Maintenance Building No.Envelope Matters Maintenance Bulletin › Library ›...
Transcript of Maintenance Building No.Envelope Matters Maintenance Bulletin › Library ›...
What is a building envelope/enclosure?
Thebuildingenvelopeorbuildingenclosureincludesallpartsofthebuilding(assemblies,componentsandmaterials)thatareintendedtoseparatetheinteriorspaceofthebuildingfromtheexteriorclimaticconditions.Itincludes,forexample,thefoundation,exteriorwalls,windows,exteriordoors,balconies,decksandtheroof.
Maintaining your building envelope
Thispublicationisoneinaseriesofbulletinsdesignedtoprovidepracticalinformationonthemaintenanceofthebuildingenvelopeofmulti-unitresidentialbuildingsincludingtown-houses,lowandhigh-riseresidentialbuildings.
Who should read this bulletin?
Anyonewholivesinorlooksafteramulti-unitresidentialbuildingshouldreadthisbulletinincludingresidents/unitowners,stratacouncils,housingco-operatives,maintenancemanagers,propertymanagersorbuildingowners.Propermaintenanceofthebuildingenvelopecanhelppreventdamageandavoidcostlyrepairsinthefuture.
Building Envelope Maintenance and Renewals PlanningOver the life of every building, owners are required to periodically make decisions, and take action, to maintain and renew the various physical components of their buildings. Each of these decisions and actions can impact the lifespan of the building components.
Theterm“assets”referscollectivelytoallmajorbuildingcomponentsthatarepartofthecommonproperty.Thisbulletinaddressesbuildingenvelopecomponentssuchasroofs,walls,windowsanddoors.However,theinformationisequallyapplicabletoallotherbuildingassets. Thedegreetowhichmaintenanceimpactstheservicelifeofbuildingassetswilldependontheirdurabilityandexposureconditions,aswellasthequalityofthemaintenanceprogram.Theprimaryfocusofthisbulletinisontheimportanceofbeingproactiveratherthanreactiveinthemaintenanceandcareofbuildings.Proactivelymaintainingbuildingassets,suchascommonpropertyandthepropertythatastratacorporationhastomaintainandrepairundertheirby-laws,willresultinlowerlong-termcosts,protectionofpropertyandassetvalue,minimizeddisruptionstoresidents,andlowerrisksforallpropertyowners.
Effective December 13, 2013, all strata corporations of five units or more in
British Columbia, must complete a depreciation report as required by the Strata
Property Act, unless they have passed a three-quarters vote each year they wish
to be exempt from the requirements.
MaintenanceMatters
BuildingEnvelopeMaintenanceBulletin 7No.
Concentrated balcony runoff leads to an unsightly appearance and potentially premature failure of the wall if not addressed.
ThisbulletinisfundedbytheHomeownerProtectionOffice(HPO),abranchofBCHousing,inpartnershipwithPolygonHomesLtd.
www.polyhomes.com
The primary focus
of this bulletin is on
the importance of
being proactive rather
than reactive in the
maintenance and
care of buildings.
Why Maintain?Buildingassetsrequiremaintenanceandcaretoachievetheirfulllifespans.Forabuildingthathasbeenwelldesigned,constructedandmaintained,theassetscanbeexpectedtolasttheirfullpredictedservicelives.Conditionsdeteriorateovertimeasaresultofavarietyoffactorssuchasweather(sunlight,rain,wind,snowandice),andwearandtear(dailyusebyoccupantsofthebuilding). Withoutadequatemaintenance,thebuildingassetswilldeterioratefasterandtheirservicelivesmaybediminished.
