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VALCOURT SERVICE DIRECTORY…
YOUR SINGLE SOURCE
Caulking Plaza Decks
• Coping Joints • Concrete Repair
• Perimeter Flashing Caulking
• Roof Penetrations • Window Joints • Repointing
• Wet Glazing Pavers
• Penthouses • Paver
• Expansion
Joints Replacement
Commercial • Caulking
Glass • Waterproofing
Window and Restoration
Valcourt Building Awning Cleaning • Stain Removal
• Scratch Removal
Services Provides
You With the Masonry Repair
RIGHT • Repointing
• Brick Replacement
• Flashing (through
Solutions… wall)
while helping you
extend the life
of your assets! Waterproofing
• Caulking Joints Parking Garages Powerwashing & Façades &
• Caulking Roof • Concrete Repair
Flashing • Caulking Deck/Wall
Sealing Balconies
• Emergency Leak • Building Façades • Concrete Repair
Joints • Parking Garages • Masonry Repair
Repair • Waterproofing • Plaza Decks • Façade Coatings
• Deck Coatings • Sidewalks and Entrances • Deck Coatings
• Awning Washing • Glass Stain and Scratch Removal
• Commercial Window Cleaning • Metal Cleaning
(Exterior and Interior) • Parking Deck Repair
• Concrete and Masonry • Protective Façade Coatings
Restoration • Pressure Washing and Sealing
• Caulking • Traffic and Balcony Deck
• Exterior Insulation and Finish Coatings
Systems (EIFS) • Waterproofing
CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
1621 North Kent St., Suite 1101 • Arlington, VA 22209 • 703-294-6202
Delaware Valley Georgia Window Cleaning
Waterproofing, Restoration, Waterproofing, Restoration, 3300 North Fairfax Dr.
and Window Cleaning and Window Cleaning Suite 202
Cooper Center West 1337 Canton Rd., Suite D-1 Arlington, VA 22201
7150 N. Park Dr., Suite 520 Marietta, GA 30066 703-243-8300
Pennsauken, NJ 08109 770-971-2000
856-665-6600 Waterproofing and
New Jersey Restoration
Florida Waterproofing, Restoration, 4891-A Telsa Dr.
Waterproofing and and Window Cleaning Bowie, MD 20715
Restoration 663 Pennsylvania Ave. (301) 262-7880
4695 18th St. East Elizabeth, NJ 07201
Bradenton, FL 34203 908-965-3400
www.valcourt.net 941-747-7277 Washington, DC
Serving the East Coast with offices in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington, DC.
VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES —6— SUMMER 2003
Old or New, Facades Are At Risk
T he deterioration of building facades is a normal consequence of
a building’s ageing process or, in the case of some buildings, the
result of poor detailing or workmanship during the original
construction of the building.
No building is immune to deterioration. In fact, new buildings can
sometimes age more quickly than older buildings because the materi-
als used in newer construction are often not as resistant to weathering
and deterioration as the materials that were used in the construction
of older buildings.
While a building’s deterioration problems can be attributed to various
causes, the most common culprit causing façade deterioration is water. The
consequences of this problem can include falling masonry or concrete,
structural deterioration, or water penetration into occupied space and the
growth of mold.
One way to detect these water infiltration problems is to regularly
inspect all exterior walls. Not only are such inspections important in
detecting spalling concrete, displaced brick units, broken window glass
and loose fixtures (such as flag poles, lights, awnings and signs), they
might also reveal telltale signs of latent distress hidden behind the wall surfaces. Early detection is usually the best
defense against costly repair or catastrophic occurrences resulting from the failure of exterior wall components. t
FIRST CLASS
U.S. POSTAGE
VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES PAID
COOPER CENTER W. BOWIE,
Valcourt MARYLAND
Building 7150 N. PARK DRIVE, SUITE 520 PERMIT #4434
Services PENNSAUKEN, NJ 08109
www.valcourt.net
&
Valcourt Building Services—Summer 2003
Valcourt Building Services—SSunner 2003
Summer 2003
Valcourt
Building
Services
VIEW A quarterly publication for the friends and employees of Valcourt Building Services
Volume 12, Number 2
Understanding the Life Cycle of Buildings/Structures
M any buildings reflect the
personality, attitude and
style of the owner.
Some exhibit a progressive
design, using modern
styles and materials that
are on the cutting-edge in
terms of technology and
their relationship with the
environment; others are
more traditional, standing
as a testament to history
and a more conservative
past. However, no matter
what type of building you
are responsible for main- ronmentally The Life Cycle Curve graph
taining, the structure’s life dependent, sub- (shown on page 4) depicts the
cycle and requirements for main- ject to wind, rain, temperature condition of a building system
tenance, upkeep and repairs are extremes, chemicals and pollu- relative to its age. The curve can
relatively predictable. tants, and other forces of nature. represent the deterioration of a
Buildings are composed of They are also affected by other number of the building’s exterior
many different systems. Internal factors that cause deterioration, systems, such as roofs, exterior
systems, such as HVAC and light- such as poor construction detail- walls, pavements, parking
ing systems, control interior envi- ing and construction defects. All garages and plaza decks. A basic
ronments and have a fairly pre- of these forces and factors erode understanding of the construc-
www.valcourt.net
www.valcourt.net
dictable life cycle that depends on protective coatings, crack exteri- tion of these building systems
the reliability of the equipment or materials and allow water and allows us to make a reasonable
comprising the system. A build- environmental elements to enter prediction of their performance
ing’s structural systems are also a building. Even so, we can still and failure.
