Waterproofing

Budgeting for Your Building: Part 1 — Waterproofing

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In recent years, we’ve seen a noticeable trend: the skies are opening up more often and with greater intensity. According to back-to-back reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the outlook consistently points to well above average precipitation along the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Seaboard, and the northern Midwest.

With heavier rains becoming the norm, your building’s waterproofing is no longer a “nice-to-have”; it’s an absolute necessity. Failing to invest in proper waterproofing could leave your property vulnerable to costly water damage, operational disruptions, and a blow to your budget. So, if you have unallocated funds left in your current budget, now’s the time to maximize them. 

Protect Your Building with Effective Waterproofing

Waterproofing is more than just a barrier—it’s an investment in your building’s longevity. When you stay ahead of water infiltration, you extend the lifespan of essential building materials while avoiding costly repairs. Think about it: roofs, facades, windows, foundations, balconies, parking garages, planters, plaza decks, expansion joints, and below-grade areas are all vulnerable to water intrusion. 

Like an offensive line protects a quarterback, waterproofing protects your investment by standing strong, blocking potential threats, and ensuring your building stays in top condition. But just like any good offensive line needs regular training and upkeep, your waterproofing system requires routine inspections and maintenance. By staying vigilant and proactive, you can prevent small vulnerabilities from turning into costly disasters that could deplete your budget.

Financial Pitfalls of Ignoring Waterproofing

When you ignore or defer preventative maintenance, you risk derailing your budget by robbing Peter to pay Paul for costly repairs. Take this example from our webinar: what began as a $110,000 repair nearly doubled in cost just two years later to $215,000 simply because the building owner deferred waterproofing needs. Water and other elements will continue to wreak havoc in areas where your building is vulnerable, and the damage increases exponentially.

Unfortunately, costly repairs aren’t the only financial pitfall of ignoring waterproofing repairs. Excessive water damage can also lead to higher insurance premiums or even denied claims, adding another layer of avoidable stress and strain on your budget. Extensive repair and restoration projects disrupt your operations and may require relocating tenants, missing out on revenue, and other unplanned downtime sure to affect your business operations. 

Crafting Your Waterproofing Budget: Key Components

Crafting your waterproofing budget starts with finding your baseline. From there, you can address your building’s greatest needs that fit your budget and begin a regular cadence for waterproofing maintenance.

  1. Inspections and Assessments: Integrating waterproofing into your annual budget begins with an honest assessment of your building’s vulnerabilities to water intrusion. This strategy gives you an opportunity for some quick wins to address the most dire needs while remaining within budget.
  2. Routine Maintenance: Waterproofing is not a one-time task. Components require regular inspections and minor touch-ups. For example, review manufacturer guidelines or consult with your waterproofing contractor on how often to reapply coatings.
  3. Emergency Repairs: Even with the best proactive planning, unforeseen issues can arise. Environmental conditions, weather, and pollutants vary from region to region. When these conditions are extreme, they can compromise the integrity of waterproofing products. 
  4. Upgrades and Improvements: Straight from science fiction or a Marvel movie, robotics and nanotechnologies are driving advancements in waterproofing membranes to provide a more effective product while enhancing sustainability. 

Ultimately, you need to align your building’s needs with your budget. For instance, going with higher-end waterproofing products provides enhanced protection and a longer time between reapplications. This will cost more initially but will pay off in the long run. It’s all about allocating budget dollars to provide the most protection and maximize your spending. 

Maximizing Your Budget: Protect and Prevent

As the year draws to a close, make the most of any remaining budget dollars before they’re lost. We offer several essential maintenance and preventative projects to protect your property, reduce liabilities, and ensure your budget stays on track next year. 

Smart Moves for Year-end Budget:

  • Trip Hazards/Paver Repairs: Addressing these now helps prevent accidents and further damage, saving you money in the long run.
  • Sealants and Caulking: Reapplying these materials is a cost-effective way to maintain your building’s integrity.
  • Painting/Coating: Protect your building’s facade and other vulnerable areas with a fresh coat of paint or protective coating.
  • Concrete Repairs: Address any cracks or damage in concrete surfaces before they worsen, leading to more extensive and costly repairs.
  • Facade Assessment: Conduct routine facade assessments to address problems now and avoid expensive repairs later.