How We Spend Money on BuildingsThequalityofthedesignandconstructionofabuildinghasasignificantimpactonthelifeexpectancyofthebuildingassets,aswellasonthemaintenanceandrenewalrequirementsassociatedwiththeseassets.Inthecaseofnewbuildings,strataownershavenocontroloverdesignandconstructiondecisions.However,forarehabilitatedorrenovatedbuildingenvelope,strataownerscanparticipateindecisionsrelatedtothedesignandcanhaveasignificantimpactonfuturemaintenanceandrenewalactivities.Thesedecisionsusuallyconsidertrade-offsbetweenhigherinitialcostsandfuturecostsassociatedwithoperations,maintenanceandrenewals.Maintenanceandrenewalsplanningshouldstartatthedesignphaseofaprojectandnotbeleftasanafterthoughtfortheownerstoaddressoncethebuildingishandedover.
Ownersactasprogramadministratorsofthecommonpropertyoftheirbuildingsandarerequiredtoinvestinvarioustypesofactivitiestosustaintheperformanceandmaintainfunctionalityoftheassets.Theseinvestmentcostscanbeorganizedintofourbroadgroups:
• OperatingCosts:Thesearethecosts requiredtorunthebuilding.Electricity,gasand insurancearetypicalexamplesofoperatingcosts.
• MaintenanceandRepairCosts:Thesecostsincludeactivitiestokeepassetsingoodworkingcondition.Examplesofroutinemainte-nanceactivitiesforthebuildingenvelopesystemincludecleaningofdebrisfromroofdrains,washingofthewindowsorinspectingthesealants.Smallrepairsareoftenincludedinthesamecategoryasmaintenancecosts.
• RenewalsCosts:Theseincludecoststoreplaceorrefurbishtheassetswhentheyhavereachedtheendoftheirservicelives.Replacementoftheroofevery15to25yearsisoneexample.
• AdaptationCosts:Theseincludeexpen-dituresrequiredtoadaptthebuildingtotheevolvingneedsoftheusersandtoaddressnewlegislativerequirementsandstandardsthatmaybeimposedbypublicorders.Anexampleofthismaybetherequirementtoretrofitthefiresafetyequipmentinmulti-unitresidentialbuildings.
Thechartonthenextpageillustratesthetypicaldistributionofcostsoverthelifecycleofaresidentialbuilding,fromtheinitialconstructionthroughtothedisposalofthebuildingattheendofitsservicelife.
When coordinated
together, a depreciation
report and annual
maintenance plan
are valuable tools for
budgeting, contingency
reserve planning, and
maintenance and
renewal scheduling.
Owners are the program
administrators of the
common property for the
service life of their build-
ings and are required to
invest in various types of
activities to sustain the
performance and
maintain functionality
of the assets.
Roof drain cleaning.
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Window cleaning.
What is Building Asset Management?Effectiveadministrationrequiresresponsibleplanningeachyearandproperoversightinordertoensurethatrequiredinspection,maintenanceandrenewalstasksareundertaken. Whensettingupaprogramfortheeffectiveadministrationofbuildingassets,ownersmakedecisionsrelativetorisktolerance,finances(expendituresandreturnoninvestment),legalobligationsandtheneedforreliableandfunctionalassets.Avarietyoftechniqueshavebeendevelopedtoassistbuildingownersinmonitoring,trackingandsteeringtheprocessofmanagingtheirbuildingassets. Thekeytoresponsibleandeffectivebuildingassetmanagementistoembracethetaskofmanagingthebuildingassetsonaconsistentandongoingbasis.Thisdoesnotmeanthatownershavetodotheworkthemselves,however,theydohavetoensurethatsomebodyisresponsibleforplanningandtheongoingprogramadministratorrole.
Key Documents to Support Effective Maintenance and Renewal PlanningAtthecompletionofanewconstructionproject(orrehabilitationproject),theowners,representedbythestratacouncil,mustbeprovidedwithapackageofreferencedocumentsregardingthenewbuildingassetsthathavebeenplacedinservice.Thehand-overofthesedocumentsfromthebuildingdesignandconstructionteamisintendedtoempowertheownerstoachieveself-sufficiencyintheadministrationoftheirbuildingassets.
