Category: Maintenance

At every condominium community it happens every hour; every day. Coffee gets spilled, mud gets tracked, windows get smeared. When residents move, errant table legs and oversized sofas can scrape black marks, and even divots, into paint…

National Public Radio recently ran a story about a piece of advice from the latest edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The suggestion was about how to stay warm throughout the winter with just one log: chuck it out of an upstairs window, r…

Technology is affecting the way we do business, how we go about our daily tasks, and even how our homes function. Putting existing technology to use in a home or residential building is the essence of what it means to be an “intelligent” bu…

There's nothing quite like a summer's day spent relaxing on your deck with friends. For many of us, it's like having a small piece of paradise right outside our doors. Condominium associations know that well-maintained and attractive dec…

In his book, "Paul Revere's Ride," David Hackett Fischer suggests that General Thomas Gage suffered from "stovepipe intelligence," or gathering information from the top down. The British Military Governor of Massa-chusetts asked que…

When the Puritans bought Muske-taquid from the Algonkians in 1635, they changed the name to "Concord" to signify the harmony of the agreement. The Massachusetts town has lived up to its name ever since, albeit rather unconventionally. It…

The building envelope, as many already know, is a term used to describe the six sides of a building which "envelop" the building (if the building were a perfect cube). The underlying goal of excellent construction is to makethe building …

"We see a wide range of reactions" when association board members and owners are presented with the cost of repairs, Fernandes says. "Most associations don't have the money on hand," says Stephen DiNocco, CMCA, AMS, principal …

March in New England is a month of surprises. Winter throws us last-ditch nor'easters that are followed by spring's sudden thaw. There might be two feet of snow one day, and sunny skies with temperatures in the sixties the next. The only th…

The era in which too many condominium boards shrugged off warnings about inadequate reserve funds or postponed needed maintenance has come to an unsettling end. In a series of recent high-profile episodes, condominiums have been hit…