Frequently Asked Questions

July 12, 2005

It is important to Management there be no distortion of reality, or that we amplify "untruth" or create a spin just for selling the idea of a renovation. We do not agree with passive acceptance of authority and believe there is great benefit in skepticism as it keeps in place a protective inclination to guard our wallet. Management at the same time does entreat owners to keep an open mind and explore the possibility that substantive structural remediation is crucial at this time.

The following list of questions and answers is an attempt by the Management Project Administrator to initiate a transformation of any doubts or skepticism and to add clarity. It is also a tool to help owners who are reluctant to approve and support the pending renovation. If you as an owner reject the proposed renovation project as unnecessary, over reaching or somehow self serving by a few, then perhaps that view point is putting your judgment above the Board of Directors you have elected as your representative, the professionals you have hired to honestly advise, and the Management company you have chosen to "Protect-Enhance and Improve" your property.

Your Directors are owners, like yourself, and have to pay their proportionate share as everyone else. No reasonable person would want to face a substantial assessment expense unless it is heartfelt, logical and absolutely necessary for the extended life of all Sea Winds buildings and structures. The unfortunate part of our dilemma is the cost and the temporary displacement of lives. But doing nothing will have an even more dramatic impact and that being the continued diminution of your investment, and in the extreme, possible future condemnation of certain units within the Sea Wind’s property by local building and code enforcement authorities.

Please review the Association Web Site and any documents you have received. Additionally, please review some of the questions and answers provided. Management sincerely hopes this information is helpful in owners reaching an informed decision.

Robert J. Spence

Manager/Project Administrator

1. Is it possible to pay the projected assessment before the final amount has been firmly established- for tax purposes? Yes

2. Why have some of the beachfront units experienced "water intrusion" after recent emergency repairs have been made? The emergency repairs did not address all necessary waterproofing issues. Comprehensively, all "moisture source" issues will be addressed during the main renovation. Example: Leaking around sliding glass doors on beachfront units. During the renovation, sliding glass doors will be replaced and properly caulked and sealed from moisture. During the main renovation United Engineering Consultants will inspect all aspects of the work done by the Contractor to promote a "water tight envelope" for the buildings.

3. Do we need another opinion? United Engineering Consultants is a licensed engineering firm with extensive experience in "Coastal Renovation". Management is familiar with their level of expertise and has used this company for other restoration work. Additionally, on the renovation board is a licensed architect (owner) as well as an engineer (owner) with 40 years of civil engineering experience. The Board of Directors and Management feel comfortable with the engineering reports as they are expressed. A new design professional would indeed have their own opinion but after another costly reinvestigation, and could end up with the same results- since very few line items are disputable from a common sense standpoint.

4. Can the renovation be undertaken in stages, so that the expenses divided over a period of years? Unfortunately, the entire project needs to be taken as a whole and not subdivided. Structural repairs are intimately tied to other structural repairs and doing one without the other will lead to less than perfect results and cannot be guaranteed by the engineering consultants. Rather than attempt to accomplish the renovation in stages, it is our recommendation that we do all of the work at one time and spread the payment over a several year period. (Please go to "Project Funding" for details)

5. Are there aspects of this renovation that is correcting "inherent structural issues" that have existed since the building were constructed? Yes. An example is the waterproofing of the exteriors "shell dash" walls. Shell dash is naturally porous (not totally unlike coquina where water and moisture easily passes through the composite). and never has been waterproofed.

6. Are there safety issues that need to be addressed in this project? Yes. Many balconies are held in position by galvanized (not stainless) but rusting hardware. Many have diminished load-carrying ability because of rusting "joist hangers". Many balconies are externally braced with boards for temporary structural safety.

7. Can I pay the assessments over an extended period of time? Yes. See the financial section of the Web site.

8. What will happen if we do nothing to the buildings? Tropical storms and rain will continue each year. Eventually the cost will escalate even higher as more and more water takes its toll on the buildings. Each year that passes, the cost to repair will continue to increase and the problems are exacerbated. There will be a dramatic impact of the value and it is possible condemnation could occur in certain circumstances. It has happened in numerous locations throughout the state.

9. Can we recover the cost of the renovation from the Association Insurance or individual owner property insurance? No. Waterproofing, roofing, railings, doors, windows, balconies, structural decay, drainage and neglect are not insurance issues

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10. Why have so many structural issues not been discovered before this project? Neither the past management nor the association itself had addressed these matters or hired professional consultants to investigate and quantify complaints and observations made by present and past owners. In general people were unaware and didn't have a clue to the magnitude of repairs needed. The buildings are masonry and damage is hard to visualize under the "shell dash" exterior.

11. Who would benefit financially from the project? The primary benefactors of this project will be the individual unit owners whose units will appreciate markedly upon completion of the project. There are no hidden beneficiaries that are not revealed up front and in accordance with the Florida State Statutes and regulations.

12. Why are the cost of doors and windows more expensive installed by the contractor than say "individual windows and doors" installed by a local business?
Doors and windows being installed by the contractor and inspected by local authorities must meet current building codes and include ancillary waterproofing and surrounding sheetrock and structural needs. Most local replacements neither have a building permit or meet ancillary needs such as moisture mitigation. To create a waterproof umbrella inspected and approved by a hired engineering consultant, a much higher standard of installation and code compliance must be met. Thus more and necessary expense.

13. Could balconies fail if attention is not given in the immediate future? Yes

14. Why are roofs being replaced, they look fairly good on the outside? Roofs have reached their expected life span. They are leaking and have been leaking at various units about the property-in short they are worn out. A Band-Aid approach has kept some of the water form intruding, but these are only temporary measures. Additionally, the original architectural design had flaws in the conceptualizations and these flaws have led to a moisture intrusion around chimneys and where the roof meets the walls and other areas.

15. Will owners be given a construction schedule for planning purposes? Absolutely. The schedule will be announced by Web Site, by posting, by phone or by written word. Owners must be prepared for changes in the schedule but must trust management to update as rapidly as is known by all parties. The contractor has given his word that at least ten days "progressive"notice will be given before starting any portion of the project at building groupings.

16. Is there a difference between the final assessment amount and the Special Assessment Resolution to be decided by the Board of directors on July 30, 2005? The Special Assessment Amount is an amount to cover all projected, known and anticipated needs and include a contingency for the unexpected. At the end of construction, the actual amount borrowed very well may be less, but for purposes of the request to the bank for "assets to fund the renovation"; the figure must be inclusive.

Note: The foregoing Questions and Answers were developed by Management but have been reviewed for substance and form by United Engineering Consultants as retained by the Sea Winds Association.