Category: Q & A

Residents are reminded that blinds can only be installed over our new windows by a Strata approved contractor. Three have now been approved by your Residential Committee for blind re-installation.  Cityscape Maintenance Services (contact Tony Dohaniuk at (778) 385-1976) and JJK Developments (contact Jason Kump at jjkdevelopments@shaw.ca) were approved earlier this year (see pacpoint2.ca/2021/04/29/window-blind-re-installation/). Shine-A-Blind (contact Peter Rode at 604-455-9974 or online at shineablind.ca) was added just this week. All three have been instructed on how to install without puncturing the rainscreen or voiding the window warranty. Both Cityscape and Shine-A-Blind can also supply new blinds.

What if we do not want to use one of the Strata approved contractors to install our blinds?

Residents are free to use their own contractor to reinstall blinds provided the strata lot owner agrees to signing an indemnity agreement and to a post-installation inspection. This is especially pertinent for owners wishing to replace their existing blinds with new ones, since Cityscape Maintenance Services (Tony Dohaniuk), who has taken down many of the blinds in the building, will not install new blinds purchased from a third party. An inspection will typically cost about $100 per unit, and is dependent on the number of blinds and ease of inspection. To facilitate access, we ask owners to not install the facia (decorative cover) over their newly installed blinds until after the inspection.

How difficult can it be to properly install blinds?

Nothing should be attached to the windows, so as to not void the warranty.

Special care must be taken when attaching blinds to the metal Cover Caps above the newly installed windows to avoid puncturing the rainscreen membrane (refer to details below).

METHOD A
Existing blinds may be rehung using this method, using screws and structural silicone, though it is not as secure as METHOD B, below. New window coverings should only be hung using METHOD B.

• Structural silicone should be used to secure the mounting hardware to the underside of the metal cover cap.
• Mounting screws must not exceed 5/8” in length.
• The shaft of the screws must fall within 1/2” of the outside vertical face of the Cover Cap.
• Nothing should penetrate the bottom (horizontal) face of the Cover Cap beyond 1/2” of the side (vertical) Cover Cap face.

METHOD B
Recommended installation for new window coverings, and for more secure reinstallation of existing blinds.

• Structural silicone should be used to secure a 3/4″ x 3″ wood strip to the full length of the underside of the metal cover cap.
• Mounting screws securing the wood strip to the cover cap must not exceed 1-1/4” in length.
• The shaft of the screws must fall within 1/2” of the outside vertical face of the Cover Cap.
• Nothing should penetrate the bottom (horizontal) face of the Cover Cap beyond 1/2” of the side (vertical) Cover Cap face.
• Blind hardware can then be mounted to the wood strip using maximum 3/4″ long wood screws.

Who is responsible for painting and final finishing after windows have been installed?

Owners are responsible for their own painting and final finishing. Our contract with JJK, the company responsible for drywall finishing and trim after window installation, is only to finish to a “paint-ready state”. This is because units do not all have the same wall finishing (e.g. different colours, wallpaper).

What recourse do I have if I am not happy with the window installation or the quality of the finishing?

There is a process for dealing with both window and finishing deficiencies. Owners should email Cam Caruthers at cam.carruthers@fsresidential.com. He will then make arrangements for an inspection of the work and possible remedies.

Some residents have been asking for photos of the new bug screens, and wondering if they can decline screens for their new windows.

As per our contract with Cascadia, they will deliver screens with all windows. If individual owners do not want their screens, they can of course remove them.

As previously noted in our June townhall Q&A, PP2 owners will have to take down existing window treatments (blinds) at least 48 hours before the window trades are scheduled to remove their windows.

