Page 42 - New England Condominium May EXPO 2019

42 NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM —MAY 2019 NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM Located Throughout New England Servicing the Northeast, Free Estimates Fully Insured, Certified by NADCA 1-800-442-8368 customerservice@ductandvent.com www.ductandvent.com Duct & Vent Cleaning of America, Inc. CONDOMINIUM MARKETPLACE “ e Directory to Everything You Need” MARCUS ERRICO EMMER & BROOKS, P.C. Representing Over 4,000 Condominium Associations... One Association at a Time 45 Braintree Hill Park, Suite 107 Braintree, MA 02184 (781) 843-5000/Braintree (508) 791-2120/Worcester (401) 351-2221/Rhode Island www.meeb.com | law@meeb.com MEEB_NEC_June14.qxp:Layout 1 5/19/14 12 ACCOUNTANTS Goodman, Shapiro & Lombardi, LLC Concentrating in condominium and real estate law in MA & RI www.goshlaw.com (877)-241-1600 NECondoClassifiedAd7-7-17woNH.indd 1 7/7/2017 1:09:16 PM Flynn Law Group 185 Devonshire St., Suite 401 • Boston, MA 02110 617-988-0633 “Quality Representation at Reasonable Rates - $150/Hr.” Contact Attorney Frank Flynn Frank@fl ynnlaw-ne.com www.fl ynnlaw-ne.com ATTORNEYS ATTORNEYS Accounting • Auditing • Taxes • Consulting Worcester 67 Millbrook Street 508-797-5200 Grafton 80 Worcester Street 508-839-0020 Holden 795 Main Street 508-829-5544 M Love Associates, & LLC Certified Public Accountants Serving Condominium Associations mlove 2.25 x 2.5 condo association color 9.19.2017.indd 1 9/19/17 12:59 PM Merrill & McGeary 100 State Street, Suite 200 Boston, MA 02109 617-523-1760 • Fax 617-523-4893 Contact: Mike Merrill, Esq. mmerrill@merrillmcgeary.com DUCT/DRYER VENT CLEANING BANKING/LENDERS INDOOR AIR QUALITY • VENTILATION • DUCT CLEANING AIR DUCT & DRYER VENT CLEANING 800-893-1117 www.continentalcleanair.com Property Managers • Multi Units • Associations • Condos Continental clean:Layout 1 12/22/09 1 David A. Levy, CPA, P.C. Certified Public Accountants 20 Freeman Place Needham, MA 02492 Tel: (617) 566-3645 (866) 842-0108 Fax: (866) 681-2377 www.DALCPAPC.net DAL CPA See Our Display Ad on Page 40 BetterVent is a NEW kind of Indoor Dryer Vent. www.adr-products.com 1-888-609-5512 Condominium and Real Estate Law Phone: (781) 817-4900 Direct: (781) 817-4603 Fax: (781) 817-4910 We may be dressed up, but we aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty. www.lawmtm.com See Our Display Ad on Page 24 Solving your problems today & strengthening your association for tomorrow. 6 Lyberty Way, Suite 201 Westford, MA 01886 (978)496-2000 www.perkinslawpc.com that in New York there is a required ‘IIC,’ or Impact Insulation Class. “Many old build- ings were not subject to this requirement. Th e requirement to cover 80 percent of your fl oor with carpet was enacted to ac- count for this, but if it’s not the right car- pet or padding, it won’t solve the problem. Th ere is a special carpet pad called Vibra- mat that is very eff ective for this. It raises IIC by 20 percent.” Schnitta explains there are many other sound-stopping options today. In new buildings, she recommends loaded vinyl as a means to reduce sound transference through studs. “It’s impregnated with non- toxic metals, and it’s dense to add fl exibil- ity,” she says. “Th is doesn’t contain lead— remember lead walls!—which they used to use. Th is vinyl has a better transmission loss factor than lead to eliminate sound, and it’s only an 1/8th of an inch thick.” But what if your building is already up, and the sound just keeps on coming? Marsh suggests that you can either put up a false wall between your place and the next apart- ment, which could cost you a few square inches of space. But for a good night’s sleep, she says, that may be well worth it. Or you could build a closet along the off ending wall and use it to store clothes and toys, sure to absorb the sound. She recalls one client whose neighbor had a very regular schedule for his “personal life.” Saturday morning comes once a week, as the ad- age says. Th e neighbor was like clockwork, and very noisy. Marsh suggested adding a false wall, which would have absorbed the sound. Ultimately, the client chose to do nothing. Perhaps the neighbor changed his schedule. What’s New and Improving? “More innovative sound control prod- ucts have been patented in the last few years than ever before,” says Schnitta. “Be- fore where there wasn’t a solution; now we have one. A good example is a type of pad that if you put this down before you pour concrete for a foundation, it will inhibit subway noise if there is one nearby. Know- ing that resiliency is an important piece of the solution set for walls, there are new clips that have neoprene pads integral to the design to prevent connecting drywall to channel sound. Also, a lot of attention to acoustic leakage points like wrapping the backs of outlets helps. An acoustic muffl er will inhibit sound from coming through recessed lights that are not fully-insulated cans.” Clearly, every little bit helps. n A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for New England Condominium, and a published novelist. SOUNDPROOFING... continued from page 41 the draft minutes were sent, was it deter- mined we did not have 51% or more. I am, obviously, frustrated. Do you have any suggestions? —Concerned Owner A “Lack of communication from a board, especially regard- ing the process for election of trustees and the results of that election, can be frustrating for unit owners,” says Christo- pher Malloy, Partner in Moriarty Troyer & Malloy LLC, a law fi rm with offi ces in Boston and Braintree, Massachusetts. “While it may have been standard for previous boards to circulate draft s of meeting minutes within a specifi c time period aft er an annual meeting, it sounds as though your documents only re- quire that they be presented to the unit own- ers for approval at or before the next meeting. If that is the case, the board has not techni- cally violated the governing documents of the condominium by failing to circulate the minutes within a specifi c time frame. “If you continue to meet resistance from the board and the association’s property manager, it would be wise to submit a writ- ten request to inspect the association’s books and records at the offi ce of the association or its manager. Most condominium documents require a majority of the board to sign an in- strument, oft en times along with the newly elected trustees (who certify that they accept their election and agree to become trustees), certifying that the required votes were taken and that the trustees were in fact elected in ac- cordance with the condominium documents, which is then recorded with the Registry of Deeds in county where the condominium is situated. In order to make this certifi cation the association should maintain documents which contain the related information which would hopefully satisfy your concerns. Also, if other unit owners share your concerns about the propriety of the election, or the election procedure, you should ask them to join in your written request. “Condominium boards do not operate with unfettered or unchecked authority, and unit owners should be able to obtain in- formation regarding the manner in which trustees were elected in cooperative fashion. In the instance in which a board is less than forthcoming with certain information, a written request along the lines of the above should address the issues, or at least raise a fl ag with the board that it should consult its counsel regarding the issue.” n Q&A continued from page 7 Disclaimer: Th e answers provided in this Q&A column are of a general nature and cannot substitute for professional advice regarding your specifi c circumstances. Always seek the advice of competent legal counsel or other qualifi ed profes- sionals with any questions you may have regard- ing technical or legal issues. See Our Display Ad on Page 40 See Our Display Ad on Page 14