Working in a more investigative building management capacity, a word that is banished around more than I wish to encounter is “performance solution”. Depending upon which professionals are managing a performance solution, they can bring out the best and the worst of our expert industry. I have witnessed amazing performance solutions from engineers and they […]
It’s all good and well for government regulators to be cheering and patting themselves on the back for reaching this agreement of a 20-year defect liability period for the Sykview Apartment complex. The fact is, in every defect mediation process, large numbers of defects remain left off the table as the process of including them […]
Old flexible hoses rust out and burst; this is a fact. The general working life of a Flexi hose is two-four years, yet recently I dealt with six levels of damage from a burst Flexi hose 11 years in place. I began thinking about how to better risk manage Flexi hose management. If it were […]
The building management industry has many fine examples of quality building management representatives and all with a range of skillsets. Grays Rescue Building Management become thrust into the spotlight in January 2020. Chris Gray’s capabilities resulted in Grays Rescue Building Management being called upon to join the team at Mascot Towers working alongside industry leading […]
Working within the Strata Industry is not always dealing with angry residents, sometimes it provides us with much entertainment. From residents installing non waterproofed water fountains in living rooms that leak through a slab, or even residents demanding for their parking space to be industrially cleaned because someone walked through it leaving a dirty footprint. […]
As someone who has managed a large number of remedial rectifications in residential strata buildings, the one thing that is clear is not all engineers, tradies and remedial rectification contractors are made equal. Periods of remedial rectification is usually an unpleasant experience for residents and strata committees. Ongoing variations and delay costs can frustrate a […]
One of the Grays Rescue Building Management’s expressions is: if people can reach it, they will touch it. Sliced fingers from low hanging booker rods are one of the more common resident injuries in common property as a result of careless tradesmanship. Both plumbers and electricians are usually the culprits for taking the quick option of […]
Today we are looking at 3D Strata Plans and all of their benefits. As someone who works within the parameters of investigative building management and forensic building management, I personally find 3D strata plans very useful and I am always on the lookout for the program that provides advanced capabilities for mapping and landmarking. In […]
With long overdue pressure on building management and fire contractors to achieve passive fire compliance, there are now consequences for the building management industry to professionally manage and maintain the documentation related to Fire Resistance Level (FRL). The passive fire industry’s overhaul has clearly raised the standards of AFSS and its compliance responsibilities, the building […]
Driving through Sydney, we are beginning to see a lot more wood grain finishes, usually pressure-treated wood on balcony areas as decorative finishes and acoustic and light reflection treatments, decks and fencing. Personally, I love the look of pressure-treated wood and applaud their use in what seems to be a never ending jungle of concrete, […]
thestratacommittee.com take a look at the changing face of residential strata maintenance and where it is headed. A number of strata management companies have dipped their toes into the water of strata maintenance only to be met with a frosty reception from their clients and some companies have flourished building a reputation as all in one […]
Although the Design and Building Practitioners Regulation (DBPR) of 2021 does not completely extend to the building management sector, the new regulations will indirectly majorly impact residential building management for class 2 strata buildings. In short, the building management role in its current state will be largely minimised during larger remediation works. Building managers will […]
So, you have renovated your apartment, laid timber flooring and your apartment fire door failed AFSS. This is common and the bad news is the lot owner is responsible and often a replacement the fire door is required. Many owners corporations are left to pay the cost for apartment doors that fail. Often this expense […]
Apart from it being just part of life that residents across all buildings don’t pay much attention until things go wrong or a levy is introduced, most residents are happy to be oblivious and keep away from the politics of strata living and get on with their lives. Most residents who join a committee usually […]
A good practitioner representing an owners corporation understands that remedial works comes with dust and minor scuffs. However, it doesn’t have to be this way, it is up to the principal practitioners and building managers to protect the owners corporation assets and create a situation that the remedial contractors take every precaution to protect the […]
Air Admittance Valves have only become widely used over the last 20 years. This wasn’t the plumbing code of practise when Chris Gray was plumbing many years ago. Insufficient ventilation air flow causes the water seal in traps to be vacuumed back into the risers. The result is a sewer smell coming back out of […]