A functioning building envelope is well managed through systems and processes aligned with capital funding. BCBS continues to help many Building Owners, Strata Councils, and Property Managers develop these systems. A well-managed building can result in sustained or improved property values and provide healthier and safer places to live. Key services provided by BCBS as part of these management systems include:
- Building Envelope Maintenance Programs – outline maintenance requirements and renewals
- Depreciation Reports or Reserve Fund Studies – provide funding plans for required maintenance and renewals
- Warranty Reviews and Condition Assessments – provide regular assessment reports of building envelope systems
Building Envelope Maintenance Programs
A key component of our post construction services in both new construction and renovation construction includes the implementation of a properly managed Maintenance and Renewal Program.
BCBS provides user friendly Building Envelope Maintenance Manuals that allow the Owners to fully understand the maintenance needs of the installed building envelope systems. The main advantage in providing this manual is to educate the future (or current) Owners on their obligations in maintaining the envelope systems to ensure the warranty provisions are met and to ensure the long-term performance of the envelope systems.
Although this is not a requirement of every building, we encourage our Clients to consider the implementation of a Maintenance and Renewal Program, as it improves the long-term durability of the building, reduces liability for all parties and ensures the building envelope systems will continue to function as intended. An ongoing maintenance program should consist of:
- Regular reviews suitable to the needs of the building – typically annual but perhaps as frequent as bi-annual or as extended as every five years;
- Systematic follow-up to ensure the issues and concerns identified have been appropriately resolved including documentation.
Depreciation Reports and Capital Planning
BCBS provides Deprecation Reports (Reserve Fund Studies) aligned with the requirements of the Strata Property Act. All services provided by BCBS meet or exceed all legislated services, including but not necessarily limited to:
- Detailed review of the property and asset conditions and pertinent documents,
- Development of short-term and long-term life cycle projections for common property assets – repairs and renewals that generally fall outside of typical annual operating budget expectations,
- Financial planning analysis related to current and expected Strata funding abilities, needs, and options,
- Budget development forecasted over a 30 year time cycle as per legislation, and
- Long-term forecasting and client consulting to aid in developing suitable and appropriate reserve fund strategies (models) for the Strata’s consideration.
- Ongoing consultation and meetings to incorporate client input and educate our clients as to the report organization, objectives, and information provided.
We pride ourselves on organizing our reports in a manner that is easily understood while also being sufficiently thorough for those owners or interested parties wanting to understand all detailed aspects. We do this by summarizing all information in a shortened report concept and then appending all detailed site observations into various, categorized appendices.
Warranty Reviews
BCBS provides warranty review inspections and reports aligning with the warranty expirations which are typically at the end of 15 months, 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years from original construction. BCBS typically provides these reports to Strata Corporations or Developers.