Here's a great article by Bob Hunt, a director of the National Association of Realtors, with a clear warning to every HOA and Management Firm in California-make sure your contractors are Licensed and insured!
This contractor wasn't working on decks, however, all the same principles apply, whether it's rain gutter installers, roofers or whoever, don't let them on your property until everything you need is in place-license, insurance, add'l insured endorsements... confer with legal counsel for legal advice on what you need to protect your Association.
HOA Should Be Sure Workers are Insured
by Bob Hunt
California homeowner associations (HOAs) and HOA management companies will want to pay attention to a recent ruling coming out of the state's Second Appellate District. The case, Heimen et al. v Worker's Compensation Appeals Board, involved the claim of a worker injured on association property for worker's compensation benefits.
The petitioner, Robert Heiman, did business as Pegasus Properties, a property management business. Pegasus had entered into a management agreement with Montana Villas Homeowners Association. At an association meeting, Montana Villas HOA agreed with Pegasus' recommendation that rain gutters be installed on part of the condominium building.
Pegasus hired Mark Hruby, doing business as Rube's Rain Gutter Service, to install the gutters. Hruby in turn hired Freddy Aguilera to perform some of the work. According to the court record, "On November 5, 1977, the first day of the job, a rain gutter contacted a high voltage electrical wire and Aguilera was severely shocked and fell and was seriously injured. Hruby completed the job and was paid by check."
Hruby was not a licensed contractor and did not carry worker's compensation insurance.
Read the rest of this article at
The experts on pedestrian traffic coatings brings you the information you need on one website! We have information on all pedestrian traffic coatings manufacturer's, including Pli-Dek, West Coast Specialty Coating Systems, Desert Brand, Life Deck, Tufflex, Mer-Kote and Dex-O-Tex systems. Browse our website for articles, videos, news stories and more. We'll be updating and adding more pages soon so bookmark this site and come back and visit!
Friday, January 4, 2008
It's High Time a Manufacturer Develops a "Green" Deck Coating
Having watched the explosion of Green building products over the last few years and seeing the results, I have to ask our many deck coating manufacturer's-
Where's the "green" deck coating?
Green is the word in building today-from solar and rain collection, to earth friendly building products that are recyclable after their life span has ended.
The first manufacturer to develop a waterproof deck coating that gets LEED credits will probably be, or become, the biggest winner in the battle to get waterproof decking specified on green projects.Installers who can offer that type of deck coating product would come out ahead of their competitors too.
Crossfield Products (Dex-O-Tex) has some coatings for interior uses that can get LEED credits,something that no other manufacturer (that I'm aware of) has. That's a start, but now it's time to develop and market a "Green" Waterproof deck coating.
Who'll be the first to step up and meet the markets demands?
Where's the "green" deck coating?
Green is the word in building today-from solar and rain collection, to earth friendly building products that are recyclable after their life span has ended.
The first manufacturer to develop a waterproof deck coating that gets LEED credits will probably be, or become, the biggest winner in the battle to get waterproof decking specified on green projects.Installers who can offer that type of deck coating product would come out ahead of their competitors too.
Crossfield Products (Dex-O-Tex) has some coatings for interior uses that can get LEED credits,something that no other manufacturer (that I'm aware of) has. That's a start, but now it's time to develop and market a "Green" Waterproof deck coating.
Who'll be the first to step up and meet the markets demands?
Monday, December 31, 2007
Excellent Course Offerings From SSPC
I opened my mail today to find the latest course offerings from the Society For Protective Coatings, most of which concern paint and other types of coatings, however this one caught my eye- "FLOOR COATING BASICS" which adheres to the SSPC Consensus standards titled "Procedures for Applyoing Thick Film Coatings and Surfacings Over Concrete Floors"
It's an intensive 2 day course that will make the concrete coatings contractors a higher level of expertise.
There's also a great course titled Concrete Coating Inspector Program that mirrors the Basics Couse and intensifies it with lab testing and 5 other high level areas for certification as an inspector.
It's an intensive 2 day course that will make the concrete coatings contractors a higher level of expertise.
There's also a great course titled Concrete Coating Inspector Program that mirrors the Basics Couse and intensifies it with lab testing and 5 other high level areas for certification as an inspector.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Waterproofdeckcoatingadvice.com's website see it's 26,000th visitor!
