on the level

By Terry Meany

A recent Chronicle article stated that San Francisco is moving closer to adopting the country’s most stringent green building codes. These will apply to large commercial buildings and residential high-rises, but one never knows if future regulations will take aim at remodeling or improvement efforts in older, smaller buildings or even single-family homes. This being San Francisco, one can assume that they will. If for no other reason than the expected future cost of energy and emissions reductions—unpredictable, regardless of which economist’s crystal ball is used, but you can safely figure with China and India requiring more and more fuel, prices won’t drop substantially any time soon—green building techniques are here to stay. Recently, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin said, “The greenest building that exists today is one that is
already built.”

And those buildings will remain green and viable through maintenance. The Oxford English Dictionary in part defines “maintain” as “(1) cause or enable (a condition or state of affairs) to continue and (2) keep (a building, machine, etc.) in good condition by checking or repairing it regularly.” The word’s evolution from Latin to French and finally to English began with manu fenere, meaning, “to hold in the hand,” suggesting manual work. In an increasingly green world, a building owner faces a divergence between maintaining a certain standard of appearance and class and trying to keep the environmental impact of this maintenance to a minimum. Do you tear out the carpet, try another cleaning or even dye the carpet to stretch its life? Do you scrub the bedroom walls down or repaint? Can that sink chip be patched acceptably or do you replace the fixture?

And what happens when choosing the more environmentally sensitive path makes it tougher to charge a premium rent? Can you really expect a tenant to share your landfill concerns and still pay top dollar? It calls for a balancing act. The environmental impact of major unit reworks can be mitigated with low-emission paints, the recycling of old appliances, and refinishing cabinets rather than replacing. The world isn’t so precious that we should aim for zero impact, which is impossible, but if we can reduce our cumulative effect one job at a time without breaking the bank, it’s a good thing.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Fewer Hassles
Sometimes, you’re stuck with major maintenance from a wayward tenant. You can also be stuck proving who did what. A complete set of photos documenting the condition of the rental unit can end
disputes in a hurry.

The invention and evolution of the digital camera ranks up there with all great artistic equalizers; it turns a total amateur into a competent apprentice, if not the occasional artist. What better way to record the condition of a rental unit before, during, and after a tenant takes possession and vacates? With essentially unlimited file storage space and zoom lenses, you can accurately note every crack, stain and chipped surface to back up any claims for damages. Cameras are cheap. For under $200, you can purchase a quality digital camera with decent resolution that will fit in a shirt pocket.

Fair is fair—you need to faithfully record existing wear and tear prior to occupancy as well as the more pristine areas of your rental. Take close-up shots of all fixtures, carpeting, countertops and appliances. Photograph the insides of cabinets and any built-in storage areas as well. And if you want to avoid he-said-she-said-they-said discussions about bathroom mold, take some extra photos of the shower walls.

“Amateur” would charitably describe my photography skills, but even I can tell you that lighting will affect your results. Don’t depend on natural lighting, available overhead lights or the camera’s flash. Bring a freestanding work light with you for your photo shoot and, if possible, a notebook computer so you can view the photos in full size immediately to determine what needs to be reshot.

The tenant should receive hard copies of the photos, which can be reproduced by Costco or similar outlets for just pennies. As tempting as it is to send electronic files, there’s a risk a less-than-honest tenant might attempt to Photoshop their copies, leading to questions of which photos are the originals. I’m not being cynical, but why offer the temptation to a tech whiz with too much free time? As a nonlawyer, I leave evidentiary issues to those who write briefs all day. However, there is great value in digitally photographing your units, not only when dealing with tenants over cleaning deposit issues, but also dealing with your insurance company in the event of major weather-related or fire damage.

Stacking the Deck in Your Favor
Growing up in Ohio, I can’t recall anyone having a wood deck, ground level or otherwise. This is no longer the case as millions of decks—including the good, the bad and the wretched—can be found across the country regardless of the climate. I hate wood decks. They look very pretty and even artistic when they’re new and they never look that way again without more maintenance than anyone really wants to do. That’s the problem: few owners do proper maintenance and consequently wood decks deteriorate. This is a much more critical concern when the deck is elevated above the ground floor, as regularly reported deck collapses will attest.

If you have an elevated wood deck, you have a liability. According to the North American Deck and Railing Association (who else?), residential decks and porches should withstand a minimum of 40 pounds per square foot plus the weight of the porch. A balcony, defined as only being supported at the point of connection to a building without the benefit of additional posts, should support 60 pounds per square foot. A frequent problem with elevated decks and balconies is the way they’re connected to the house. Lag bolts or lag screws are the preferred fastener over framing nails as they are stronger and offer far more pullout resistance. Flashing must be used between the rim of the deck and the building wall to avoid deterioration from water.

Structural problems don’t end at the point of connection. Posts, joists and railings will all deteriorate and eventually be structurally damaged without regular maintenance and inspection. As an owner, I would do inspections yearly and only call a professional when the city requires such an inspection. Take a close look at the rim joist nailed to the building. Poke around with a pocket knife or awl to check for rot or soft wood. Push against the railing—hard! It has to withstand someone leaning against it. You can always add more supports and blocking and fasteners to a deck as long as you have solid points of attachment. Unless you’re questioning a deck’s integrity, jump up and down a few times and check for shaking and movement. Check that all open guardrails and spindles or balusters are constructed close enough together so a sphere four inches in diameter cannot pass through them. This rule is to prevent young children from crawling over the edge of a deck. Replace any deteriorated wood and clean and recoat your stained decks at least every two years. Recoat painted decks according to the condition of the paint.

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of SFAA or SF Apartment Magazine. Terry Meany is a former contractor and landlord. He is now a full-time writer and author of Working Windows: A Guide to the Repair and Restoration of Wood Windows, soon to be in its third edition from Lyons Press. He is cost conscious but not cheap, and he knows deferred maintenance always costs more in the end. He can be reached at tfmeany@msn.com. Copyright © 2008 by SF Apartment Magazine. All rights reserved.