General Building Maintenance Service

The buildings and condominiums work like machines; They are large structures that house thousands of people and receive thousands of documents, orders, workers, and furniture almost every minute. They are also made up of thousands of elements that resemble the small gears and devices that control time in a fine watch, and if a fine watch requires rigorous maintenance to keep the time accurate, then, the maintenance of a condominium of these proportions is something monumental.

At the time of construction of the building, certain material specifications are considered that try to minimize maintenance to its minimum expression. This is due to the implementation of new regulations required by city planning entities based on the continuous development of new construction technologies that can offer the best cost-benefit ratio. These specifications refer to all the elements that make up the buildings, such as floors, ceilings, doors and windows, facades, roofs, and walls, among many others. Each of these elements has installation and maintenance manuals provided by its manufacturers which must be followed rigorously. Construction products manufacturers base their developments and innovation procedures on different aspects, which can be and are not limited to:

• The functionality of the material: The most important aspect, which, in essence, guides the other aspects. The functionality is based primarily on the type of climate in which the material is going to be used, the weight it can carry, the type of installation that is as easy as possible, and above all, the long-term benefits it can produce to the building.
• The aesthetics of the material: Once the functionality has been assertive, it is time to provide the best appearance and beauty to the material, this is when design and development processes are created to derive functional products that are also eye-catching.

The importance of Impact Doors and Windows

Among all the elements that make up the construction of buildings and condominiums in areas affected by hurricanes and storms, it is very important to look at the doors and windows; Sometimes we take these elements for granted since they are of our daily use. However, we are not fully aware of the benefits they provide.

Buildings work as an envelope that protects us from the elements, it is the main reason why they were created, from the cavemen in their caves to the skyscrapers in our modern times. This protection feature is complemented by the need for light and ventilation mainly provided by doors and windows. Once an opening is made to a façade to provide lighting and ventilation, it is necessary that the element or material that “covers” these openings is strong enough to withstand severe climate changes and beautiful enough to provide an aesthetic look to the city or neighborhood.

Impact windows and doors emerged as a functional and aesthetic alternative to replace the use of “shutters” in buildings. They are made of structural aluminum, laminated glass, and all the necessary hermetic accessories to mitigate the intrusion of wind and water. The buildings and condominiums found mostly on the coastlines of South Florida have impact doors and windows since this became a construction regulation by government entities, and, as well as any other element that makes up these buildings, constant rigorous maintenance is a necessary for these products to be properly maintained and for these to continue providing full protection capabilities.

What is General Maintenance for Buildings and Condominiums in South Florida?

Most of the buildings and condominiums found in South Florida that have impact doors and windows are very large and complex structures, containing an average of 200 to 300 units, each unit with at least 2 sliding glass doors and 2 windows (single hung or sliding), which would give a minimum estimate of approximately 500 doors and 500 windows per building. In order to keep these systems working properly, it is necessary the conformation of the building association made up of owner members, and at the same time, a management company that is in charge of providing all the necessary personnel for its correct operation, such as administrative staff, maintenance technicians and engineers, cleaning staff, and very important, companies that provide maintenance services, which are responsible for providing maintenance to air conditioning systems, elevators, flooring, alarms and security, fire-fighting and of course doors and windows.

Statistically, among the general complaints that can be presented by the owners or tenants, a high percentage is constituted by the malfunction of the doors and windows. This is because owners and tenants do not carry out the recommended maintenance required by the manufacturer to obtain the correct functioning of the assemblies. It is in this case that the property’s doors and windows be fully inspected, and that maintenance service be performed. This to efficiently repair all assemblies in the building to achieve their correct functionality and operation.  This service will guarantee preventive protection against any hurricane-related issues such as water intrusion through doors and windows.

South Florida Management companies contact us as their first option to perform repair and maintenance service of impact doors and windows. The last, to carry out all the tasks required to solve and prevent any doors and windows related issues mentioned by owners and tenants, it is the easiest way to have periodic controls that drastically minimize complaints and keep the association happy.

The following is the process required to achieve successful General Maintenance:

1. Enumeration of doors and windows: As a first instance, it is vitally important to hold a meeting with the management company, this in order to obtain the total number of apartments, the layout of each one and of course the total number of doors and windows found in these.

2. Define the scope of service: This is when the total number of services to be executed is established, depending on the problems presented by each unit, for which it is accompanied by a free assessment visit by our experts. In general, the management company can send a letter of recommendation to all owners, in which appears the name and contact of our company, the scope of the service to be performed and a special price agreed with the association

3. Preventive Maintenance Plan: In the same way, a Preventive Maintenance Plan can be established that includes a unified service package, which is conditioned to the number of doors and windows found in each unit.

4. Technicians Appointments: In conjunction with building management, repair appointments are scheduled so that technicians can access units and perform the service.