Surpassing our hopes of 25,000 visitors in our first 12 month calendar year, our website was visited by our 26,000th visitor sometime on December 26th!
Thank you to everyone who visited, your support and the fact that 42% of you added us to your favorites folders is testimony to the need for knowledge and one source for all
pertinent information on deck coatings.
Some interesting tidbits-
The were over 3400 different key phrases used to find us in web searches.
Google was the top search engine by far, leading Yahoo searches by a 3-1 margin. Everyone else was so far behind, it's not worth talking about...
Among the top twenty search terms used to find us were-deck waterproofing, waterproof deck coatings, Pebble deck, Desert Crete, Dex-O-Tex, Tufflex, Merkote and deck installation. With all modesty, waterproofdeckcoatingadvice.com was also a top twenty search phrase too!
Barely not making the top twenty was Westcoat...further down the line was Pli-Deck, All Deck and others.
The most odd search term that brought a visitor to us was
Others came to us with their problems, like the person who typed in
or to the other person who searched
We heard from a lot of you, so many that we had to institute a pay for my time and advice policy, I love helping out but time is money! Thanks for understanding and thanks to those of you who have received my email advice. Keep them coming in 2008!
We look forward to bringing out www.waterproofdeckcoatingadvice.com 2.0 in late 2008; it promises to be a better website-, faster, more user friendly, have more information and we hope will become destined to get us 100,000 visitors soon.
Thanks again for supporting us with your visits; we look forward to serving you in 2008.
Happy New Year,
Bill Leys
Thank you to everyone who visited, your support and the fact that 42% of you added us to your favorites folders is testimony to the need for knowledge and one source for all
pertinent information on deck coatings.
Some interesting tidbits-
The were over 3400 different key phrases used to find us in web searches.
Google was the top search engine by far, leading Yahoo searches by a 3-1 margin. Everyone else was so far behind, it's not worth talking about...
Among the top twenty search terms used to find us were-deck waterproofing, waterproof deck coatings, Pebble deck, Desert Crete, Dex-O-Tex, Tufflex, Merkote and deck installation. With all modesty, waterproofdeckcoatingadvice.com was also a top twenty search phrase too!
Barely not making the top twenty was Westcoat...further down the line was Pli-Deck, All Deck and others.
The most odd search term that brought a visitor to us was
105...I have no idea how that relates to us.
advantages of urethane concrete deck coating systemswas something that 2 folks wanted to know about...
Deck leaking into housewas another memorable search term, I hope the poor soul who typed that into his search engine didn't have to much water coming in...the other poor soul who sounded like they were in trouble wanted to know if they
Can waterproof deck in the rain.Sounds like a candidate for procrastinators anonymous to me...
Others came to us with their problems, like the person who typed in
westcoat finish problem
or to the other person who searched
who needs coating inspectionanswer-You Do! Give us a call today...805-801-2380
We heard from a lot of you, so many that we had to institute a pay for my time and advice policy, I love helping out but time is money! Thanks for understanding and thanks to those of you who have received my email advice. Keep them coming in 2008!
We look forward to bringing out www.waterproofdeckcoatingadvice.com 2.0 in late 2008; it promises to be a better website-, faster, more user friendly, have more information and we hope will become destined to get us 100,000 visitors soon.
Thanks again for supporting us with your visits; we look forward to serving you in 2008.
Happy New Year,
Bill Leys
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Compilation of significant construction defect cases
A 100K Special Assessment! From the Chicago Sun Times
Holy Toledo Batman! A special assessment of $100,000.00 for repairs...from the Chicago area comes these horror stories...
The perfect shock
Condo dreams turn into nightmares with $100,000 special assessments
February 16, 2007
BY SANDRA GUY Staff Reporter
Robert Kelter was watching a football game when he noticed water dripping from the ceiling into the living room. He figured he'd have to call a roofer for a quick repair of the upstairs deck.
Kelter, who had paid $405,000 for his 2-bedroom condo in 2001, had no idea the water drip would turn into a potential $100,000 expense because of alleged major structural problems in the building.
But it did. And he's not alone.
Condo board President Robert Kelter stands under a leaky roof at the Lincoln Theatre Lofts.
(John J. Kim/Sun-Times)
RELATED STORIES
• 'I don't know. Why are you bothering me?'
• Always read everything
• Ideas for deflecting defect shock
But it did. And he's not alone.
