HOA News

CAI 2023 Dallas: Find Us at Exhibit Booth #824

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The Criterium Engineers team is headed to the CAI 2023 Dallas national gathering from May 17-20! Find us at exhibit booth #824. In addition, members of the Dallas metroplex-based Criterium-Dotson Engineers‘ team will also join us at the exhibit booth. The Community Associations Institute’s Annual Conference and Exposition: Community NOW brings community association managers, homeowner….

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Pickleball: One Way to Repurpose Underutilized Assets

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Is your HOA looking repurpose underutilized assets? Here’s is an engineer’s perspective on one way to utilize the tennis courts on your property and once again make them an asset for residents. The article takes a fun look at a fast-growing sport that may be a good fit for your community association. An Addictive Phenomenon….

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Repairs & Reserves

Repairs reserves

Liabilities and Risks of Ignoring Issues: An Engineer’s Perspective Question: A recent reserve study identified a number of repairs/replacements that should be addressed in the community. However, while the reserve is being funded on a monthly basis, there isn’t enough in the current reserve fund for the repairs/replacements. With inflation and knowing that owners won’t….

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Moisture: The Root of all Maintenance

Moisture maintenance

One of the primary issues in building science is the study of how moisture damages buildings and reduces the quality of life of its inhabitants. Moisture penetration can cause mold, rot, and interior damage. Serious moisture problems and their cure are often hard to solve as the physics of air flow, dew points, and vapor….

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Hidden Structural Flaws

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Like people, no two condos are the same. Establishing methods of managing all types of condos by the same rules and standards is fruitless. A 40-year-old high-rise condo on the beach in York County needs a different maintenance plan than a community of new wood-framed duplexes in Franklin County. Following the collapse of the Champion….

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Welcome Martha Page to Criterium!

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Martha Page recently joined Criterium Engineers as a Project Engineer. She’s working primarily in the Homeowner Association (HOA) business segment services, such as reserve studies and transition studies. She belongs to an HOA and is familiar with that market. She also continues to work as a licensed real estate agent. Martha is a Maine Maritime….

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Shine a Light on Safety

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Lighting Safety – Exterior Lighting Plans and Considerations Maine is blessed with a special quality of life. It does not have the crime rates and urban violence found in some parts of the country, but some condominium and homeowner associations still recognize a need for security tools such as key fobs, Ring doorbell systems, cameras,….

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Building Science: 101 Ventilation Best Practices

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With winter approaching, I am often asked what cold-weather planning the building committee should be considering. Surprise is expressed when I suggest the condominium’s attics and their venting. It is true an attic only needs one tenth the ventilation in the winter than in the summer to control moisture buildup and temperature, but the wintertime….

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Innovations Transform the Building Inspection Process

technology and innovations

Emerging technology and innovation are continually transforming the building construction inspection process. Criterium Engineers evaluates and adopts appropriate new technologies to provide additional knowledge and information for our clients. Two inspection innovations in particular—the use of drones and thermal imaging—have been change drivers for Criterium Engineers in recent years, reaching areas that were previously unattainable….

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Don’t Look Up, Down, or Away!

Don’t Look Up Down or Away

Tackling Condo Projects Of course, this is a play on the title of the popular Netflix movie Don’t Look Up, starring an ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Lawrence. So, what does this Top 10 ranked film by the National Board of Review and American Film Institute have to do with condo….

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