Investing in these smaller yet critical projects protects your property, prevents future damage, and ensures value from every dollar of your budget. 

Don’t let unused funds go to waste — contact A1 today to learn how we can help you maximize your budget and secure the long-term benefits of comprehensive waterproofing and maintenance for your building.

Building Owner Liability

Shielding Building Owner Liability with Comprehensive Insurance & Safety Measures

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When a building service provider carries comprehensive liability insurance without risky policy exclusions that are so prevalent in the industry, it alleviates concerns about potential financial liabilities arising from accidents, damages, or other incidents. But insurance is just one part of the equation. What truly sets a provider apart is a deep-rooted commitment to safety.

At A1, safety isn’t just a priority — it’s our core mission. Our extensive knowledge and dedication to building safety and compliance, backed by our ultra-comprehensive liability insurance, offer you unparalleled value and peace of mind. Read on to discover how this powerful combination makes us stand out from the competition.

Minimizing Worry and Stress for Building Management

Maximizing the value of your commercial properties requires a proactive approach to mitigating risks. It’s not just about avoiding accidents; it’s about ensuring the smooth operation of a property, maintaining profitability, and safeguarding against potential litigation. Who you choose as your building service provider for services like window cleaning or facade repair can influence your risk exposure.

Comprehensive Liability Insurance and Common Exclusions

As a building manager or owner, you already require a comprehensive general liability policy from your building service providers. However, that’s not the whole picture. It goes without saying that general liability insurance is crucial as a safety net that covers risks that might occur while performing building maintenance or repair work on your property. You may be absolutely convinced that your building service provider is fully covered by general liability insurance if, for example, a worker accidentally damages a tenant’s property or, worse, if a passerby gets injured due to a service-related mishap. But are you really sure?

You may have even examined the service provider’s Certificate of Insurance (COI) (or even had an insurance professional do so), and that review may have fully satisfied you that a service provider has full coverage with a top-notch insurance company and with minimum limits that meet or exceed your standards. It turns out, though, that the COI only tells a small part of the story, and you might actually be in dangerous territory.

That’s because it’s very common for service providers to cut corners and reduce premiums by accepting very risky exclusions in their insurance policies that could lead to no coverage just when it’s needed the most. Unfortunately, this situation is becoming more and more prevalent in the building services industry. The scariest part is that you will have no way of knowing if such exclusions exist in a service provider’s insurance company unless you review the full policy. The COI does not mention these exclusions, so it’s not enough to simply review the certificates.

For example, one of these increasingly common exclusions is the residential exclusion. This excludes coverage for residential construction projects such as condominiums or apartment buildings. Another example is the exclusion of coverage in certain states and for certain types of operations. Are you sure that a service provider is covered for the applicable type of operation in your state? There are many other examples as well.

Inadequate coverage, because of these and other common exclusions, could lead to significant out-of-pocket expenses and potential legal battles for you as the property owner. That’s why it’s imperative that the vendors you work with meet all insurance requirements and have taken care that these dangerous exclusions are not in its general liability policy. 

At A1, we are proud that we have focused strongly on the dangers of these exclusions, and our general liability policy does not contain the exclusions mentioned above. Before any work begins, you already ask your contractor for a COI, but you should also ask for the policy forms list, or even the full policy, for any sign of exclusions that could impact coverage.

In sum, working with a vendor who not only meets insurance requirements but also cares enough to ensure policy exclusions won’t leave you high and dry when it counts removes many of the financial uncertainties and worries concerning the project. 

Robust Safety Measures

Building owners are responsible for ensuring their workplace is free of known fall hazards, providing, maintaining, and inspecting appropriate fall protection systems, and ensuring employees who work on premises receive proper training. At a minimum, employees should:

  • Understand their role, the dangers of falling, and how to reduce hazards.
  • Receive training from a competent person.
  • Understand how to use fall protection systems, how to inspect and maintain them, and the system’s limitations.
  • Know how to use and operate arrest systems, guardrails, controlled access zones, etc.

