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Thanks Dad!5.0Entry posted Jun 29 by Chuck McClain
One of the great aspects of June for me is a renewed appreciation for my father. He started out as a mechanical engineer and eventually became a Managing Director and Executive Vice President for a worldwide engineering/construction company. He has since retired and in his mid-80’s, and having survived a minor heart attack resulting in a very successful bypass surgery this spring, he’s healthier and happier than ever.
I’ve never met a harder worker. He would be up early and off to work, but he would always take time to visit with us and always had time to coach my basketball teams or take my brother to a skateboarding tournament when we were growing up. I always got the sense that the reason he worked was to provide for his wife and children. We’ve gone on family vacations for the past 40+years and continue to do so with my brother and sisters with their families getting together for our annual family vacation at the beach. I learned the importance of family from him and my mother. It’s no accident that I started a family business and that I feel at home working hard on projects.
At some point, my father started his own company but he couldn’t quite make it work and the company went out of business. About the only story I remember hearing about his experience was how he wouldn’t rest until everyone they owed money to was paid back in full, even though it took several years to do. That taught me a lot about responsibility and integrity.
He worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and with NASA during the Space Race of the 1960’s. He was in charge of procurement for the first spacecrafts to land on the moon. He knew the ins and outs of government contracts, and made sure the contractors weren’t ripping off the government with $500 hammers. I’m sure that I learned the importance of contract language and pricing strategies from my father.
When my dad was ending his career with thousands of employees below him in the organizational chart, he would treat his employees with respect. I remember hearing from his secretary that he was a favorite of the support staff as the one EVP that knew the secretaries names and would treat each of them as he would like to be treated. When he was in the hospital recovering from bypass surgery, he was his usual appreciative self and got to know the nurses by name. Everyone matters to him and he treats everyone with respect. I’d like to think that on my good days I have learned some of these lessons from him.
He’s someone that keeps his promises in his life, and I’m sure that’s one of the reasons why our company considers each project deadline as a promise to be kept and why we’ve never missed a deadline.
When we designed our company logo, we purposefully included a cursive font representing how my father signs his name to inspire us to do our best as my father would. Whenever people talk about heroes, I think of my father. My father has guided me in ways too numerous to remember through the years and June always provides me a renewed opportunity to appreciate how lucky I am to be his son.
- Entry posted May 16 by Chuck McClain
Determining the age of the building is required for virtually every assessment report we create. Most reports feature various remaining useful life estimates including one for the building as a whole. If the site contact does not know when the building was built, there are several ways to get a good idea as to the construction date. The most obvious is the original building permit and/or certificate of occupancy, but some municipalities don’t have accurate or complete records.
Another good way to get a ballpark age for a building is to review historic aerial photos. Google Earth has a great feature – click on the clock icon at the top of the screen – that allows you to look at historical imagery of a given location. It’s a good way to verify when roofing was replaced or the pavement was last seal coated as well.
In addition, while at the site there are several components that point to the age of the building:
- Fire hydrants throughout the property usually have a manufacture date and were typically installed at the time that the site was developed.
- Main electrical equipment frequently has a manufacture date indicated on the label and was usually installed at the time that the building was originally constructed.
- Serial number indicated on label of original HVAC equipment or water heaters will tell you the age of the equipment and potentially the building as a result.
- Main fire sprinkler riser piping typically has a manufacture date, and more times than not, it was installed at the time the building was originally constructed.
Between these, you can usually get at least one or two fairly accurate estimates to use in the report. I’m sure there are more ways, but between these it is almost always possible to get a good idea of the building age. And, if when you’re not really sure of the date, it never hurts to add a “circa” in front of the estimated date to indicate you’re making an educated guess.
Or, if we're lucky, the date of construction is staring us in the face, proudly displayed on a plaque near the main entrance or as part of the building facade such as in the photo below...
I look forward to hearing some additional ideas for determining building age from the building sleuths out there….
- Entry posted Apr 15 by Chuck McClain
I love working for clients that appreciate what we provide. They appreciate the report quality and the responsive service. But, as in any field, there are clients you love to work with and clients you’d like to poke with a sharp stick to get them to wander off in the direction of some other consulting company.
For me, the best clients actually read the report products we produce. Yes, they read virtually every page and don’t hesitate to ask us to fix a typo if they find one. That’s exciting. That means the quality poured into every paragraph is appreciated - and it means you better make sure you don’t take your eye off the ball and don’t fall into the trap of focusing primarily on the executive summary or PCR tables. My favorite clients appreciate detail and quality.
