The first HOA Board of Directors meeting featuring the community elected board has been scheduled for August 18. You will get a notice by mail.
Note that the location is different than that of the previous HOA meetings. The other church charges $250 for meetings. This one has given us a much better rate. Its address and a Google map are below.
River of Life Christian Center
6605 Krycul Avenue
Riverview, FL 33569
(813) 677-4453
View Larger Map
Friday, July 31, 2009
More Chinese Drywall News
One of our fellow owners had a preliminary inspection by Tom Schramsky from KB Home that showed signs of Chinese drywall. Schramsky ordered more tests to be conducted by a third-party company. The results from those tests are due in 2-3 weeks.
The owner in question asked Schramsky some questions about how KB Home intends to remedy the problem homes. His summary follows below.
1. If we receive a call saying that we have Chinese drywall in our home, what is the process from there?
ANSWER: Tom will be back by with a customer agreement that we will need to review and sign. We will not be meeting with someone from KB's office, but with Tom. From there, we will have to get an estimate from a mover, since KB cannot pay them directly because of insurance reasons. They will cut us a check and we will then pay the mover. As for housing, he wasn't too clear, but my understanding is that there is a flat rate allowance for housing and the size of your family will determine if additional monies will be allowed for housing. My thoughts are that I would be be very hesitant to sign anything. This contract will be set up to favor KB. The research I've done suggests that KB will essentially have you sign your rights away to any future litigation or claims.
2. What is the condition our home will be returned to and what items will be reused?
ANSWER: The home will be returned to the condition it was at our closing. Any physical changes to the home (paint, chair rails, moldings, etc.) will not be returned to the condition they were in prior to the remediation process. They would get estimates for any upgrades we have made to our homes and provide us with some type of cash settlement. This process may require you to have your receipts for improvements you made to your home. They will move any "affected" product and replace it. That would be the drywall and then possibly wiring, plumbing, AC components depending on whether it is found to be "affected". Anything removed from the home that is not damaged will be returned (cabinets, fixtures, countertops, etc.). Carpet would be replaced but any hardsurfaces would most likely be reused. For example, we installed hardwood laminate in our downstairs and they would "cover" the flooring to protect it during the process.
3. How long is the process?
ANSWER: They are estimating that we will be out of our homes for 8 - 12 weeks.
By the way, this is a good reminder to keep receipts for any upgrades you have done or plan to do to your home. Not only can you use it to prove to a potential buyer someday what you did to improve your home, it can also help protect you in cases of disaster -- whether it be Chinese drywall or a hurricane after which your insurance company may want documentation that you have done work to your home.
The owner in question asked Schramsky some questions about how KB Home intends to remedy the problem homes. His summary follows below.
1. If we receive a call saying that we have Chinese drywall in our home, what is the process from there?
ANSWER: Tom will be back by with a customer agreement that we will need to review and sign. We will not be meeting with someone from KB's office, but with Tom. From there, we will have to get an estimate from a mover, since KB cannot pay them directly because of insurance reasons. They will cut us a check and we will then pay the mover. As for housing, he wasn't too clear, but my understanding is that there is a flat rate allowance for housing and the size of your family will determine if additional monies will be allowed for housing. My thoughts are that I would be be very hesitant to sign anything. This contract will be set up to favor KB. The research I've done suggests that KB will essentially have you sign your rights away to any future litigation or claims.
2. What is the condition our home will be returned to and what items will be reused?
ANSWER: The home will be returned to the condition it was at our closing. Any physical changes to the home (paint, chair rails, moldings, etc.) will not be returned to the condition they were in prior to the remediation process. They would get estimates for any upgrades we have made to our homes and provide us with some type of cash settlement. This process may require you to have your receipts for improvements you made to your home. They will move any "affected" product and replace it. That would be the drywall and then possibly wiring, plumbing, AC components depending on whether it is found to be "affected". Anything removed from the home that is not damaged will be returned (cabinets, fixtures, countertops, etc.). Carpet would be replaced but any hardsurfaces would most likely be reused. For example, we installed hardwood laminate in our downstairs and they would "cover" the flooring to protect it during the process.
3. How long is the process?
ANSWER: They are estimating that we will be out of our homes for 8 - 12 weeks.
