From Contra Costa Times-As Berkeley begins balcony inspections, records suggest safety problems are common in region

Photo by Contra Costa Times Photographer  Karl Mondon
shows two balconies falling off a building in San Francisco.
The sliding doors are not blocked to prevent access, a
dangerous condition.

An investigative report on Berkeley's new deck inspection ordinance by Matthia Gafni, David Early Sr & Thomas Peele shows that other Bay area cities with inspection requirements reveals the difficulty in forcing building owners to repair their buildings. Gafni interviewed me on my opinions and expertise on the subject. 

"A rotting deck railing at a San Francisco house suddenly snaps during a birthday party, and three people fall onto concrete below, suffering serious injuries. Posts tenuously prop up the collapsing balcony of four San Jose apartments that city inspectors may soon order vacated, fearing an imminent collapse.

In Concord, inspectors find balconies at an apartment complex badly rotted and order immediate repairs, citing danger to residents.

These details -- gathered from inspection records reviewed by the Bay Area News Group -- suggest just how common the types of problems are that doomed a Berkeley balcony and killed six young adults last month."

My personal professional opinion is landlords and property management companies have decided to not fix decks until someone dies. Read my opinions in the article here at this link. http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_28538504/berkeley-begins-balcony-inspections-records-suggest-safety-problems

We Contributed our Experiences on Exterior Building Maintenance for New England Condominium Magazine

Our latest contribution to maintenance of condo's appears in the March issue of New England Condominium. 

Staying Ahead of Trouble

Building Exteriors Need Regular Checkups, Too

By Lisa Iannucci

Remember the old jingle, ‘it takes a licking and keeps on ticking’? It was the famous tagline from the Timex watch advertisements. The gist of the ad is that no matter what you threw at it, a Timex watch kept working.

If you think about it, a building’s exterior is almost like a Timex watch. Each year, Mother Nature throws its best curveballs – intense sun, high winds, fierce rains, heavy loads of snow and ice, and frigid temperatures – at the outside of your condo buildings. Don’t forget the pollution, dirt from such animals as pigeons and, of course, any items that accidentally hit the exterior. The exterior continues to stand and takes it all in. Well, almost. A building’s exterior can take a lot of abuse, but after time, it does begin to show wear and tear and needs some TLC.

Read the whole article by clicking here. 

http://newenglandcondo.com/articles/718/1/Staying-Ahead-of-Trouble/Page1.html

RIP-Poor Flashing Job Dooms Tiled Deck in Arroyo Grande

This is a deck in Arroyo Grande. The only indication of any problems was the rusted flashings. Then Central Coast Waterproofing  started demoing the deck. The damage hidden behind the stucco was stunning!

It's just a lousy flashing and wrapping job that combined to deliver a knockout-the beams are so rotted, I don't know wht the deck was still standing...

Major repairs are required before I can install the waterproofing. Stay tuned...