General Information

Kaskitayo House – Property Information

Last updated January 24, 2012

Overview

The property was built in 1978 by Qualico Homes, and was a rental complex until about 1993 when it was converted to condominiums.

The complex consists of 2 blocks of 3-story apartment buildings arranged in an L shape.  1 block is along 29th Avenue and the other is along 105A Street.  We count the complex as having 5 buildings, as there are 5 sets of front/back entrances:

Building 1: 10528-29th Ave
Building 2: 10524-29th Ave
Building 3: 2908-105A St
Building 4: 2912-105A St
Building 5: 2916-105A St

Buildings 1, 2, 4 and 5 each have a block of 4 units on each floor. Facing the front entrance, the unit numbers go clockwise:
- Left of the front steps is #101
- Behind 101 at the back of the building is #102
- Right of #102 at the back of the building (or just to the left if you're facing the back entrance) is #103
- In front of #103 (to the right of the front steps) is #104

Building 3 is smaller than the other ones in that it only has 2 units on each level. Towards the front of the building is #101, and #102 is at the back. The building 3 entrances are on the side of the building, not the front/back.

Unit Utilities

Each unit has its own furnace and hot water tank.  These are the responsibility of the owner both for maintenance and utility payments. The pipes controlling water for each unit are located in the furnace/utility rooms, with the meters for all 3 floors located in the ground-floor unit. Valves were installed beneath the floors of the second- and third-floor units to allow these residents to turn off their water if needed without needing to coordinate with the ground floor resident. These valves are visible from the ceiling of the utility room below it and are along the pipes leading down the wall from that unit through the floor.

Because the pipes run along the inside of the outer wall, there is a recurring problem with frozen pipes each winter. Residents need to be reminded each fall to allow air circulation in the utility room (items should ideally not be stored in here at all) and to check the temperature in the utility room periodically. If there is damage to the pipes and/or meters, costs are charged back to the owner(s) responsible for the freezing. EPCOR should be contacted to replace broken meters.

Each unit also has a fireplace that was originally wood-burning. Some have since been converted to natural gas, as over time some of the stacks running up to the roof have started to rust out. Each fireplace has its own stack. Not using the fireplace for an extended time seems to be the main cause of this, and it’s more likely to happen to the ground-floor units first.

Fireplace failures were first reported in 2006. A special resolution was held at the 2006 AGM to determine a replacement strategy. The most cost-effective option passed by the owners was to replace failed fireplaces with natural gas. The corporation will cover the cost of this conversion; and at the time this was determined and a contractor lined up the cost was about $2500. If an owner chooses to restore it to original wood-burning condition, the corporation will cover $2500 and the remaining cost is the responsibility of the owner. If an owner chooses neither option and doesn’t want to use their fireplace, it must be sealed off for safety reasons.  There is an amount set aside in the budget each year to accommodate about 6 fireplace failures. To date no fireplace failures have been reported in the last 3 years. 

External Water

8 of the 18 ground-floor units have the pipework for the external building water in their mechanical rooms. These suites also have drainage pipes by their patios and are:
- #101, 10528-29 Ave - this suite's stem key valve was replaced by a tap valve beside it. 
- #102, 10528-29 Ave
- #103, 10524-29 Ave
- #104, 10524-29 Ave
- #101, 2912-105A St
- #102, 2912-105A St
- #104, 2916-105A St
- #103, 2916-105A St

Each of these units has valves that need to be turned on inside the unit furnace room, and there is a valve accessed from the outside with the stem key except as noted above.  What’s normally done each year is the valves are turned on in these units in the spring and all that’s needed to turn on the water for lawn care is to turn the outside valve with a stem key. In fall the valves inside the units should be turned off and any excess water drained out.

Building Utilities

The water/power supply for each building is located in a room on the ground floor of each building along the main hallway. The water supply for B3 is located in the electrical/mechanical room in B4. This contains the hot water tank for the washing machines and the main electrical panel for each building, along with individual breakers for each unit. 

The entrance to each building contains a wall heater that has a thermostat near it and is turned on/off from the electrical rooms. Each electrical room panel has 2 sets of switches (one for the front heater and one for the back) that need to be switched each spring/fall. B3 electrical room also has a gas heater on the external wall that needs to be turned on/off in the fall/spring (and the pilot light may need to be lit).  All of these electrical room doors are keyed to the same key.

The rooms above the electrical room on each building are used for the shared washer/dryer. Some residents have a washer/dryer in their units. Note that the electrical panels in each suite were not originally wired to accommodate a washer/dryer, and some owners had either overloaded their panels or used the switch that was originally used for the car plug. An electrical inspection was held for all units in 2007/2008 and any wiring that was not up to code was corrected. Any owner wanting to install a washer/dryer must ensure their panel is properly upgraded to be able to accommodate it and show the board the electrical permit for the work.

