There has understandably been a lot of concern about completing the repairs to our units and ensuring the roofs don’t leak as winter weather starts.
The insurance is covering all the damage to the units on a time and materials basis, so our primary contractor, Restoration Management Company (RMC), has every incentive to make sure absolutely everything is repaired. We also have building code upgrade coverage, so where possible the repairs will be brought up to current code. Despite the damage, we are not aware of roof leaks on any units. Don Bemiss made repairs to address those last summer. If you know of leaks, let Celia or George know and a temporary repair will be made to address the issue until permanent repairs can be made.
The ribbed portions of our roofing material that has been damaged (ribs bent over) appears to not be available, other than our limited inventory for repairs, so that has delayed the work. One aspect of the currently expected solution is to use a broader area of flat metal (readily available) in the damaged areas, fixing the area and reducing the potential of future damage (no ribs to bend). Dented metal around chimneys will also be replaced where needed, but is an aspect of normal wear and tear, and is only a concern when it results in failed seams or cracked metal that leaks. Placer County is also requiring an underlayment material not always used in the original construction and that material is on order, but is 4+ weeks out.
We only occasionally receive status on individual units, but be assured that everything on the roof that is damaged from last year’s storms will be addressed. Unit 42 is an exception in that it had the most severe damage with the chimney separated from the building and the interior walls of both Unit 42 and Unit 41 damaged below. The extensive repairs required getting a building permit and that has caused delays.
Our metal roofs are 37 years old and are estimated to have a life, if well maintained, from 40 to 80 years. Our 2020 reserve study has the roof replacement at 2036/37 (50 years old) at a cost of about $2.5M. The current repairs, paid for by insurance, may extend the life of the roofs. Due to the abuse our roofs get, we have asked RMC to have their roofing contractor estimate the remaining life of the roof after the repairs. The construction of Carnelian Woods is not consistent, with at least three different groups (original model homes, lower units, upper units) having some different construction techniques, and possibly variations within those. Determining how well the roofs are doing really requires taking apart a sampling of roofs and inspecting what parts might be failing. It is not the time of year to be doing that kind of inspection, and it risks damaging the removed roofing materials (already in short supply) that would then need replacement. That is to say, we have yet to get a useful report (lifetime remaining) from the inspection, but are working with RMC to have their contractor supply that information.
RMC continues to make progress on repairing the units. Here is their update from Friday, December 1, 2023:
Items completed this week:
- Majority of the painting was completed on siding and trim.
- Unit 42 permit issue: We are still a couple of weeks out from receiving the permit from Placer County. The roofing underlayment they are requiring is special order and 4+ weeks out. We have decided to go ahead and close up the chimney with the weather coming in. We worked with Don Bemiss to get their crew to install the chimney pipe and cap, then the RMC crew will go this weekend and start on the flashing, roofing and siding to complete this chimney. Once the underlayment arrives, we will already have the permit. We can then open up the roof (when we have a clear period of decent weather for a few days) and install the underlayment, then call for inspection and button everything back up. With the heavy weather coming in we felt it best to close up now instead of trusting the plastic weather protective wrap to hold for weeks. Don’s team can then complete the interior and the homeowner’s life can return to normal. We will notify everyone once we have everything we need to finish and get inspected. This process will not affect the homeowner in any way.
- Windows were approved and ordered. We do not have a definite ETA yet. Estimated ETA now is 10 weeks.
Items scheduled for next week:
- Complete unit 42 chimney by Wednesday 12/6 at the latest.
- Make necessary priority roofing repairs to prepare for winter weather.