Window treatments will then have to be reinstalled after remediation is completed. As we prepare for that eventuality, your Strata Council is asking owners to consider the following:

• Our Bylaws and Rules stipulate that owners must obtain written approval before making any alteration to the exterior appearance of our building, and cannot change window treatments that are visible from the exterior of the building.
• Some existing blinds may not fit into the new window openings without being trimmed or replaced.
• It is possible to replace the current semi-transparent window treatments with opaque/room-darkening blinds while maintaining a consistent exterior appearance. Some opaque blind samples have been left in the lobby with the concierge.
• Where an owner chooses to install opaque blinds, though the existing white exterior colour must be maintained, the interior colour can be to the owner’s taste.
• Existing manually operated blinds can be replaced with battery-operated motorized units that do not require an external power source. These rechargeable units are said to only require charging every 12-18 months. Other options such as operation via phone or set to a timer are also possible. 
• Installation/re-installation of blinds will require that mounting guidelines from RDH (not yet available) are followed to ensure that window warranty is not voided.
• Because window treatments are within the strata lots, the taking down, re-installation, and any modification of (or improvement to) a unit’s window treatments are the responsibility of each strata owner, and at the owner’s expense.
• Owners are free to choose any contractor, but our building handyman, Tony Dohaniuk of Cityscape Maintenance Services, is willing to assist owners who wish to hire someone to take down and reinstall their window treatments. Owners can contact Tony directly by email, tonydohaniuk@hotmail.com, or phone, (778) 385-1976.
• Tony has reached out to Avant-Garde Designs, who have 29 years of experience, to be his one-stop source for window treatment options. Owners can arrange a no-charge/no-commitment consultation by email, Avant-Gardedesigns@telus.net, or phone, (604) 315-8558.
• While the above information is being provided as a courtesy to PP2 owners, your Strata Council is in no way promoting Cityscape Maintenance Services or Avant-Garde Designs over other contractors. Nor are we assuming any responsibility for costs, quality of work, or any other aspect of window treatment choices made by individual owners.
• Again, owners must obtain written approval before making any alteration to the exterior appearance of our building, and, except for replacing existing semi-opaque blinds with opaque, cannot change window treatments that are visible from the exterior of the building.

Residents should direct any question or concern related to the building envelope remediation project to our building manager, Cam Carruthers, by phone at 604-648-4443 or by email to cam.carruthers@fsresidential.com.

Please do not direct questions or concerns to RDH employees, or to contractors or workers on the site. Only Cam is authorized to respond on behalf of your Strata Council.

Because some owners felt it would make our building look more modern/attractive than our current stucco, a resolution was presented to owners at our Special General Meeting last September for metal cladding at an estimated extra cost of $1,584,560 (one million, five hundred and eighty-four thousand, five hundred and sixty dollars).

That resolution required a 3/4 vote to pass, and was defeated with 52 in favour and 49 opposed (4 abstained). Because it was defeated, we did not seek a tender for metal cladding.

A resolution to include Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV) in our building remediation was defeated by owners at our Special General Meeting last September.

Subsequent to that, your Joint Committee asked RDH to explore feasibility and options for individual owners who might be prepared to pay more for HRV installation individually. 

Unfortunately, because HRVs change the overall way the building “breathes” (relying less on the Make Up Air Unit and more on individual HRVs in each unit), it was determined that HRVs should not be considered on a “per unit” basis. Even if that were not the case, the additional ducting and wiring required were deemed too cost prohibitive and invasive. 

However, once our new windows are installed, there should be a marked improvement on heat retention (winter) and dissipation (summer).

There will be no 24/7 security with the envelope project.  The scaffolding will be secured so no one can access.

Council had asked RDH to explore whether vents could be added to the new building envelope to accommodate the venting of portable air conditioners. A sketch of potential vent locations will be given prior to the scaffolding for phase-1 being fully erected (hopefully, by the end of September).

However, please note that structural limitations may result in some vent locations being modified, and some units may not be able to get a vent at all. We will post updates as we get them.

We have now received answers to the last of the questions from our June 30th virtual townhall. As a follow-up to the notes that were posted immediately following the meeting, all questions, including those that were emailed to us, have been answered in this 7-page PDF document.

Only three questions related to litigation have been omitted, as we wish to avoid compromising our legal case.