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Getting Smart
Technology is affecting the way we do business, how we go about our daily tasks, and even how our homes function. Putting existing technology to use in a home or residential building is the essence of what it means to be an “intelligent” building or home. An “intelligent” building is able to monitor its environmental, mechanical, and lighting (among other) systems, through a computerized network of electronic devices. Maintenance, communications, security, and other residential building functions are now being handled by new systems, whose upgraded operations are helping building personnel do their jobs more effectively. In many cases, intelligent homes and buildings provide savings for their owners, by helping them to cut back on their energy usage. Read More
Water Woes
New England residents have always thought of fresh
water as an unlimited resource, but that attitude may be on the way out.
With climate change, increased demand from residential development, and
stricter regulation of public water supplies, bans on water use seem to be
expanding beyond the typical—and brief—summer drought
season. Read More
Clean Sweep
National Public Radio recently ran a story about a piece of advice from the latest edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The suggestion was about how to stay warm throughout the winter with just one log: chuck it out of an upstairs window, run downstairs and outside to pick it up, and then sprint back upstairs and chuck it out the window again. Repeat until warm. Read More
The Party's Over
The era in which too many condominium boards shrugged
off warnings about inadequate reserve funds or postponed needed maintenance
has come to an unsettling end. Read More
Deep Cleaning
At every condominium community it happens every hour; every day. Coffee gets spilled, mud gets tracked, windows get smeared. When residents move, errant table legs and oversized sofas can scrape black marks, and even divots, into painted walls. Property managers know that keeping things clean is one of the uppermost duties of any association caretaker. Read More
Sprucing Up
March in New England is a month of surprises. Winter throws us last-ditch nor'easters that are followed by spring's sudden thaw. There might be two feet of snow one day, and sunny skies with temperatures in the sixties the next. The only thing that's guaranteed is damage to the landscape caused by ice, snow, sand, salt, and the mighty plow. Read More
Plumbing: The Depths
Though mostly unseen, a building’s plumbing and piping network is one of its most important systems—as anyone who has ever had to endure a no-hot-water shower in February, or who has come home to a flooded floor can attest. Plumbing covers not only hot water delivery, but water and waste removal—and not all plumbing is hidden. Some pipes snake across ceilings, or down walls inside individual units, making the plumbing more visible than the HVAC or electrical wiring in most buildings. Read More
Using Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Time was, if the tiles in your building's front foyer got grimy, your super would pour some ammonia or bleach in a bucket, grab the nearest mop, and get down to business. If a drain was slow, out came the heavy-duty industrial solvents, and down the hatch. Sure, those cleaning products made everybody cough and rub their stinging eyes, but they got the job done. Read More
A Breathe of Clean Air
The chant is familiar: In goes the good air, out goes the bad. But just how good is the air coming into your condominium? Read More
