News from the screen repair shop.....
Condo balconies needing restoration to make them safe is one of the more common whole building projects. It's vital that balconies and their handrails be kept safe. Pretium is consulting engineering firm involved in this work that has put together this useful primer for Condo boards and property managers detailing the process of repairing balconies
This story from a Condo in British Columbia is the stuff of nightmares. An absentee unit owner allowed garbage to accumulate in their unit until it caused a rat infestation that spread across the neighbouring units and the entire building.
It took years for the building management to clear out the unit as the owner insanely refused to cooperate and accept they had anything to do with the rodent problems.
This homemade entrance door is built entirely from PVC decking and it's really not that complicated to build.
Continue reading "Door built completely of PVC composite decking"
Ultra wide sliding patio doors are all the rage nowadays in high end homes. But one thing that I see over and over again is that sagging house frames cause problems with sliding patio doors over time.
It starts with the patio door getting harder and harder to open as the gap at the top of the door gets smaller and smaller.
In these new 40 foot wide patio door openings a professional engineer specifies the beam that will span the whole width with minimum allowable deflection or sagging.
That deflection might be 1/2" over a 40 foot span and be totally within allowable strength limits and building codes but the frame of the patio door might not allow that kind of sagging. It could be enough to seize the doors up tight over time.
It's not just the top beams either, the concrete slab the door sits on can crack and rise up pushing against the patio door frame and stopping it from opening.
If you are getting one of these ultra wide sliding patio doors its worth making sure your engineer is aware of these issues.
Continue reading "Ultra wide sliding patio door might get stuck"
A trial is underway in the UK around who is responsible for a 250 pound window that came loose an fell more than 300 feet killing a construction worker on the ground below.
Windows that open outwards in any building taller than 4 stories are supposed to have brackets that prevent the window from opening more than a few inches.
This is done because wind force can catch the window like a sail especially in high rise condo's like this building.
Continue reading "New window falls 300 feet killing construction worker"
Building high rise concrete condo's with central air conditioning should be made mandatory in British Columbia's building code. Th amount of heat stored up by west facing concrete walls can be enormous. This horror story details a Condo unit so hot that it is unfit for human habitation.
Continue reading "Condo too hot for a human being to live in"
Modern builders often don't consider the vital importance of shade. You need a cool plae to rest shaded from the sun during a hot summer and you cant do that in a concrete or brick structure that stores up the heat of the sun throughout the day.
On wide open farm fields, a portable shade structure can prevent heat exhaustion for people working in the fields.
Continue reading "Shade screens are totally overlooked in construction"
A number of window companies in Florida and Alabama, USA have taken deposits from customers and never returned to install their windows. The Customers have organized themeselves into groups Lawsuits are flying. Meanwhile some of the companies are declaring bankruptcy, and given unfortunately this seems to be a pattern and perhaps even a business model. Close down the company,declare bankruptcy, get debts forgiven through the courts and then start up a new company only to do it all over again,
Continue reading "Lawsuits flying over windows never installed"
A Victoria BC couple bought a Condo and discovered too late they needed Strata form B which for a hefty fee which revealed all sorts of legal troubles facing the corporation of the Condo they had just purchased.
Ontario has its own Condo Status Certificates which reveal similar information for potential buyers to look over before making a buying decision
Continue reading "Condo status certificate reveals big legal problems"