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.

2

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.

3

4

• 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.

5

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.

6

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: hpo@hpo.bc.ca

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