Thequalityandcompletenessoftheinformationprovidedbytheconstructionteamiscriticaltotheabilityoftheownerstoeffectivelymanagetheirbuildingassets.Itmaybenecessarytofurtherdevelopthepackageofdocumentsprovidedtocreateaneffectiveongoingbuildingassetmanagementtool. TheOperationsandMaintenanceSupportInformation(OMSI)packagecapturesandorganizeskeydocumentsthataregeneratedduringthedesign,constructionandcommissioningofanewbuildingorbuildingenveloperehabilitationproject.ThemaincomponentsofaneffectiveOMSIpackagearesummarizedbelow:
• Drawings: Drawingsshouldbereadilyavail-ableforreferencepurposestocontractorsandconsultantsandmayberequiredforperiodicinspections,repairsandrenewalactivities.Sincedrawingsarefragileandcansometimesbelostordamaged,itisstronglyrecommendedthatalldrawingsbeconvertedtoelectronicformat.Thiswillfacilitatelong-termarchivingandavoidtheneedtoobtainreplacementhardcopiesfromyourmunicipality.
• Specifications:Specificationsprovideinfor-mationrelatedtomaterialsandcomponentsofthebuilding.Unfortunately,specificationsarenotalwaysprovidedtotheownersfornewconstructionprojects.
• WarrantyCertificates:Warrantycertificatesarecontractsspecifyingthatthematerialsand/orworkmanshipofdifferentassetswillmeetacertainlevelofperformanceoveraspecifiedperiodoftime.Essentially,warrantiesareintendedtoprotecttheowneragainstprematurefailureofassetsduringthespecifiedwarrantyperiods.Warrantiesarecarefullywordeddocumentsthatcontainexclusionsanddisclaimers.
• SafetyandTestCertificates:Thesedocumentsdemonstratethatthenecessaryinspectionsandothermaintenanceworkassociatedwithcertainassetshasbeencompleted.Commonpropertywithimportantsafetyimplicationssuchaselevators,roofanchors,firesuppressionsystems,boilersandbackflowpreventionvalvesmustbetestedperiodically.Thetestcertificatesmustbeclearlypostedeitherintheutilityrooms,nearthecorrespondingequipment,orbekeptonfileinadesignatedsiteoffice.
Distribution of life cycle costs of a typical building.
Effective administration
requires responsible
planning each year and
proper oversight in order
to ensure that required
inspection, maintenance
and renewals tasks are
undertaken.
A depreciation report
provides a valuable
inventory of all assets
and property that have
to be maintained and
renewed by the strata
corporation. The report
must identify asset
condition, remaining life
of the component and its
projected renewal date,
and the projected future
costs of each component.
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• AssetInventory: Thisinventoryincludesinformationrelatedtosomeofthebasicattributesoftheassetssuchasage,quality,manufacturerandestimatedusefullife.
• EquipmentandSuppliesInventory:Equipmentandsuppliesthatarestoredonthepremisesareessentialtoaneffectivemainte-nanceprogram.Maintenancesuppliesshouldbestoredinalockedserviceroomthatisacces-sibleonlytoauthorizedpersonnel.Keepinganup-to-dateinventoryofallitemsstoredonsiteisrecommended.
• Charts,LabelsandMarkers: Equipmenttagsindicatetheinspectiondatesofcertainequipmentsuchasfiresafetydevicesandback-flowprotectionvalves.Labelsalsoindicatethelocationofimportantequipmentandprovidesafetywarningstopersonscarryingoutworkincloseproximitytosomeoftheequipment.
• MaintenanceGuides: Variousorganiza-tionsoffermaintenanceguides,informationbulletins,andotherreferencedocumentstoassistownerswiththemaintenanceandrenewalsofbuildingassets.TheHomeownerProtectionOffice(HPO)hasproducedseveralMaintenance Mattersbulletinsandvideoswithhelpfultipsonthemaintenanceofmulti-unitbuildingenvelopes.Foradditionalresources,checktheFor More Informationsectioninthisbulletin.