About 100 condo owners at two renovated buildings -- one where Kelter lives on the North Side and the other in the South Loop -- have faced special assessments as high as $100,000 apiece to pay for damage they say is caused by shoddy construction.
The two condominium buildings are undergoing a total of $7 million in repairs, and their boards have filed lawsuits asking the developers to take responsibility for alleged construction defects.
A legal expert says the jaw-dropping extra assessments result from a perfect storm of condo conversion circumstances: A lack of oversight by the city, buyers with stars in their eyes and little information and developers who claim they have no assets to correct defects after they sell the condos.
One condo building is the Lincoln Theatre Lofts at 3146-72 N. Lincoln Ave., near the busy intersection of Belmont, Lincoln and Ashland. The other is the East Side Lofts at 1601 S. Indiana Ave., which is about two blocks south of Mayor Daley's home.
About $4 million in repairs to the East Side Lofts are nearly complete and have been paid for by a special assessment imposed on the condo owners. Final repairs to the roof will start when the weather improves.
"We're going to have a tip-top building when it's all done," said one owner who asked to remain anonymous.
The East Side Lofts owner said he paid $77,000 in the first special assessment. He bought his 2-bedroom condo for $290,000 in August 2001, and owed less on his entire mortgage than the amount of the first special assessment.
He said he will pay another $4,000 to $5,000 for a new special assessment to cover lawyers' fees.
"The homeowners didn't deserve to be put in this situation," he said.
The first special assessment of $4 million was divided among 65 condo units of varying sizes. A couple owners of double units reportedly paid $120,000 each in the first special assessment.
The second special assessment for lawyers' fees totals $100,000.
The board recently approved a third special assessment totaling $150,000 to pay lawyers' fees through trial. A trial is scheduled for late this year.
sguy@suntimes.com
READ THE REST AT SUN TIMES
The perfect shock
Condo dreams turn into nightmares with $100,000 special assessments
February 16, 2007
BY SANDRA GUY Staff Reporter
Robert Kelter was watching a football game when he noticed water dripping from the ceiling into the living room. He figured he'd have to call a roofer for a quick repair of the upstairs deck.
Kelter, who had paid $405,000 for his 2-bedroom condo in 2001, had no idea the water drip would turn into a potential $100,000 expense because of alleged major structural problems in the building.
But it did. And he's not alone.
Condo board President Robert Kelter stands under a leaky roof at the Lincoln Theatre Lofts.
(John J. Kim/Sun-Times)
RELATED STORIES
• 'I don't know. Why are you bothering me?'
• Always read everything
• Ideas for deflecting defect shock
But it did. And he's not alone.
About 100 condo owners at two renovated buildings -- one where Kelter lives on the North Side and the other in the South Loop -- have faced special assessments as high as $100,000 apiece to pay for damage they say is caused by shoddy construction.
The two condominium buildings are undergoing a total of $7 million in repairs, and their boards have filed lawsuits asking the developers to take responsibility for alleged construction defects.
A legal expert says the jaw-dropping extra assessments result from a perfect storm of condo conversion circumstances: A lack of oversight by the city, buyers with stars in their eyes and little information and developers who claim they have no assets to correct defects after they sell the condos.
One condo building is the Lincoln Theatre Lofts at 3146-72 N. Lincoln Ave., near the busy intersection of Belmont, Lincoln and Ashland. The other is the East Side Lofts at 1601 S. Indiana Ave., which is about two blocks south of Mayor Daley's home.
About $4 million in repairs to the East Side Lofts are nearly complete and have been paid for by a special assessment imposed on the condo owners. Final repairs to the roof will start when the weather improves.
"We're going to have a tip-top building when it's all done," said one owner who asked to remain anonymous.
The East Side Lofts owner said he paid $77,000 in the first special assessment. He bought his 2-bedroom condo for $290,000 in August 2001, and owed less on his entire mortgage than the amount of the first special assessment.
He said he will pay another $4,000 to $5,000 for a new special assessment to cover lawyers' fees.
"The homeowners didn't deserve to be put in this situation," he said.
The first special assessment of $4 million was divided among 65 condo units of varying sizes. A couple owners of double units reportedly paid $120,000 each in the first special assessment.
The second special assessment for lawyers' fees totals $100,000.
The board recently approved a third special assessment totaling $150,000 to pay lawyers' fees through trial. A trial is scheduled for late this year.
sguy@suntimes.com
READ THE REST AT SUN TIMES
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