By the way, this is a good reminder to keep receipts for any upgrades you have done or plan to do to your home. Not only can you use it to prove to a potential buyer someday what you did to improve your home, it can also help protect you in cases of disaster -- whether it be Chinese drywall or a hurricane after which your insurance company may want documentation that you have done work to your home.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Drywall Check
Your humble correspondent had his visit with Tom Schramsky today. He is the person from KB Home doing the preliminary inspection looking for obvious signs of problems caused by the now infamous Chinese drywall.
He went into each room and checked behind some of the outlet and switch plate covers. He looked behind the refrigerator and at the air conditioning coils. He arrived promptly at noon and left by 12:35.
Schramsky says he found nothing alarming and that KB Home will send a written statement to that effect in about two weeks. Another couple in this building got a similar clearance. He says that if one unit in a building is free of the Chinese drywall it is likely that the whole building is OK but he recommends that every homeowner have him come check their units anyway.
(Contact Schramsky at (772) 360-6896 to arrange an inspection.)
People in other buildings have not been as lucky. Their cursory checks showed symptoms typical of problems associated with Chinese drywall such as corrosion of copper wiring and air conditioning coils.
In these cases, Schramsky calls a third party to do a more thorough inspection to determine for certain whether Chinese drywall is the culprit. At least one homeowner here in St. Charles Place has reported getting a phone call saying that the tests had come back positive for Chinese drywall.
Schramsky said that the only remedy he knew of was moving the people and their belongings out of the home, tearing it down to the studs and starting over. He promised that KB Home intends "to do the right thing" for affected owners.
As far as what the HOA's role in this could be, we've asked Mary Fritzler from our property management company to check with our community lawyer. (We have one. He's the one who drafted the letter explaining the possible consequences if we had not reached a quorum at our last attempted turnover meeting.)
Mary's understanding was that it was an individual warranty issue. If that turns out to be the case, the spirit of the HOA board is that we'll do whatever we can to facilitate communication among affected owners so that they can take the best action possible.
If you have news to share about this, or any community issue, you're welcome to contact any of your board members or stcharlesblog (at) gmail (dot) com.
He went into each room and checked behind some of the outlet and switch plate covers. He looked behind the refrigerator and at the air conditioning coils. He arrived promptly at noon and left by 12:35.
Schramsky says he found nothing alarming and that KB Home will send a written statement to that effect in about two weeks. Another couple in this building got a similar clearance. He says that if one unit in a building is free of the Chinese drywall it is likely that the whole building is OK but he recommends that every homeowner have him come check their units anyway.
(Contact Schramsky at (772) 360-6896 to arrange an inspection.)
People in other buildings have not been as lucky. Their cursory checks showed symptoms typical of problems associated with Chinese drywall such as corrosion of copper wiring and air conditioning coils.
In these cases, Schramsky calls a third party to do a more thorough inspection to determine for certain whether Chinese drywall is the culprit. At least one homeowner here in St. Charles Place has reported getting a phone call saying that the tests had come back positive for Chinese drywall.
Schramsky said that the only remedy he knew of was moving the people and their belongings out of the home, tearing it down to the studs and starting over. He promised that KB Home intends "to do the right thing" for affected owners.
As far as what the HOA's role in this could be, we've asked Mary Fritzler from our property management company to check with our community lawyer. (We have one. He's the one who drafted the letter explaining the possible consequences if we had not reached a quorum at our last attempted turnover meeting.)
Mary's understanding was that it was an individual warranty issue. If that turns out to be the case, the spirit of the HOA board is that we'll do whatever we can to facilitate communication among affected owners so that they can take the best action possible.
If you have news to share about this, or any community issue, you're welcome to contact any of your board members or stcharlesblog (at) gmail (dot) com.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Chinese Drywall
Some owners have complained of problems linked to use of Chinese drywall in their homes' construction. They include a sulfur smell, air conditioning problems and damage to copper tubing and wires. If you're not familiar with Chinese drywall, the Wall Street Journal details the problems in this report from April.
KB Home is offering preliminary inspections to look for obvious signs of Chinese drywall. Contact Tom Schramsky at (772) 360-6896 to arrange one. Inspections take about 45 minutes.
Florida's Department of Health has a page on its website with some things to look for. These are the things Schramsky will be checking for when he inspects your home.
