Assessments play an essential role in preventive maintenance plans. You can take your assessments to the next level by including building envelope inspections to identify high-cost deficiencies. Here’s how building envelope inspections can save your condo board money.

What Do Condo Building Envelope Inspections Involve?

Building envelope inspections help find issues in your building envelope that continue to deteriorate over time. Inspectors identify deficiencies in all components of your building envelope that contribute to energy loss, negatively impact interior comfort, and ruin the aesthetics of the building. The inspector then recommends repairs to restore the building envelope’s integrity and helps create a maintenance plan designed to prolong longevity and improve condo value.

How Do Condos Save Money with Building Envelope Inspections?

By addressing failures in the building envelope, you can proactively repair and prevent issues that impact the building’s air, weather, and thermal barriers. Every inch of the envelope is addressed inside and out, from the roof to the balconies and the wall system to junctions and seals. They consider the issues unique to your building and recommend repairs. They also provide a maintenance plan that will reduce the investment in repairs and replacements over the building’s lifetime. Regular monitoring lets you spot damage in the early stages before costly replacement becomes the only solution.

What Does the Building Envelope Inspector Provide?

Once the building envelope inspection is complete, the inspector will share a detailed list outlining recommended work, costs, and prioritization of the most urgent repairs. The repairs and upgrades will save money by preventing untimely failure and prolonging the life of the envelope’s components.

What are the Benefits of Building Envelope Inspections?

Building envelope inspections offer several benefits for condo boards, including:

• Reduced occupant complaints: A sound envelope keeps units airtight, reducing the risk of air and water leaks. They also improve energy efficiency to keep units comfortable throughout the year. The building exterior looks well-maintained, keeping occupants happy and knowing their condo value is increasing. Finally, you help avoid secondary damage to unit walls, floors, furniture, etc.
• Ongoing advice and expertise: Inspectors are available to discuss your building and provide tips on how to avoid envelope fatigue. They become partners in finding ways to prevent damage and improve the integrity of your building.
• Reduce damage costs: Exterior damage contributes to interior damage that you either have to pay to restore or claim through insurance. When you fix and prevent exterior damage, you avoid costs associated with secondary interior damage in units and common areas caused by leaks, reducing your overall costs.
• Preventative strategy: An ounce of prevention is always worth a pound of cure, translating into further cost-effectiveness for your building. You can avoid the reactive approach by handling damage before it leads to severe issues like concrete deterioration.
• Effective risk management: Failure to protect the building from potential catastrophes can lead to costly litigations. Should a severe accident occur, you’ll have a trail of records showing you took proper steps to protect the building, occupants, and community.

Inspections are an excellent money-saving strategy for condo boards who want to improve their preventative maintenance approach. You will protect your building’s integrity and value and keep your condo community happy.

The condo experts at CPO Management Inc, a full-service property management company in Toronto and the GTA, have successfully implemented effective preventative maintenance strategies for residential high-rise condominiums. Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help you realize substantial cost and time savings with our condo services.