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In the childhood game of “Kick the Can,” one person is designated It and an empty can is placed in the open playing field. With eyes closed, It counts to an agreed upon number, and the other players run and hide. It then tries to find and tag each of the players, always keeping a watchful eye on the can. Any player who is tagged is sent to the “jail,” usually in plain sight of the can. The rest of the free players attempt to kick the can before being tagged out. If they can kick the can without being caught, they set all the captured players free. In association life, the deferred maintenance analogy of “kicking the can” further down the road, often means placing homeowners in financial jail.


Anyone that owns a car knows they must change the oil, transmission fluid, and rotate the tires on a regular basis for the car to operate correctly. The car owner will spend $60-$80 every three months maintaining their car to prevent spending several thousands of dollars to replace an engine or transmission. The owner sees the value in spending a little to save a lot down the road. Why is it that homeowners refuse to spend a few thousand dollars a year to potentially save tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in the future? Homeowners tend to look at the price tag of maintenance instead of looking at the value that performing regular maintenance brings to their home or community. Wouldn’t you much rather spend $10,000 to replace a few rotten sections of siding and paint every 5 years than spend $100,000 in five years to replace the siding? Seems logical; however, regular maintenance is overlooked by homeowners all the time and in doing so, the downward spiral of deferred maintenance begins.


There is no such thing as “maintenance free living.” All buildings require maintenance. Some buildings require more maintenance than others, but all buildings require maintenance. The following items should be performed every year for every building that is in existence:


 doors, and other wall penetrations such as spigots, light fixtures, electrical outlets, etc.


  shingles, damaged roof vents, failed flashings, open roof seams, etc.


 not wearing off.


  extinguishers, etc.


The above annual maintenance work is similar to changing your oil or getting a physical each year. The purpose of maintenance is to catch issues before they turn into large problems. When homeowners or association boards decide to defer regular maintenance because they do not want to spend the money, they open a plethora of eventual consequences. So, what happens when the homeowner


or association board neglects to perform simple maintenance? The short answer is they end up spending more money because small maintenance projects turn into large replacement projects.


Water is a major enemy of buildings. Regular maintenance can ensure that water is kept away from critical building components. Water damage to a building can be one of the most expensive items to repair and in most cases simple routine maintenance can keep most water damage from occurring. Simple maintenance


such as replacing failed caulk joints can prevent major damage to windows, siding, brick, and interior finishes. Unfortunately, many buildings were not built with appropriate flashings to keep water from entering the wall systems so the building is reliant on caulk to keep the water outside of the wall.


Once water gets inside a wall, it often becomes trapped and trapped water generally equals major problems. Windows made of wood can rot in place for years without the homeowner ever knowing. Other times water can make its way past the windows and damage the interior drywall. Moisture trapped in walls can also result in mold growth. In many cases, the interior damage can be avoided if the exterior sealants are regularly maintained.


Regular maintenance of a roof is extremely important to the overall health of a home or association. There are several different types of roof systems and the type of maintenance between roof systems varies greatly. It


is very important to have a qualified person evaluate and maintain your roof. One of the most common roof systems is asphalt shingles. Over time, shingles can tear, lift, curl, and lose granules. In all cases, these items can lead to water infiltrating your home. Nails begin to withdraw from the wood decking which results in the shingle starting to lift and break adhesion with the seal strip below. This phenomenon is typically referred to as nail popping. As the shingle lifts, air can move under the shingle causing the shingle to become loose and eventually blow off during high wind events. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence around 


| 


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