The best clients challenge us to be better. They can set up outrageous project deadlines and scopes of work, but they will reward us when we jump through the necessary flaming hoops and actually deliver. They thank us for accepting projects with challenging parameters and they further our professional and company development in the process. They appreciate it when we solve some problem caused by another consultant. It’s not uncommon that these clients end up being friends, people you respect and enjoy the company of. People you actually want to send a holiday card to and love to get getting a chance to visit with in person.
One of the best things about owning your own business is being able to choose your clients and your associates. These days I hear many people talk about having no other choice but to put up with certain horrible clients because of the economy. I understand that but I’m not interested in that. I’m interested in being happy and working with people that add to my happiness.
I’m interested in working with people that love what we do and aren’t too busy or self-centered to let us know when they think we’ve done a fantastic job.
I’d rather be cleaning fast food restaurant restrooms than have to go back and work with some of the tyrannical and egotistical personalities I had to put up with while working for large consulting firms back in the day. Those large consulting companies can keep that type of client. I’m much happier with clients that I consider family and that consider us family. Give me that, and a sharp stick at the ready for clients from the dark side, any day.
- Entry posted Mar 22 by Chuck McClain
When conducting an assessment of the building, we all know to ask the site contacts about the presence of roof leaks, to look for signs of water damage on upper floor ceiling panels, and to look for obvious signs of damage or potential water entry paths on the roof. In addition, if the building has a single-ply thermoplastic roof membrane, it is imperative to identify the manufacturer and membrane type. We have seen more and more fairly subtle but important deficiencies with the following roof types:
- Ethylene Propylene (EP) and Hypalon Roof Systems manufactured by J.P. Stevens. J.P. Stevens has experienced problems with their EP and Hypalon membrane roof systems.
- PVC Blend membranes manufactured by Duralast. We have seen numerous failures of these systems, especially in “Hail Belt” areas.
- Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) and PVC membranes manufactured by Genflex. Genflex has experienced numerous problems with their TPO and PVC membrane roof systems. If your property has a Best Buy store, it is likely that there is a Genflex TPO installed.
Of these, we’ve probably seen EP roof membranes more frequently than the others. These membranes are reinforced with a polyester scrim (mesh). The problematic roofs typically were installed in the late 1990’s and include both black and white membranes. Once the roof gets to the six or seven year mark, it is likely that leaks have started occurring. There are two types of deterioration frequently seen in an EP roof membrane:
- Seam Edge Splitting. This is considered the worst type of deterioration, occurring on either side of the seams in the roof. The splits are first seen as hairline cracks at the edge of the lap, which may only be through the top side of the membrane. The splits can initially be difficult to find, although once the membrane is split all the way through they become more obvious. The splitting can be anywhere from one inch to over 100 feet in length, and sometimes alternate between splitting and hairline cracking and back to splitting again along the same lap area. If you see black EPDM cover tape over the laps between membrane sections, it is likely these repairs are mitigating leaks resulting from seam splits.
- Membrane Flaking. This can be a challenge to identify since the flaking can be very small (such as 1/16th of an inch around), or as large as two inches in diameter. With this deterioration, the scrim is rarely broken (as opposed to physical impact damage where the scrim is typically destroyed) although if the condition has existed for a long time the scrim may be damaged or broken from the weather. You’ll notice that the top of the deteriorated membrane can usually be chipped up in small pieces. This flaking can quickly spread over large areas once it starts. Observing the flaking deterioration is easiest after the morning dew or after a rain, when the water is wicking back through the membrane.
The result of this type of deterioration are roof leaks, and all that they can bring to a building environment: from unhappy tenants complaining about the roof leaks, safety issues resulting from slip hazards to microbial growth, roof framing deterioration and eventual roof failure.
Identification of these roof systems is important in both debt and equity scenarios. Lenders need to know of the shorter expected roof lifespan and equity interests will most likely get a reduced price for the asset with these defective membranes. Identification of these systems is important and if we see splitting or flaking, the prudent course of action is often recommending further review of the roof by a qualified roofing consultant. In some cases, the manufacturer will replace the roof at no cost to the owner.
- Entry posted Feb 25 by Chuck McClain
One of the mystifying aspects of the PCA industry is the conceit of many licensed “professionals” and how many of them snootily look down their crinkly nose at those in the field that are not registered engineers or architects. Some of the most difficult people I’ve worked with have been licensed engineers who were know-it-alls and were unable to work with a project team consisting of those deemed inferior to their license-confirmed masterful intellect.