If his review shows signs typical of problems attributed to Chinese drywall, he'll schedule a third-party inspection with an environmental company that will confirm whether or not KB Home used Chinese drywall to build your home.
KB Home is offering preliminary inspections to look for obvious signs of Chinese drywall. Contact Tom Schramsky at (772) 360-6896 to arrange one. Inspections take about 45 minutes. Florida's Department of Health has a page on its website with some things to look for. These are the things Schramsky will be checking for when he inspects your home.
If his review shows signs typical of problems attributed to Chinese drywall, he'll schedule a third-party inspection with an environmental company that will confirm whether or not KB Home used Chinese drywall to build your home.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Garage Sales and Home-Based Businesses
It appears that a home on Kensington Park Ave. is hosting the world's longest moving sale. Each of the last several weekends you might have noticed signs at our community's entrances advertising the event.
One minor problem: It violates county codes. According to the Hillsborough County Code Enforcement Department:
You can read this information from its source on the county website. Click here to download the PDF document, which answers other common questions, including several about home-based businesses, which this marathon moving sale appears to be. Again from the county code enforcers:
One minor problem: It violates county codes. According to the Hillsborough County Code Enforcement Department:
Garage sales are allowed in residential districts. However, there should be only one sale in a six-month period and each garage sale should be no more than three days long.
You can read this information from its source on the county website. Click here to download the PDF document, which answers other common questions, including several about home-based businesses, which this marathon moving sale appears to be. Again from the county code enforcers:
Only small home businesses are allowed in residential areas. They must be unobtrusive with very little impact on surrounding properties and must be permitted by Hillsborough County. A few examples of this use would be sewing, ironing, private tutoring, domestic crafts and professional services. Examples of what would not be allowed as a home occupation would be auto repair, kennels, catering or a physician’s office. Additional conditions placed on a home-based business include:Noise levels, traffic and property appearance must remain normal Employees, other than occupants, are not allowed Warehousing of goods is not allowed
Friday, July 24, 2009
Pool Locks
Recently someone's key broke off in one of the community pool's gate locks. It has been replaced and your old pool key still works. Only one thing. This lock works differently than the old one. It doesn't lock automatically behind you. So when you leave the pool, please make sure you lock the gate behind you. That will help keep the pool secure.
Speaking of locks...
If you go to the pool, you'll notice that more often than not, somone has used the deadbolts of the cabana bathroom doors to prop the doors open. I know it's inconvenient to have to use your pool key to go into the bathroom. And goodness knows we don't want people using the pool as a toilet. However...
Doing this damages the deadbolt. It is not designed to support the weight of the door like this. Eventually the deadbolt won't work for its originally intended purpose. So please give the bolts a break.
One more gentle reminder about the pool. NEITHER FOOD NOR DRINK IS ALLOWED ANYWHERE INSIDE THE POOL AREA. I know it doesn't say that on the gate signs but there is a sign along the fence inside that clearly states this.
Some people have been treating the community pool like it's their own backyard pool -- minus the cleanup afterward, which the folks have generously left to others.
So, please, be true to your school and be cool to your pool.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
From Humble Beginnings
This was the site of where homes now sit along Johanna Avenue in the fall of 2005. We have come a long way since then. A few buildings sprang up and the first residents were far outnumbered by construction workers piecing together the concrete blocks and upper floor wood frames of their future neighbors' homes.
Thanks to the housing bust, it took longer than projected for KB Home to complete the build-out but here we are. Almost four years in the making, the St. Charles Place townhome community passed a milestone last night when we elected a board of directors comprised of our fellow owners. We now stand on our own.
We have a lot going for us. We have well-designed, visually appealing homes. We are less than two miles from I-75 and the ramp to the Crosstown Expressway. We can walk to the grocery store and several restaurants. Brandon mall shopping is less than a five mile ride away.
Yet we also face challenges that confront every community. We have to protect ourselves, our neighbors and our homes from criminals. We have to make sure all residents know the community rules to ensure the rights and comfort of their neighbors. Future development along US-301 could bring more traffic and people onto our streets.
Now that we have our own board of directors, we can better address issues that we must deal with as a community. But there is no magic potion, no silver bullet, no panacea that, with one swipe of a hand, we can make any problems we have disappear.
It will take everyone's continued involvement and effort to make the community that rose from the dirt in the last few years one in which we're all safe, secure and proud to call our homes.
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