Safety isn’t just about ticking boxes and meeting the minimum requirements; it’s about creating a culture where preventing incidents is paramount. Robust safety measures encompass everything from thorough employee training to eliminating hazards and strict adherence to OSHA regulations and beyond. With these measures in place, insurance fulfills its proper role as a safety net, stepping in only when all other precautions fail.

Working at heights is dangerous and continues to account for a significant amount of workplace injuries and fatalities. After decades of work and several fatalities, Minnesota, according to the Star Tribune, will require “window washers working higher than 24 feet without a ladder, unionized or not, will have to earn a certificate after training in equipment safety, first aid and crisis management.” These measures and other awareness efforts are in response to decades of preventable and tragic injuries.

How Building Service Providers Integrate Safety and Insurance for Optimal Protection

At A1, we design, install, and support fall protection systems, which places us in the unique position of fall protection expert and service provider. Our turnkey solutions ensure your building’s fall protection systems meet your needs, are OSHA compliant, and are properly maintained.

Proactively Improve Safety to Reduce the Risk of Incidents

To a well-trained eye, safety hazards are glaringly obvious, while others may overlook or underestimate the risks. We train our teams to identify and eliminate hazards during the initial job safety analysis and work plan. Our teams deliver value for you by reporting potential safety hazards even if they aren’t within the scope of work. Early intervention allows you to address safety hazards to prevent incidents proactively.

Enjoy the Benefits of Building Safety Compliance

The primary benefit of building safety compliance is preserving and protecting human life. OSHA hands out thousands of citations each year, most of which are fall protection or height-related. National Safety Council (NSC) President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin states, “Although incredible advancements are made in safety each year, we continue to see many of the same types of violations appear on OSHA’s Top 10 list.” The cost of violations rose again this year and can exceed $160,000 per violation.

Protect Yourself from Financial Catastrophes

When you employ vendors without proper insurance, you essentially assume the role of their insurer and take on the risks for their actions. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates the financial impact of workplace falls at $70 billion each year just for worker’s compensation and medical expenses. Add litigation, disruption to your operations, and perhaps a tarnished reputation, and you will see why using a building service provider with inadequate insurance isn’t worth the risk.

Trust A1’s Safety Expertise and Comprehensive Coverage

As a building owner, you have a lot at stake. It’s not just about protecting your investment; it’s about creating and maintaining a safe environment for occupants, workers, and visitors. When you choose a vendor who lacks safety training or awareness or fails to protect themselves and others with insurance, the risk transfers to you.

Our teams traverse thousands of building facades and rooftops each year. We are committed to keeping them and their families safe. That’s why we place a premium on safety and insurance coverage to protect our workers and your investment. Contact us today and take the worry out of building maintenance with our robust safety systems and comprehensive coverage.

building maintenance-2

Seasonal Maintenance Planning: How to Budget for Year-Round Building Care

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Ensuring your building remains in top condition throughout the year requires a strategic approach to maintenance. Seasonal maintenance helps you prepare your property for the next season while removing remnants of the previous season. This article will help you plan and budget for effective seasonal maintenance, ensuring your property remains safe, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing all year round.

Getting the Most out of Seasonal Maintenance

Seasons bring both challenges and opportunities. For example, it’s advantageous for a university or school to do all significant projects during the summer while most students are off campus. Planning for seasonal maintenance helps to avoid operational disruptions for occupants and workers. Budgeting for seasonal maintenance ensures your building’s safety, functionality, and aesthetic appeal. With the right strategy, you can successfully address the needs of each season to keep your property in prime condition and avoid the pitfalls of deferred maintenance.

Spring Maintenance Tasks

Spring is critical for building maintenance as it addresses winter damage and prepares the building for summer heat. It’s also one of the most active seasons for property maintenance activities, such as performing inspections and building assessments. For this reason, property managers should begin planning in early winter to secure services and negotiate contracts. 