I have found that experience matters much more than having a license and slapping some acronym after the formal name that only your mother calls you. Maybe I feel this way because my first apprenticeship was with a very old licensed architect that routinely dozed off at his desk every afternoon… Or perhaps I’ve been in one too many large consulting firms and watched as hoity-toity licensed staff approach an assessment believing they “know” what to expect at a facility. Unfortunately, the result of this type of approach is often an engineer seeing only what they expected to see. The instant we start believing we know virtually everything there is to know about a given type of facility is when we start missing pertinent site-specific data or deficiencies and short-changing our client.
Some of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with do not have any licenses other than the one that allows them to legally drive their car and they probably never will. I’m of the belief that actual field and report writing experience while working with smart men and women that challenge you to do your best is much more important that having put in enough time and being able to take tests successfully to earn a license. In our field, forums like Commonground or certain discussion groups on LinkedIn are great for gaining knowledge and learning from experienced staff.
Sure, there are professionals holding certain licenses that are best suited for certain detailed assessments and assignments, such as structural or civil engineers with experience in preparing seismic probable maximum loss (PML) assessments. But to think that just because someone has a license he or she will do a good job of evaluating field conditions or actually act “professionally” as a leader of a project team is crazy. I’ve witnessed too many boneheaded actions by licensed ne'er-do-wells - The McSnootersons of our industry - to think this at this point in my career.
- Entry posted Feb 12 by Chuck McClain
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d write about some of the aspects of the facility assessment field that I love…
I love that every building is different and we get to learn something new at nearly every property we visit.
I love working with less experienced, bright eyed and bushy tailed staff that ask questions and don’t pretend to know everything.
I love spontaneously encountering an unusual building deficiency that I’ve already seen at a previous property and then can just copy and paste from a previous report.
I love the unfolding process of arriving at the site knowing virtually nothing about the building systems and then leaving the site a few hours later and knowing virtually everything about how the building works.
I love magnificently profitable portfolios with their huge economies of scale in which the client is amazed at our velocity and many field staff members get to make a lot of money in a short amount of time.
I love creatively finding more efficient ways to complete the site visit and report preparation process.
I love conducting a rush site visit in another state and completing the report by the time my flight arrives back home.
I love working with friends who are professionals that keep their promises, turn in reports before deadline and don’t complain.
I love returning home to my remarkable and loving wife, son and dogs after a trip.
I love beautifully written reports succinctly discussing comprehensive systems and complex deficiencies.
I love doing a stellar job for appreciative clients.
I love simplicity and effectiveness of global copy and replace commands.
I love that my wife humors me and doesn’t burst out laughing when I discuss my fascination with roofing or some other technical system that bores her to tears.
I love that I’m able to efficiently receive and send emails while traveling.
I love small town building departments where one helpful local can tell you everything you need to know about building, fire and zoning issues for your property.
I love sailing through airport security in less than five minutes.
I love sleeping in my own comfortable bed after having been away on a business trip.
I love depositing checks from our clients into our business checking account.
I love that PCAs deal in grey areas, not black and whites, and that they are as much an art as a science.
Sometimes it is easy to get worked up about the unrealistic deadlines, low-balling competitors or outlandish client requests, but today I have nothing but love for the facility assessment.
- Entry posted Feb 8 by Chuck McClain
One of the biggest challenges when performing Property Condition Assessments is discerning the importance of the various types of cracking that one inevitably observes at a property. It is safe to say that we will see cracks in virtually every at building component (such as floor slabs, interior partitions and exterior walls) and hardscape site component (such as walkways, patios, pavement and curbing) at any given site if we pay enough attention.
While some of this cracking, such as “alligator” patterned cracking in asphalt pavement, is fairly straightforward to address in our report and recommendations (remove and replace the cracked areas), the cause and importance of other cracking is difficult to identify given the “generalist” nature of the typical PCA staff and the short duration on any given site.
While on site, it is important to gather as much information as possible about the cracking observed including the following:
· Is there a pattern (for example stair step cracks or every few feet) to the cracking?
· What is the extent (a single area or every site building) of the cracking?
· What is the level of severity (width and length) of the cracking?
· For wall cracking, are the cracks present at both the interior and exterior sides of the wall?
For example, it is not unusual to see hairline diagonal cracking at building corners which is often a result of initial building settlement. Or perhaps there is 1/8” to ¼” vertical linear cracking at periodic intervals indicating the component should have originally been constructed with additional joints to control expansion and contraction. Our job is to identify as many features of the cracking as possible.
