Category: Maintenance

Building amenities such as elevator systems are often taken for granted. But, elevators are for more than just avoiding a workout and creating awkward silences between neighbors; they accommodate residents unable to climb stairs and are cri…

If you think about it, a multifamily building isn’t that much different than the human body. Both house important complex operating systems and organ-like pieces of vital equipment, both take in fuel, produce waste, and both require regular…

While ice damming on roofs is nothing new, the record-breaking snowfall of the 2014-15 winter was especially devastating in terms of ice dams. An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow from drai…

A building or association's budget may very well be the bane of every board member’s existence. This is especially true when it relates to the prioritizing of repairs and maintenance tasks. Given the safety concerns involved, these are amo…

It was January 1977 when the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) first identified and isolated a previously unknown strain of bacteria found breeding in the cooling tower of a hotel air conditioning system. The bacteria, subsequently named L…

People aren’t the only life on your association's property; there are plants, trees, and other living landscaping elements, as well. More than just decoration, these features provide the community a vitality and serene pleasure only nature…

Keeping lawns, trees, bushes and flowers healthy is an association goal for nearly all condos and co-ops; notwithstanding, effective landscaping management is essential. Aside from the sun and soil rich in nutrients, the key to remaining “…

It’s not easy being a co-op or condo building in New Jersey in winter. Freezing rain and wind beat relentlessly at the façade. Snow accumulates on the roof, turns to ice, and when it thaws, seeps into units below. Systems in the building w…

Few sounds are as bone-chilling as an ominous and unexpected series of drips in the twilight hours, the eerily melodic tone of water trickling in through a window, the ceiling or any other part of one’s condominium that was designed to rem…

The pavement you walk and drive upon daily is easy to take for granted—but it's a major part of your condo or HOA's infrastructure. Understanding the materials and methods involved in installing and maintaining a multifamily community's pa…