• GlossaryofTerms:Sincemostownersarenotfamiliarwithconstructionterminology,itisusefultohaveaglossaryoftermstoexplainthevariouscomponentsassociatedwiththebuildingassets.
• MaintenanceServiceAgreements: Overtime,theowners,representedbythestratacouncil,willenterintoagreementswithvariouspartiesforroutineinspections,periodicmainte-nanceandeventualrenewalservicesrelatingtothebuildingassets.Thetypesofagreementswilldependontheroletheownersandpropertymanagerwishtotakeintheongoingmaintenanceprogramandlong-termadministrationofthebuildingassets.Thetypesofservicecontractswillalsobedeterminedbythedesiredstandardofcarethattheownerswishtoachieveaswellastheowners’toleranceforrisk.
• ContactList: Alistofallthecontractors,consultantsandotherpartiesinvolvedintheconstructionorrehabilitationprojectishelpfulsincethesecompanieshavefirst-handknow-ledgeaboutthebuilding.
• Manufacturers’ProductLiterature:Mostcompaniesthatmanufactureproductsusedintheconstructionandrepairofbuild-ingassetsproducetechnicaldatasheetswithreferenceinformationabouttheirproducts.Thisinformationisusefultocontractorscarryingoutmaintenanceandhelpdeterminethecompatibilityoftheoriginalconstructionmaterialswithanynewmaterials.
• InspectionFormsandLogbooks: Theownerandcontractorsshoulduseformsandlogbookstocollectandrecordmaintenanceworkcarriedoutontheassets.Thisdemonstratesthelevelofcareanddiligenceshownbytheownersandhelpstoidentifytrendsintheperformanceofthebuildingassets.
• ColourSchedule:Thecolourschedulepro-videsasummarylistofthebasiccolours(andsometimesalsothetextures)thatwereusedonthevariousfinishesinstalledduringoriginalconstructionoraspartofarenewalproject.Thisinformationhelpsthoseundertakingmaintenanceandrenewalstaskstomatchcolourstotheexistingappearance.
Warranties do not cover
the following types of
events: normal wear and
tear, normal aging,
misuse and abuse and
failure to carry out
adequate maintenance
during the warranty period.
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ThetypicalOMSIpackagemaycompriseseveralhundredsofpagesofsupportdocuments.ItishelpfultokeepallcomponentsoftheOMSIarekeptinelectronicformatforlong-termarchivingandaccesspurposes.Storingdocumentsinasinglerepositoryisalsorecommended.Ifanydocumentsareremovedfromtherepositorytheyshouldbeimmediatelycopiedandreturnedtotherepository.Thedocumentrepositorycantaketheformofasoftwaredatabaseorfilingcabinet.
Moving From Hand-over to Hands-onSometimesthepackageofhand-overdocumentsincludeswhatisreferredtoasamaintenancemanual.Althoughmostpeoplearefamiliarwithmaintenancemanualsthatcomewiththepurchaseofanewcarorappliance,itishelpfultodistinguishbetweensomemaintenancetermsthatareusedinterchangeably.Distinctionsshouldbemadebetweenfourcloselyrelatedconcepts:
• MaintenanceManual:Thishandbookcontainsinstructions,rulesorguidelinesforperformingparticularmaintenancetasks.Forexample:“Inspect the roof drains and remove any vegetation and debris that is obstructing the drainage path.”Amaintenancemanualisrequiredaspartofthehand-overdocumentsforbothnewandrehabilitationconstructionprojects.
• MaintenancePolicy: Thisisaformalstatementcommittingtheownerstoaparticularstandardofmaintenance.Thepolicyisintendedtoguidefuturedecision-makingfordevelopingandimplementingthemaintenanceplan.Forexample:“It is our policy to wash the exterior inaccessible window glass twice each year.”