predictable in that they are predict the life cycle of a build- In the graph, the slope of the
designed and constructed with ing’s materials and systems, and system condition curve is a
reasonable safety factors to provide preventive maintenance function of the rate of deteriora-
accommodate loading and to offer that will prolong service life and tion of the system over time.
protection from the environment. improve performance. Very few building exterior sys-
In comparison, a building’s
continued on page 4
exterior systems are more envi-
VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES —2— SUMMER 2003
Washington State Adopts I-14 as Law
S lightly more than a year after The I-14 is the first Efforts are also
the passage of the I-14 ANSI standard reg- being made to
Window Cleaning Safety ulating the win- have the I-14 refer-
Standard, a state government adopt- dow cleaning enced in the
ed it into law. On January 1, 2003, industry with spe- Federal Register,
Washington State’s Department of cific guidelines for which would give it the
Labor and Health adopted I-14 lan- the use of Rope Descent power of law and may happen
guage and made it part of its laws. Systems (i.e., “chairs”). It as early as this year. If this does
Washington’s Department of Labor was adopted in October 2001. The happen, building owners will not
and Health is the first state agency departments of labor in 25 states have the luxury of planning like
to do so. are tasked with monitoring safety in they do now. As former IWCA
“In my opinion, it is not a mat- their state. They are responsible for President Bob Zeolla has stated: In
ter of if, but a question of when, all meeting or exceeding the federal the very near future, all buildings
window cleaners and building own- OSHA regulations; currently, three will have sound anchorage. It
ers will comply,” said Stefan Bright, states exceed the federal standards: makes too much sense for it not to
safety director of the International California, New York, and happen.”
Window Cleaning Association Washington. More are sure to fol- The I-14 is the first industry-
(IWCA). low. specific standard to address the
need for building owners and win-
dow cleaners to have and use sound
anchorage points, inspect them, and
Attitude have a site-specific “plan of service.”
Washington State’s adoption of the
Attitude is more important than facts. standard before OSHA only
It is more important than the past, strengthens the belief that the I-14
than education, than money, than circumstances, will soon become federal law.
than failures, than successes, ANSI standards are the accepted
than what other people think, say or do. safe practices of an industry sanc-
tioned by the American National
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. Standards Institute. ANSI standards
It will make or break a company… do not have the force of law, but
a church…a home…a person. they are often referred to in civil
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day liability lawsuits (such as those that
regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. occur after a window cleaner or a
third party is injured at a building
We cannot change our past… while window cleaning is taking
We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. place). t
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have
and that is our ATTITUDE!
Life is 10% what happens to us and
90% how we react to it.
We are in charge of our own attitude!
PRIDE. SAVINGS. PEACE OF MIND. WWW.VALCOURT.NET
VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES —3— SUMMER 2003
BOMA & IWCA Come Together In Atlanta
I n February, officers of Building Services of N.J.,
the International explained IWCA’s mission
Window Cleaning and the progress it is mak-
Association met with eight ing in fulfilling that mis-
representatives from sion. Two important goals of
BOMA–Atlanta at the IWCA’s mission are to pro-
IWCA’s annual convention mote window cleaning safety
and trade show. At the and to represent the window
meeting, Mike Amoroso, president of cleaning industry to other related
the IWCA and president of Valcourt industries.
After reviewing IWCA statistics
(750 member companies from 22
countries representing 5,500 win-
dow cleaners), the focus quickly
turned to the IWCA’s I-14 Window
Our Many Faces Cleaning Safety Standard. In terms of
this topic, the meeting was well
Baltimore/Washington DC Windows timed, since BOMA–Atlanta was
Cleaning Division reviewing the document at the time.
Among the concerns expressed by
Mike Fotiadis
BOMA–Atlanta’s representatives were
In April, Valcourt’s
the cost of implementation, the lack contractor that can prove in writing
Baltimore/
of knowledgeable contractors and it has the training to do the window
Washington D.C.
the methodology used for testing cleaning safely.
Windows Division
and certifying anchor points. Finally, we explained that having
welcomed Mike
In addressing those concerns, a professional engineer certify
Fotiadis as a new
we were able to agree that the cost anchor points is not difficult if their
Account Executive.
of implementation for most proper- window cleaning contractor is
A native of Maryland, Mike is a
ties would not be expensive, since involved. This strategy allows the
recent graduate of Salisbury
many buildings may need only engineer to understand exactly how
University on the Eastern Shore,
slight modifications to comply with the anchor will be used. Sometimes
where he earned a B.S. in
the standard. load testing, which should be non-
Marketing and Management.