- Entry posted 12/3/09 by Chuck McClain
According to ASTM E2018-08 “Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments: Baseline Property Condition Assessment Process”, the objective of the PCA is to observe and report on the physical condition of the subject property. This sounds simple enough, but we’ve all learned that there are numerous factors that influence both the observing and the reporting at any given property. What is the client’s interest in the property and reason for hiring the consultant to perform a PCA? Is the property in pre-foreclosure, being acquired, or refinanced? While the observation methodology at any given property may be generally similar (although generally more detailed in an acquisition), each of these scenarios will greatly influence the reporting and recommendations for a property.
One of the standard descriptions of purpose that can be found in a typical consulting company’s Property Condition Report (PCR) reads something like this: “The purpose of the assessment was to observe the general physical condition and maintenance status of a property and to suggest repair or maintenance items for the property to continue in its current operation compared to properties of similar age and condition.” That last part is obviously very important. Our job in a standard PCA is not to compare a 40-year old building to the building next to it that was built last year and create a laundry list of renovations/upgrades for our client. Rather, our job is to compare that 40-year old building to similar buildings built around the same time in the same region and recommend repairs as needed. That’s why experience is even more valuable than professional licenses in this industry. This is also the value of mentoring new field staff and sharing our experiences. We have to know what the similar properties are like in order to compare our subject property with them. It is a common pitfall of those consultants first learning this field to fail to make that distinction and to recommend inappropriate renovations or upgrades.
Over the past year or two, we have seen an increasing amount of properties that have fallen into disrepair and are in the process of foreclosure. Vacancies are up, maintenance budgets are down, and the result is poorly maintained facilities that have increased the typical time and effort required to prepare a PCR. We have seen apartment complexes that haven’t had the budget to repair the piping leaks and all they can do is close down more and more of their units and hope the mold growth doesn’t get too bad. The challenge is to sift through the data and make sure the important issues such as the roof leaks, settlement issues or trip hazards are highlighted and not to get lost in the details of the rest of the maintenance deficiencies. To observe and report still sounds easy, but has become more challenging these days.
- Entry posted 10/20/09 by Chuck McClain
The “please turn off and store your electronic devices for landing” announcement had just been heard and our plane was rapidly descending into Columbus at 500 miles per hour. At that moment, my phone vibrated and I realized that with all the bells and whistles of my favorite new “smart” phone I hadn’t correctly turned it off before takeoff. I took out my phone and saw that I’d just received an email at some 5,000 feet off the ground! Imagine that…
Back in the day, when I was first learning to write building evaluation reports, we would drop off our rolls of film at the 1-hour photo store on the way back from the site visit, so that we could buy our triple sets of 35mm color prints (one for our files, one for each hardcopy of the report) and, once developed, we could spread out the photos on the conference room table, sort them into groups, and slowly flip through them as we wrote the report during the next few weeks. (Yes, they took weeks to write….)
Then we all had to start remembering to clip the little plastic box to our belt whenever we left for work in the morning that would beep when someone was trying to reach us and we could actually receive their phone number in space-age slanty rectangular numbering barely visible in the sunlight.
The next thing we all knew, we were able to receive a written letter on inexplicably thin rolls of Jetsons-esque heat sensitive paper within a few minutes of it being sent from the other side of the country! Sure you couldn’t leave the paper in your car for too long in the sun otherwise it would self destruct into a horrific mess of brown splotchiness, but it was remarkable!
At some point we young kids in the industry were championing the convenience of carrying around handfuls of floppy discs for our state-of-the-art Sony digital cameras that only weighed a few pounds, and older engineers were yelling some version of “you kids get off of my lawn!” while they resisted putting away their 35mm cameras since it would disrupt their spread-the-photos-out-on-the-conference-table technical writing process.
During the past two decades we’ve seen such amazing technological progress in the tools of the trade. Now armed with laser tools, digital cameras, smart phones and iPods attached to our utility belts and carrying touch screen tablets while on site we look more and more like the futuristic superheroes of efficiency that we feel like when we recognize a unique building condition and know we’ve already written a very succinct and award-winning paragraph about that exact deficiency on a previous report that we can simply cut and paste into this week’s report. What a wonderful feeling!
1-hour photo stores, facsimiles, pagers, digital cameras… this list goes on and on. I can’t wait to see what we develop next…. Emails on my phone at an altitude of 5,000 feet? I’m sure that will be no big deal next year. But today, it seems very exciting.
