Page 22 - New England Condominium March 2019

22 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM
- MARCH 2019
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walk-throughs with contractors,” says Ryan
Kinser, Senior Property Manager and Direc-
tor of Concierge Services for DDG, a real
estate company with o ces in New York,
California, and Florida. “Following reviews,
considerations, alternates and proposals, go
over everything again with an engineering
or architectural consultant, and coordinate
closely with the board for the selection of a
recommended bidder and planned schedule.
Vendors are incorporated in the standard
bidding process, and may be selected through
professional referrals, observation of work,
past bidding or work on other jobs. Care-
ful consideration, follow-up walk-throughs,
scheduling, and budgeting all play a part in
selection.”
“Mobilizing a facade project costs money,
so you’ll want to engage a structural engi-
neer or architect,” adds Rick. “ is will be
your best money spent. Determine what
has to be done at minimum, as well as what
should be done – because you don’t want to
revisit this next year – and if there is any as-
sociated work that would be cost e ective to
do now. (Painting 100 percent of a building
elevation instead of just coating the newly re-
paired areas, for example.) Obtain bids for all
these things, and interview contractors with
your structural engineer’s input and recom-
mendations. Check references. Do additional
rounds of bidding if needed, until the scope
of work and budget are established. Explore
with insurance to see if any of the work is
covered. Present all information to the board.
Hold informational meetings with ownership
to let them know what is needed, including
estimates for costs. Speak with banks and get
information on nancing, which depends on
cost and available reserve funds. Obtain info
about individual loans if special assessment is
a possible funding scenario. Once nancing
is settled, hire your contractor, get permitted,
and get the work done.”
e degree to which a project will be dis-
ruptive depends on the nature of the work,
but a board should always consider how any
construction will impact residents’ lives. “ e
disruption caused by noise (i.e., jackham-
mers), dust, odor (from membrane, paint or
prep projects) and general lack of privacy –
we’re talking workers hanging around outside
your 30th oor window – cannot be over-
stated,” cautions Rick. “Neighbors will call
the alderman about your sidewalk protec-
tive canopies, your driveway may need to be
closed and front entrances covered, residents
can’t go out on balconies during work hours
in case tools drop.... it goes on and on.”
“I’ve had projects where I’ve stripped right
down to the 2 x 4 studs, had to take insulation
out, you name it... and when something ma-
jor like that happens, it will indeed be disrup-
tive,” adds Anastasi. “You could have limited
access to buildings, loss of parking space ac-
cess, dumpsters on-site, general noise, closure
FACADE REPAIR...
continued from page 16
of certain amenities. It’s a construction zone,
and a large project at a good-sized building
can take a whole year, so things can come at
residents from every angle, and you have to
live with that.”
It’s important to be honest and open about
the extent of construction; boards or manage-
ment looking to sugarcoat things will most
likely be confronted by surprised and angry
residents. “Communication, notices, and, if
necessary, coordination with neighbors may
all play a part in the overall construction pro-
cess,” says Kinser. “Compliance with local
laws and regulations is essential in prepara-
tion and completion of all work. Safety is also
at a high level of consideration, to ensure that
OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Ad-
ministration] standards are incorporated and
adhered to.”
■
Mike Odenthal is a sta writer/reporter for
New England Condominium.
tion properties?
DH: “Clubhouses provide multimedia ser-
vices to club members, and require our deal-
ing with telecom companies more so than
we would in a condo without a clubhouse. In
condos, it really boils down to working with
companies like X nity and others that will
put a contract in place for the association to
have that company be the primary provider
of services within the facility, and the condo
might see some money from that contract.”
As in a bulk packaging deal?
“ e association might get some com-
pensation, depending on the package. A lot
of times you'll get an initial fee and then ad-
ditional subscriber fee depending on the vol-
ume, and in exchange for that you'll agree to
basically hand pamphlets out to people who
are moving in, as part of what I guess you
could call a 'co-marketing' agreement. at's
where we get involved, and there's a lot going
on in that space which I've seen lately.”
Have you ever had any contractual issues
or general resident dissatisfaction with a pro-
vider?
“Because it's not an exclusive arrangement
– and I don't believe that it is allowed to be
– if a provider is not actually providing good
service, condo owners can always get an al-
ternate service put in.
“But one of the areas where we do tend to
struggle is access, when developers are short-
sighted and install, for example, phone lines
for DSL service in a clubhouse, and in order
to have other services put in, you'd have to
tear up the parking lot and rewire the whole
operation. Installing conduits for future op-
tions would always be useful, but many de-
velopers don't have the foresight.”
■
Mike Odenthal is a sta writer/reporter with
New England Condominium.
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