The washers and dryers used to be coin-operated but this was changed to a token system a few years ago. Tokens are sold by on-site board member(s) as per a schedule posted on the laundry room door of each building.

Parking

Each unit includes one parking stall that has a plug-in. Power to this plug-in in controlled from the unit. There are 21 stalls that have been set aside as available for rental. Neither these nor the visitor spots have plug-ins.

Buzzer/Intercom

The intercom system was replaced in 2012.  It has been set up to be accessed from a landline or cell phone associated with each unit. The buzzer codes are tied to the landline or cell phone number provided by the resident(s) of each unit, so the codes need to be changed with new residents. The resident can press ‘9’ on their phone to open the outside door.

Fences/Gates

The fence at the back of the parking lot along the power lines will be left until it deteriorates; it was determined it’s not cost-effective to replace it until then. The type of replacement fence is to be determined by the Board.

There was a shared concrete patio area in the corner area between buildings 2 and 3. When the concrete deteriorated, this area was removed and filled in with sod as residents were not using it. There had been a fence surrounding the area that divided the front and back of building 3.  When the concrete was replaced a smaller gate was placed in the walkway between buildings 2 and 3.  There is a recurring issue with residents not keeping this gate closed and locked, and non-residents have been using this as a shortcut with some vandalism resulting. It is desired to replace this gate with a larger one closer to the original layout as budgeting allows. There is a diagram of the proposed fence/gate in the files.

When the buildings were constructed there was a fenced area in front of all unit patios/balconies. The lower floor fence was the same height as the ones on the balconies but had a gate and latticework fence instead. The front fences deteriorated about 13 years ago and were not replaced. The back fences were removed a few years later and have not been replaced. These fences could be replaced in the future if built into the reserve fund plan.  The ground-floor units at the back of the buildings still have the posts of these fences visible along the ground by their patios.

Storage Rooms/Roof Access

The second and third floors of B1, B2 & B3 have a few small rooms that can be rented to residents (Large $15/mo; Med $10/Mo). There are a few very small broom closets in B4 & B5 that are too small to put anything in. Access to the attic is through one of these rooms on the third floor of each building.

Siding Information

Siding was scheduled to be replaced over 2011/2012 but has been postponed due to unanticipated priority work.  While on site to examine moisture/drainage issues, the representative from Wade Engineering offered some verbal notes on the siding.  Further information should be gathered prior to doing the siding to ensure it’s done properly for the best price, but here is the verbal information that was provided:

-          The metal siding on the ends of the buildings does need to be replaced. (Recycling refunds should be considered to reduce costs).  The wooden separators corresponding to each building floor should be replaced at this time as well.

-          The rust-colored paneling on the front of each unit is in good shape and doesn’t need to be sided.  There are a couple of spots that do need attention, such as the bottom of the main bedroom window for B5-104 and the side of the main bedroom window on B3-101. Note that the windows and patio doors have been fitted to account for siding, so additional caps may need to be installed.

-          The stucco over the mechanical rooms should be removed and the plywood underneath evaluated for moisture damage.  There is some moisture damage visible in spots as discolored stucco.  However, it is recommended to replace the covering with stucco-like material and not siding. The reason for this is that siding would come out far enough that this could cause issues if the frames/glass in the front and back entrances need to be serviced.

-          Siding had been considered for the unit furnace rooms as an extra means of insulation. There are problems each year with frozen water pipes. The engineer said this would need some consideration but installing an additional thermostat in the mechanical room might be an option.

Miscellaneous Property Notes

The following are items that had been brought up in board meetings over the past few years as ideas for enhancing the property. They had not been implemented previously due to not needing replacement yet or prohibitive costs at the time. They are recorded here for future consideration.

-          Replacing the token system for the washer/dryers with a card-swipe system

-          Installing a fence or enclosure around part of the garbage/recycling bins to make them less visible from the street.  There is a problem with non-residents stopping by and dumping their garbage in the bins. Another option might be to lock the bins with only residents and the city having access.

-          The building hot water tanks are still in good shape, but when they do need to be replaced an option might be tankless water heaters to save on water/power.

-          The power bills for the buildings can be quite high and when it becomes economically feasible, putting solar panels on the roof might be an option.

-          Putting a fence around the back side of the property along the parking-lot side of the street might deter non-residents from coming on the property.  This had been investigated in 2008/2009 but some residents objected to it at the time.

-          Putting in composting bins, possibly with locks & keys for those residents interested in using them.