, timing, and high cost. For a variety of reasons a unit owner may want to replace one or more of her unit’s windows. After following the condo’s guidelines for obtaining approval from….
Thermal Imaging Your Condo
Winter in Maine and with it comes many four-letter words such as “snow,” “high fuel bill,” and “dams.” By “dams,” I mean ice dams. Some winters are worse than others, causing boards and property managers to look for ways to reduce this serious problem in the coming months. Infrared scanning (thermography) can be one of….
Out of Pocket: How to Sell the Results of a Reserve Study Without a Revolt
You are a board president and you just found out that your association needs $200,000 to replace the clubhouse HVAC system. Your operating budget has no contingency funds and your reserve fund (which only gets occasional contributions) only has a balance of $50,000. What do you do now? No one wants to be in such….
Are You a Condo Leader?
With the dust of the election campaigns starting to settle, how often did we ask ourselves why would anyone put themselves through all that? Why risk personal reputation and consumption of precious time for such unguaranteed rewards? Or to the point of this article, why should you join the condo board? The answer(s) will be….
The Future of Reserve Fund Studies: Enhanced Options
Enhanced Reserve Studies Offer More Detail What is your condo’s future? Many condo boards may believe the standard reserve fund study will provide the information necessary for a solid financial future for their community. This traditional tool has served well for many associations, but more and more associations are now using a more sophisticated plan,….
Addressing Rising Incivility: Communities Promote the Civility Pledge
Blame it on COVID-19. Blame it on politics or the economy. Blame it on social media. Whatever is to blame, property managers have noted a rising temper at condo and homeowners association meetings this year. Maybe it will calm down in 2021 when a successful vaccine is widely distributed or when the nightly news doesn’t….
Criterium-Pacific Engineers Opens Oahu-based Operations
Criterium-Pacific Engineers has begun operations in Honolulu, serving the island of Oahu and the entire state. John McLain, P.E., president of the firm, is a licensed, Professional Engineer with nearly 30 years’ experience as a civil engineer. The business is an independently owned and operated affiliate of Criterium Engineers, one of North America’s leading consulting….
Top 10 Condo Building Problems
Workmanship, Quality Control & Water… Probably because I have inspected thousands of condo buildings and their units for construction defects and other issues, I am often asked by both prospective condo buyers and property managers to name the most common problems found in new condo developments. Interesting enough, new condo buildings have more hidden problems….