Prepare for a Repipe  Continued From Page 19


when they don’t know what is going on. Communicating early and often helps minimize these incidents.


Water shutdowns can be minimized with the installation of isolation valves. [Figure B]


While water shutdowns are a necessity, they can be minimized with the installation of isolation valves,


Setting these expectations upfront will go a long way towards easing the process for nervous residents.


step 6


Outline your Priorities The board will ultimately need


to decide where it will (and won’t) spend money. The two primary cost drivers are 1) the amount of plumbing, and 2) how you gain access to the pipes.


The amount of plumbing is determined largely by the building configuration. Do all the floors have the same layout and stack vertically or are there different unit layouts on each floor?


The amount of plumbing is determined largely by the building configuration.


[see figure B] so you don’t have to shut down the whole building every day. This is an important consideration when scoping the project with your contractor. Likewise, communicating what will (and won’t) be completed each day can help minimize frustration. When an owner comes home from work and is unhappy with the state of their unit, they need to understand where they are in the process. There is no need to sound alarm bells about paint not matching if the punch list has not yet been completed. Chances are your contractor is aware of what still needs to be done, and prematurely raising flags only causes increased tension and delays. And, despite all precautions and best- in-class containment methodologies, there will be some dust. It’s unavoidable.


Figure B


Don’t shut down the building! Installation of isolation valves, like this one, minimize building-wide water shut-downs.


Setting expectations will ease the process for nervous residents.


20 Community Associations Journal | July-August 2022


Access to the piping is another key consideration.


Ultimately, the board must determine what will define success: Is the goal to return the property to its original construction (the less expensive solution) or to accommodate custom homeowner improvements (such as homeowner installed wallpaper and tile work), which are more expensive?


Are all the units the same, or do some have more, or fewer, bathrooms? How large are the common areas, and how much plumbing do they contain? Do these all need to be repiped as well? Are isolation valves already present and are they operational or do new valves need to be installed?


Access to the piping is another key consideration. Are the pipes accessible through a hallway or a closet, or will the repipe require removal and resetting of kitchens and/or bathrooms? In the common areas, are the pipes exposed in the garage or is there first-floor commercial space (stores, restaurants, etc.) that must be taken into consideration? Are there multiple layers of drywall, fire-rated drywall assemblies, plaster, or wood finishes?


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32