Yep, what you are looking at below is the result of over a decade of mismanagement and insanity to fix everything “on the cheap” where it ends up costing more and make our complex look like a decrepit tenement.
I’ll explain: instead of replacing the fascia beam (6×2) which would cost about $100 plus a maximum 8 to 10 hours of prepping, installing and painting (about $400 top all included), this job, which consisted of plugging termite-damaged wood with wood filler and glue (badly) some kind of siding, probably low quality, porous plywood, or siding, took a full week (2 people), easily costing $1,200 or more. How do I know? It’s my bedroom window below!
And this is not an exception, such shoddy craftmanship is pervasive throughout the entire complex, look at your fascia, look at the carports’ roofs, badly patched walls, etc. the list goes on and on. This just happens to be a glaringly visible example.
HMA homeowners, now is the time to take stock of the bag we have been left holding and make sure that the new Board and management company start doing the right things, which is to repair or replace, but not “painting over rust” (quite literally, I have seen it done). We must work together with civility but firmness and determination to make sure we get the quality of maintenance we deserve. The value of our real estate investments is at stake.
Update: it now has been over 2 months since I reported this issue. Apparently, it does not seem to bother the Board Members as I was told “Well, if it didn’t fall with the high winds, it’s not gonna fall now”. Now just picture a prospective buyer of a unit in the complex coming across this, do you think this wouldn’t put a damper on their intent to purchase, seeing how badly maintained HMA still is…
As I said earlier: the value of our real estate investments is at stake.
Update 05/07/2024:
This was fixed, but really slopping fix, see photo below. Management company says it’s because the HOA hasn’t found a contractor to take care of repairs yet. Let’s hope for the best, but I’m really worried.
Not sure using compressed particle board (which is very porous) for outside work is a good idea. The beam obviously needs full replacement, but this would cost a whopping 60 bucks + labor and paint, whereas we probably have wasted over $400 on previous “repairs”.