• MaintenanceandRenewalsPlan: Thisplanhelpsownerstocoordinateandgroupallmaintenanceandrenewalstaskswithinapre-scribedtimeline.Itoftentakestheformoftables.Forexample,asinglelineentryinatablemightspecify:“Replace our roof during the dry summer months”andaparticularyearforthistask.Amaintenanceandrenewalsplanisnotnecessar-ilyprovidedwiththehand-overdocumentsandmayneedtobedevelopedbytheownerswithassistancefromaqualifiedconsultant.
• MaintenanceProgram: Thisisthecommitmentoftheowners’financialresourcestoaspecificplanofmaintenanceandrenewals
activitiesforaparticulartimeframe.Itisthefinalstepofplanningfortheeffectiveandongoingbuildingassetadministration.Forexample,ownersshouldbeabletosay:“We have an approved budget, including the consultants and contractors, to undertake the work, and have a monthly schedule of activities to ensure that we can complete all the necessary maintenance and renewals work for this fiscal year.”
Thespecificinstructionscontainedinthemain-tenancemanualareorganizedintoabroader“plan.”Theplanisthenimplementedthroughtheco-ordinatedactivitiesinthe“program.”Withoutaprogram,themanualwilllikelygatherdustonashelf. Ownersofhomeswithhomewarrantyinsurancecouldlimitorjeopardizetheircoverageasaresultofnegligentorimpropermaintenancetothehome.LicensedResidentialBuildersandwarrantyprovidershavearesponsibilitytoprovidemaintenanceinformationtotheoriginalbuyersofahome,iftheywanttomakehomewarrantyinsurancecoverageconditionaluponpropermaintenance.TheHomeowner Protection Actregulations*donotspecifythecontents,standardsandorganizationofthesemaintenancemanuals.Thisisgenerallylefttothebestjudgementofthedesignandconstructionteam.Therefore,itmaybenecessarytoenhancethecontentofthemanualthatisreceived. Ownersofstrata-titledhomesalsohavealegalobligationtomaintainthestratapropertyundertheStrata Property Act.**Theownersshouldincorporatethemanualintotheexistingsetofgovernancedocuments,suchasby-lawsandtheannualoperatingbudget.Themaintenanceandrenewalsplan(andtheassociatedOMSIpackage)mustbetreatedasalivingdocument.Therefore,itshouldbeperiodicallyupdated. Oneofthemostsignificantchallengesfacingownersistheeffectivetransitionofthemaintenanceandrenewals“plan”intoamaintenance“program.”Essentially,theownersmust“plantheworkandworktheplan.” Aneffectivemaintenanceprogramrequirestheownerstosupportthemaintenancemanualthroughtheestablishmentofmaintenancestandards,maintenancepoliciesandanapprovedbudget.Thesevariousfacetsmustallbecarefullybalancedsoastoavoidanyweaklinksthatmayunderminethemaintenancestrategy.Forexample,ifthemaintenancebudgetdoesnotmatchtheintentofthemaintenancepolicy,thenthemaintenanceprogramisheadedfortrouble.
Roof inspection.
*The Homeowner Protection Actregulationsareavailableonlineatwww.hpo.bc.ca.
**The Strata Property Act isavailableonlineat
www.housing.gov.bc.ca
While maintenance
schedules cover annual
periods, depreciation
reports are required to
cover a 30 year renewal
period and include main-
tenance items that occur
less often than once
per year.
Overthelifeofabuilding,theappearance,performanceandcostsassociatedwiththebuildingenvelope(andindeedallsystemsthatcomprisethebuilding)aredependentontheimplementationofaneffectivemaintenanceandrenewalsplan.Thisisnotatrivialtaskandrequirestheongoingcommitmentoftheownergroup,withthesupportofthemaintenancecustodian,toaprocessofinformationgathering,planning,fundingandperiodicupdatingoftheplan.
Action Plan Tips• Beproactiveaboutyourbuildingmaintenance andrenewalsneeds.
• Notifyyourpropertymanagerifyoubelieve thereisamaintenanceproblemwiththe buildingenvelope.
• Gatherandmaintainkeydocumentsthatare criticaltotheeffectivemaintenanceofthe buildingenvelope.
