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….
Gale Flags Are Flying! Is your condo or HOA ready for a climate change future? Currently we are in the middle of a hurricane season predicted to be one of the worst in recent times in terms of both frequency and severity of future storms. Prior to June when the hurricane season started, Maine’s Superintendent….
We are thrilled to share this project we worked on in Austin, TX. The Independent is a residential skyscraper and is the tallest building in the city at 690 ft tall and 58 stories. It also happens to be the tallest residential tower in Texas! We completed a Transition Study and Reserve Study for the Independent’s….
If your house, condominium or commercial office building is like most built in the last 50 years, it probably has a sloped roof with one of the following roofing materials: composition shingles composite tile cement or clay tile wood shingles metal roofing Each type of roofing has its unique characteristics. However, there are also some….
The problem of mold in buildings is one that no building owner or manager can afford to ignore. Mold has been suggested as one of the possible factors in so-called “Sick Building Syndrome.” What conditions create mold in buildings? Mold typically reproduces by means of airborne spores. These spores are always present in the air…..
Maine’s license plate says ‘Vacation Land’. This summer more than ever the return of the snowbirds will be an increased challenge for the many condo communities in those areas most popular to tourists. Maine has a significant population of condominiums along its rocky coast and mountainous regions serving as primary or secondary homes for bi-latitude….
A New Dawn for Condominiums: Community Solar Farms There is some good solar power news for Maine’s condominium and HOA communities. We have spoken in past articles of the unfortunate political restraints on the development of renewable energy sources in Maine by the prior Governor Paul LePage administration. Things have changed with two new solar….
Coronavirus Webinar for HOAs: Your Buildings & the Coronavirus Managing a building in the coronavirus world is a new challenge. Criterium Engineers, building experts who have evaluated over 850,000 buildings across the U.S. and Canada in more than 60 years in business, presents this coronavirus webinar (YouTube format) for HOA managers and board members to….
Perhaps the most dreaded sound in an HOA or condo complex, other than a fire alarm or screaming siren, is repeated unit owners calls reporting a pest infestation. Pests can come in many types of creatures, both large and small, including bats, seagulls, geese, rodents, mold spores, and wasps. For this brief article our focus….
The time has come for your homeowners’ association (HOA) to complete a reserve study. Where do you begin? An online search presents a wide range of companies that perform reserve studies for homeowner associations and you may wonder, why hire a professional engineer? Why Hire a Professional Engineer for Your Association’s Reserve Study? Our licensed,….