Key Focus Areas for Spring Maintenance 

  • Implement a spring cleaning regimen to enhance the building’s appearance.
  • Pressure wash walkways to wash away salt or residue from winter or heavy pollen buildup. 
  • Ensure the building envelope is ready to stand up to spring and summer showers.
  • Evaluate property to ensure safety and compliance. 

Budgeting Tips for Spring 

  • Allocate funds based on need from the building condition report to help address issues while they are small and manageable. 
  • Plan for 2-4 window washing sessions throughout the year to maintain a clean and professional appearance.

Summer Maintenance Tasks

Summer is the peak season for building restoration, maintenance projects, and hurricanes. In most cases, the weather cooperates, but resources are in high demand. While it’s an ideal time for schools that are out of session, it’s in the best interest of vacation properties and stadiums to schedule around this busy season to avoid impacting customers.

Key Focus Areas for Summer Maintenance

  • Protect your building from moisture damage by applying sealants and protective coatings. 
  • Remove stains and inspect window seals to ensure aesthetic appeal and energy efficiency. 
  • Clean, seal, and repair parking garage surfaces.
  • Clean and inspect property and building facade.

Budgeting Tips for Summer

  • Schedule exterior facade cleaning to remove any pollen or pest remnants from the spring.
  • Plan for next year’s property budget, typically due at the end of August.
  • Identify and plan for anticipated non-routine maintenance needs. 

Fall Maintenance Tasks

Autumn is your chance to take advantage of the few remaining months of nice weather to prepare your building for the winter. It’s also an ideal time to review your maintenance budget to ensure it’s spent and spent wisely. 

Key Focus Areas for Fall

  • Clearing leaves from sidewalks quickly reduces the chances of staining, mold and mildew buildup, and slip hazards. 
  • Repair cracking and spalling concrete before winter to avoid water penetration, expansion, and further damage. 
  • Conduct fall protection inspections to mitigate fall hazards and ensure compliance and safety.

Budgeting Tips for Fall

  • Schedule a rooftop assessment to evaluate your compliance status and assist with budgeting.
  • Include costs for sealant replacement to prevent water infiltration during winter.
  • If you don’t use your end-year budget, you may lose it. Identify small projects to improve your property and use the remaining budget dollars or risk seeing it cut the following year. 

Winter Maintenance Tasks

Winter is a great time for interior maintenance and evaluating your budget to plan for next year. As the holidays approach, you can prep your property for events and decorations with additional window cleaning. 

Key Focus Areas for Winter

  • Interior maintenance such as high-dusting and handrail repair and replacement.
  • Last chance to allocate your remaining budget dollars 
  • Snow and ice removal
  • Decorating for holidays

Budgeting Tips for Winter Maintenance

  • Assess budget performance, OSHA compliance, and building maintenance, repair, and cleaning needs. 
  • Secure service contracts for the following year to stay on your maintenance schedule. 

Year-round Maintenance Services from Valcourt

Tending to your building’s needs requires a vigilant approach to year-round preventative maintenance. At Valcourt, our teams provide a wide array of building services to help you stay ahead of avoidable and often costly repair projects. 

Here are some of our seasonal maintenance services and tools, along with the best time to carry them out: 

Annually:

Year Round:

Spring and Summer:

Spring, Summer, & Fall:

Proper planning and execution of seasonal maintenance ensures you spend your budget effectively. This approach helps address problems while they are small and manageable, prevents liability issues, and upholds your property’s value. 

Partnering with Valcourt for Expert Seasonal Maintenance Planning & Solutions

Cleaning up what the last season left behind and preparing for what the next season may bring delivers the most cost-effective and proactive approach to protecting your investment. 

Valcourt’s wide array of building services helps you take advantage of what each season offers and provides you with the best opportunity for year-round property care. Contact us today so we can partner with you to deliver you peace of mind and safety while maximizing your annual building and property budget.