The following includes additional excerpts from the President' report which was given at the 2007 Kenthill Townhomes Annual Meeting on March 26, 2007:
Kenthill Townhomes was built in the mid-1970’s [The joint access and easement agreement was signed in 1973]. Our buildings therefore are over 30 years old. T-111 wood siding was a popular building material in the West during that time period. The life expectancy of T-111 wood siding is typically 20 years. This does not reflect or take into consideration the climate of the Northwest which considerably lessens this expected lifespan. If you walk around and look closely at our buildings you will see many instances of the wood siding buckling and bulging. This is especially true at the places where two pieces of siding meet and is covered over with a piece of trim. No caulking was used during construction. We have problems with water intrusion on many of our buildings (especially the one-bedroom units). This most often occurs on the ends of the buildings (often around the windows), but is not limited to this area. A painting project was undertaken beginning in 2000. Numerous repairs and restorations were required before the painting began (this at a cost of $5842.00). The actual painting of the buildings did not begin until 2002. The cost of the painting Project was $82,000. Paint, typically marketed as “15-year paint” was used. As a part of the Reserve Study, an analysis of the condition of our buildings with respect to the history of the painting projects which have occurred in the past was included. The authors of the Reserve Study recommended that the Board contract to have a paint job completed immediately. After investigation, estimates to complete the painting job [not including any required repairs (see above)] averaged approximately $98,000. The authors of the Reserve Study stated, “There is no such thing as ’15-year paint” (in other words, it never lasts that long). This is all the more true in the case of the condition of Kenthill Townhomes with regards to the condition of the wood siding upon which the paint will be applied. In addition to this, the general consensus concerning the paint job that occurred in 2002 was that it was of fairly low quality. The end result of all these things is that we will have to begin considering having a paint job project done at Kenthill Townhomes in the near future. Funding for the new Painting Project will also necessarily have to be taken into account. There are only two ways of funding projects: raising the homeowners dues or having a Special Assessment.
