The boiler squats at a building’s core, churning out heat like some hulking behemoth of the deep. We tend to take the boiler and its labyrinth of pipes entirely for granted, except when it fails to work properly. Ignored in spring and s…
Category: Maintenance
It’s a very special formula, says Ralph Noblin of the professional engineering firm Noblin & Associates. In New England, we literally went close to 20 years without that formula coming together. As a decades-long veteran of condo engine…
Every resident living in a building with more than two stories understands the convenience an elevator affords. While antiquated forms of the modern elevator date back to Ancient Rome, the first passenger hydraulic elevator was installe…
When you live in a multifamily building with possibly hundreds of people residing under one roof, cooking, cleaning, dusting, and breathing, it’s no surprise that the airways, chutes, and garbage rooms can get clogged and dirty over tim…
Winter is coming, and they’re looking for a cozy place to hunker down, stay warm and dry, and maybe raise a family. And like relatives stopping in for a vacation, they’re cute at first, but more than likely will overstay their welcome. …
One of New England’s more unique resort communities, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, beckons like an oasis from the heart of the White Mountain National Forest. Two hours from Boston and served by one main road – Route 49 –the village…
A proposal to ban federal lenders from purchasing mortgages in condos with deed-based transfer fees has been drastically scaled back following intense lobbying against the rule by community associations around the country. The p…
It’s a simple equation: Warmer temperatures and melting snow means that spring is rearing its head around winter’s chilly corner. And aside from the change of wardrobe, there’s one other thing that condominium residents have to look forwa…
Everyone knows the old phrase about April showers bringing May flowers, but what the saying doesn’t tell you is that the rain in April can also bring a lot of damage to your gutter system. Hard rain and blustery wind are always around o…
When a condo’s fencing, decking or siding wear out and need replacement, smart condos are looking well beyond “apple-for-apple” replacement materials. Wood siding, a favorite for decades, is frequently being replaced by vinyl …