A condo tower has two roofs
One that you can see and one that you can't.
All condo owners understand that a condo tower has a roof and from time to time, it can leak.
The leaks are easy to repair and the repairs are pretty painless. The contractors work out of sight, the repair costs are reasonable and there is little noise or bother.
The second roof
The “other roof” is called the “roof deck” or “roof slab”. It is the top of the reinforced-concrete slab that sits on top of the underground parking garage.
Many condo owners don’t realize that their parking garage is longer and wider than the condo building. (See the yellow area in the illustration above.) The concrete slab is buried underneath the motor-court, the grass, the flower gardens, the visitor parking and the sidewalk so it doesn’t get much attention.
To keep water from seeping into the exposed concrete slab, a rubber-like membrane sits on top of the roof deck to keep it waterproof. (Like roof shingles.)
A crack in the concrete ceiling due to moisture penetration.
If you are in the underground garage and you see cracks like this in the ceiling, loose paint falling off the concrete ceiling, or water leaks, then the condo probably needs the engineers to take a look at it. The concrete slab may need repairs and the membrane replaced.
White ceiling paint that fell on the garage floor.
Repairs to the “underground roof” are anything but cheap, easy and unintrusive.
Repairs can be extremely expensive. What’s more, if the damage is extensive, parts of the parking garage will not be usable for weeks or months at a time and there may be difficulties getting into and out of the parking garage.
Then there is the noise. One or two jack hammers pounding away for several weeks, or months, will wear on the residents’ nerves.
That is just the inside repairs. What happens outside is ugly.
All the grass, flowerbeds, the motor-court, driveway, sidewalks and trees that sit on top of the parking garage slab and membrane are removed.
Then the jack hammers start pounding on the exposed concrete slab. This is a second source of noise and dust.
This particular concrete slab was in such bad shape, the workers removed the concrete all the way through. You can see the parking garage below.
(Envy the lucky people who were at work when all of this noise, dust and commotion was going on.)
Huge chunks of the concrete slab are discarded in the dumpster.
Major repairs to the suspended slab are usually needed once the condo tower becomes 25-30 years old. If little maintenance was done prior to this, then the costs can skyrocket.
No bang for the buck
The most disappointing thing about repairing the suspended slab, is that the owners don’t see that they got something for the money that was spent. If you decorate the lobby, at least you get a good looking lobby.
When you repair concrete, you don’t see any visible improvements unless you spend a second fortune installing new flowerbeds and shrubs.
Russia bans smoking on apartment balconies
Russian smokers have been left gasping after the emergencies ministry announced that smoking on the balconies of apartment blocks would be banned under new fire regulations.
Under the new rules, "open fire" is prohibited on apartment balconies, as well as in the living areas of dormitories and hotels. Lighting matches and smoking are both classed as open fire, officials say. Barbecuing kebabs and lighting candles will also be banned, reports say.
https://bbc.in/2o9Tmx7
Landlord-Tenant-101
A lawyer gives landlord-tenant advice by using comics. Very well done.
https://carymasad.com/landlord-tenant-101
Police say woman critically injured in downtown shooting may have been caught in crossfire
News report states that the shooting may be related to a condo being rented out on Airbnb.
One man, who lives in the building, told CP24 that residents are shocked by the brazenness of the shooting.
“We live right over here, it’s very concerning,” the man said. “I have a two-year-old boy and this is not something you want in your neighbourhood.”
http://bit.ly/2mQOtIH