A Letter From BOD Member Paulette Watson: Roofing repairs

Building Captains:

The following letter is from the Office of TAJ. Please read and give us a hand in getting this accomplished. It is very important to the unit owners with roof problems that we have the insurance adjuster see everything when he is out here so we can get these problems corrected without costing us more money.

If you can’t do it, please try to get someone else in your building to give a hand or let us know so we can make other arrangements for your neighbors to get the info.

Paulette Watson

Dear unit owners at Townhouses At Jacaranda,

An adjuster from Mercury Insurance, who represents Needham Roofing, will be on site to assess the damages [su]stained from the failure of Needham to address our roofing issues in a timely manner.

We would like for you to contact the office by email (admin.jacaranda@comcast.net or assist.jacaranda@comcast.net) or phone to immediately take pictures of the damages in order to have on file.

I will try desperately to schedule the appointment for a Saturday not to disrupt your schedules. If I’m unable to have the appointment set for a Saturday you will be notified by the office within a reasonable time frame to suit your schedule. We do apologize for the inconvenience; however, we would like to include you on the claim due to the contractor’s negligence. It is important that you try to make your selves available or schedule someone trustworthy to be in your unit.

Building captains, if able to assist the board of directors and the office in notifying your neighbors that suffered damages due to Needham Roofing it would be very helpful.

If there are vacant units in your building please notify the office – it is the unit owner’s responsibility for keys to be available to the office for your unit, in order to take pictures for the claim.

Please, let us collaborate as a team to get your roofs repaired efficiently and correctly.

Thank you so much for all your efforts and cooperation.

Construction Nightmares

This story was first published in the TAJ Newsletter
Una traducción española está disponible en Web site: www.TAJWatchSpanish.blogspot.com
by Steve Frahm

The story of Building 14 is fraught with trouble. There is trouble in the work that was done, and more accurately there is trouble in the work that was not done. And there is also trouble in getting the whole story of what happened and why it happened that way. In writing this story I have spoken with several first-hand sources. I give to you what I can decipher from what they have told me.

Refurbishment of Bldg 14 was well underway and going without a major hitch when the question arose, why are we waiting to replace the roof? The roofer was done with the other jobs in the community. He was ready and waiting to do this one. Some unit owners had leaks from the old roof and were anxious to have it replaced. The Property Manager used what she thought was sound judgment and asked the two contractors (refurbisher IPQ and roofer Needham) if there would be any difficulty with them working simultaneously. They agreed that they could work at the same time.

Exterior wall refurbishment work and roofing work are largely independent of each other, apparently, except for one very important area: the drip-edge (the metal flashing that folds over the edges of the roof top). When the roofing job progressed to the point of inspection, the city inspector shut down the roofer due to problems with the drip-edge. That drip-edge was Needham’s responsibility but it sat on top of, and was greatly affected by, the sub-fascia and fascia boards that were IPQ’s responsibility. Somehow they were unable to reach a workable solution other than to do a complete fascia/drip-edge replacement at an additional cost to Bldg 14 of approximately $8,800.00.

There were many long discussions about who should pay the extra expense. In the end, three vendors agreed to shoulder some financial responsibility: IPQ for their involvement with the fascia; Needham for their involvement with the drip-edge; and Crain for their stewardship over construction in general (even though they had been specifically excluded by the BOD from consulting on roofing on that job). They each agreed to pay $1500.00, leaving unit owners with an additional bill of about $400.00/unit (there are 11 units in Bldg 14). Needless to say, Bldg 14 unit owners were not happy and wanted to negotiate a better price for themselves.

While the involved parties have argued, the sun, wind, and rain have worked tirelessly on the tar-papered roof. Water damage has plagued several homes. The new BOD has expressed the fear that even the newly refurbished walls may have suffered water intrusion (which can lead to mold, mildew, and rot) from lack of proper fascia and drip-edges.

On Saturday some patch-work was done to help stave off the roof leaks. It is a necessary measure. But that, too, adds to the overall expense of the job.

Refurbishments and Re-roofings

Building 1 (above) has a new roof and looks excellent from University Drive, putting a much better face on the TAJ neighborhood than has existed since hurricane Wilma two years ago when much of the old and worn roof was damaged by the wind. A year of opposition by building 1 unit owners resulted in increased maintenance and engineering costs (some estimates are that the delay and repetitious studies cost unit owners a combined amount of over $10,000.00) and was finally put to rest when the BOD recently voted to replace the roof on Building 1, as is being done on other buildings throughout the community.


Building 26 (above and below) is getting a new roof. This building is on the Southwest corner of the neighborhood and is the first thing many passers-by see of TAJ. The new roof will help our community's "curb appeal." It will also correct many leak problems that I was told exist in that building. In the picture above can be seen the large crane they use to haul material up to the rooftop. Below can be seen some of the crew that was working on Saturday. Click on the picture below to see a larger image and you may be able to see where the workers are replacing a portion of what they call the "roof deck" (the plywood that is under the shingles).



Building 27 (above) is nearing completion of the majority of refurbish work. JM Construction faced a delay due to materials, I was told, but they are back on track. Sun-decks appear to be the final stage of the work to be done.


Building 14 (above) is being prepared for re-roofing (shingles piled along the peak) and refurbishment (sun deck walls removed, scaffolding erected).


Building 21 (above and below) is also being prepared for refurbishment. Scaffolding lines the front and back of much of the long building.


Rotted plywood (above) is evidence of water intrusion over the years in building 21. Fortunately there is a concrete truss that is impervious to water-rot (seen under the rotted plywood). Hopefully the other trusses made of wood have avoided the decay that has typically been found in other buildings. Hardi-panel and rain gutters are part of the plan to reduce the amount of water intrusion and the resulting rot that will happen over the next several decades.


A building 27 resident has replaced their windows (above) with hurricane-proof windows that are made with safety glass and wind-rated frames. They are attractive as well as functional.