• Ensurethatthebuildinghasamaintenance andrenewalsplan.
• Committotheplanandimplementa maintenanceprogram.
• Updatethemaintenanceandrenewalsplan.
• Ensurethatyouhaveaprogramadministrator foryourmaintenanceandrenewalsprogram.
For More Information1.Maintenance Mattersbulletinspublishedbythe HomeownerProtectionOffice,availableonline atwww.hpo.bc.ca.
2.Strata Property ActpublishedbytheOfficeofHousingandConstructionStandards,availableonlineatwww.housing.gov.bc.ca.
3.What a Strata Corporation Needs to Know About Depreciation Reports publishedbytheCondominiumHomeOwners’AssociationofBC, availableonlineatwww.choa.bc.ca.
4.Refertoyourbuilding’smaintenancemanual.
Who Makes It Happen?Theownersmustestablishwhowilloverseetheimplementationofthemaintenanceandrenewalsplan.Theprogramadministratorisatermusedtorepresentthepartythatisresponsibleforsafeguardingthemaintenanceandrenewalsplanandforoverallcoordination,managementandsupervisionofthemaintenanceactivities.Theprogramadministratorisessentiallythe“timekeeper”andthe“gatekeeper”ofthemaintenanceandrenewalsprogram. Theprogramadministratorrequirescertainskillsandresourcesinordertomanagetherecommendationsofthemaintenanceandrenewalsplan.Thefollowingaresomeofthepotentialcandidatesforthisrole:
• thepropertymanager
• acommitteeofvolunteerowners,or
• athird-partyconsultant.
Itismostcommonforthepropertymanagertohavetheresponsibilityforimplementingthemaintenanceandrenewalsplan.However,increasinglythereisrecognitionthatthecustodianroleiscomplexandrequiresparticularknowledgeandskillstobeundertakeneffectively.
Maintenance and renewals manual.
The maintenance
“manual” provides
instructions regarding
what needs to be done.
The maintenance
“plan” sets out the
tasks in an organized
manner. The mainte-
nance “program”
coordinates the resources
to achieve the plan.
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DisclaimerThisbulletinisintendedtoprovidereaderswithgeneralinformationonly.Issuesandproblemsrelatedtobuildingsandconstructionarecomplicatedandcanhaveavarietyofcauses.Readersareurgednottorelysimplyonthisbulletinandtoconsultwithappropriateandreputableprofessionalsandconstructionspecialistsbeforetakinganyspecificaction.Theauthors,contributors,fundersandpublishersassumenoliabilityfortheaccuracyofthestatementsmadeorforanydamage,loss,injuryorexpensethatmaybeincurredorsufferedasaresultoftheuseoforrelianceonthecontentsofthisbulletin.TheviewsexpresseddonotnecessarilyrepresentthoseofindividualcontributorsorBCHousing. TheregulationsundertheHomeowner Protection Actcontainspecificprovisionsrequiringownerstomitigateandrestrictdamagetotheirhomesandpermittingwarrantyproviderstoexcludecoveragefordamagecausedormadeworsebynegligentorimpropermaintenance.Theseapplytobothnewandbuildingenveloperenovatedhomescoveredbyhomewarrantyinsurance.Failure to carry out proper maintenance or carrying out improper maintenance either yourself or through qualified or unqualified personnel may negatively affect your warranty coverage.Refertoyourhomewarrantyinsurancedocumentationorcontactyourwarrantyinsuranceproviderformoreinformation.
AcknowledgementsThisbulletinwaspreparedbyRDHBuildingEngineeringLtd.Organizationsrepresentedontheprojectsteeringcommitteeincluded:theCondominiumHomeOwners’AssociationandPolygonHomesLtd.
1701- 4555 KingswayBurnaby, BC V5H 4V8
Phone: 778 452 6454Toll-free: 1 866 465 6873
www.hpo.bc.cawww.bchousing.orgEmail: [email protected]
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