As for finding qualified vendors, destructive, is required to ensure
Mike has more than five years of
our advice was to use IWCA mem- that the design and installation of
sales experience, including
bers because they have access to the the anchor can carry the required
spending a summer as a manager
latest industry information. We also loads.
of a lucrative student painting
suggested considering the use of Overall, this meeting helped the
company in the Harford County
only contractors who are enrolled in IWCA representatives to understand
suburbs. In his spare time, Mike
the IWCCI (International Window the concerns of property managers
enjoys sports (such as racquet-
Cleaner Certification Institute). and helped the property managers to
ball, surfing and golf) and is an
However, we made it perfectly clear have a clearer understanding of the
avid car enthusiast. We are
that no matter which vendor is cho- IWCA and the I-14 Window
proud to have Mike on our
sen, it is the management company’s Cleaning Safety Standard. t
team! t
responsibility to hire a competent
PRIDE. SAVINGS. PEACE OF MIND. WWW.VALCOURT.NET
VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES —4— SUMMER 2003
“Understanding the Life Cycle of Buildings/Structures” continued from page 1
doors, win- Effective building exterior
Life Cycle Curve dows and maintenance is a combination of
execllent
balconies— maintaining good record-keeping
$1.00 for
40% drop renovation here that are in and applying a small amount of
good in quality place prima- effort at regular intervals over the
fair will cost rily to keep life of a building. Whether the
75% of life 40% drop $4.00 to
poor in quality $5.00 here
out water maintenance is provided solely by
very poor
and the the owner or whether it is contrac-
12% of life effects of tor assisted, attention to mainte-
failed
time
weather. nance will help the owner monitor
The variety the building’s performance, locate
tems have a constant, or straight- of materials encountered in these sys- its position on the life cycle curve,
line, deterioration curve. Normally, tems is widely diverse and includes and reduce overall expenditures. It
the rate of deterioration increases glass, stone, concrete, mortar, might also make the Facility
with time, causing much more asphalt, plastics, metals and compos- Manager’s job a little bit easier.
rapid deterioration in later years. ite materials, among many others.
Article written by:
As the rate of deterioration increas- We feel the long-term, budget-
Chris Hodges, Facility Engineering
es, so does the cost to repair. wise approach to managing these Associates, P.C., CFM t
Maintenance performed at the right building systems successfully is to
time can extend for a short time break down the systems into man-
the need to expend a significantly ageable components,
greater cost for maintenance, push- periodically assess EXTERIOR WALL SYSTEMS
ing the performance curve to the the condition of the Typical Service Life— 20 to 30 Years
right. An effective facility manage- systems, and develop
Major Repairs Service Life
ment system can program repairs at long-range repair
the right time to reduce the overall plans for each sys- Tuckpointing (Masonry) 10 to 15 years
life cycle cost of maintaining the tem. Sealant Application (Masonry) 5 years
system. As we’ve seen Sealant Replacement 5 to 10 years
Since a building’s exterior sys- from past experience Coating Application 10 years
tems are constantly exposed to the with many building Replace Flashings 15 years
sun, wind, rain and thermal move- exterior systems, the Crack Injection 15 years
ment, over time the materials that service life of these Concrete Patching 15 years
make up the systems deteriorate to systems can be much
the point that major repairs are different from the EXTERIOR STRUCTURE
needed to maintain the integrity of service life of the Typical Service Life of System:
the systems. The major economic building. By routine- Moderate Climate – 30 to 40 years
factor confronting an owner who is ly checking the per- Cold Regions (Chloride Environment) – 15 to 25 years
responsible for maintaining the formance of the Major Repairs Service Life
building involves deciding when building’s exterior, Delamination Repair (Concrete) 10 to 15 years
and where to spend the mainte- the maintenance and Sealant Application 5 years
nance dollars to get the most serv- repairs necessary to Coating Application 10 years
ice life from the building’s systems. extend the life of the Overlays 5 to 10 years
The building’s exterior envelope building’s systems can Membrane Replacement 15 to 20 years
systems consist of various compo- be done on a timely, Deck Replacement 25 to 40 years
nents—roofs, exterior wall systems, cost-effective basis. Cathodic Protection 20 years
PRIDE. SAVINGS. PEACE OF MIND. WWW.VALCOURT.NET
DC Windows VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES, L.C.
3300 NORTH FAIRFAX DR., SUITE 202
ARLINGTON, VA 22201
DC Exterior VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES, L.C.
4891-A TELSA DRIVE
BOWIE, MD 20715
New Jersey VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES, L.C.
663 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE
ELIZABETH, NJ 07201
VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES, L.C.
Delaware Valley COOPER CENTER W.
7150 N. PARK DRIVE, SUITE 520
PENNSAUKEN, NJ 08109
Georgia VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES, L.C.
1337 CANTON ROAD, SUITE D-1
MARIETTA, GA 30066
VALCOURT BUILDING SERVICES, L.C.
Florida 4695 18TH STREET EAST
BRADENTON, FL 34203
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