Snow, ice, freezing, thawing, refreezing all take such a toll on New England properties that it’s practically a cliché—but it’s a cliché that condo trustees and managers have to deal with every spring. Paul Carraccio is preside…
As we go about our busy lives, we often forget about the plain facts of life here on this spinning globe: gravity creates an unceasing tension in the materials we assemble into buildings and other structures. Whether or not we are payi…
Few things are as important to our health and well-being as the air we breathe, especially inside our own homes. That is why it is so important for individual homeowners as well as management to stay up to date on issues of indoor air …
If phones can be “smart,” why not buildings? With the ever-expanding array of consumer technology available today, it should come as no surprise that residential buildings are incorporating more and more cutting-edge technology into the…
From the hills of northern Connecticut to the brownstones of Boston and New York, brickwork is everywhere across the northeast. Around since the early 1600s, the popular building material is commonly used not only because of its aesthe…
Warranties for products are simple to understand, most people might think. You go to the store, buy a computer or a DVD player or a TV, or even a larger appliance like a refrigerator, and you get a piece of paper describing a …
With harsh winters and blistering hot summers, those living in New England condominiums understand the importance of properly working heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. That’s why it’s important for man…
Two winters ago, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court overturned 125 years of legal precedent and announced a new rule of law, making property owners legally responsible for the removal of snow and ice from their property. (Papadop…
Noise is a key quality-of-life problem for almost anyone living in a densely-packed urban environment. It’s the bane of many a condo-dweller’s existence, and over the years engineers, architects, and designers have tried any number of w…
Blizzards. Ice Storms. Hurricanes. New Englanders are used to being buffeted by Mother Nature. But increasingly, it seems, the impact of such storms has lingered long after the weather front blows through, with hundreds or thousands of…