CAI-NJ Jan. 2019 (w)

CLADDING IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

Things to consider before deciding to change the cladding on your community’s buildings.

By Arnold J. Calabrese, Esq., Becker & Poliakoff and Steven J. Morris, P.E., R.S., NAFE, Morris Engineering LLC/ME Architecture LLC

© iStockphoto.com

T he outside “skin” of the walls of your community’s buildings can be called by many names; siding, stucco, façade, etc. (we will call it cladding). The cladding on your building performs a lot of important func- tions. It keeps the weather out, creates the aesthetics for the building, and it can provide insulation to keep the building warm or cool. There is a myriad of cladding options for buildings, and each has unique benefits and disadvantages. When a building is first designed and built, the developer selects the cladding system that best fits its plans and budgets at that time. As buildings age, its cladding may require replacement or the association may choose to replace it. When this occurs, the needs, plans and budgets of the association may be very dif- ferent from those of the developer, during original construction. As a result, the association may need or wish to change the cladding system on their building(s). This change can have significant complications and implications for a community. This article will discuss some of these issues. Although this article will not provide an in-depth technical discussion about cladding systems, it is important to know that, when thinking about the cladding on a building, you must understand that cladding is a “system” that includes much more than the skin you see when you look at that building. What is behind the exterior skin can be as

important, or more important, than the outer surface. It is also more complicated than many think since the cladding system must be incorporated into other systems in your building, including roofs, doors, windows, decks/terraces, vents, etc. Failure to integrate these systems properly is a frequent cause of cladding failures, most commonly result- ing in water leaks. There are many reasons why an association may decide to change the type of cladding from that originally installed on its building(s) and many times there is a combination of reasons. Common reasons for changing cladding include: • Defects - It is not uncommon for cladding systems selected and installed by a developer to be defective. The deficien- cy can be related to the selection of a specific type of cladding or the installation of the material. Sometimes, the deficiencies are so pervasive that the most practical resolution is to replace the cladding entirely. • Leaks - Leaks into a building, through the cladding system, can be so severe that cladding replacement is warranted. Leaks can be due to defects in original construction (see above), aging of the cladding, lack of maintenance or a combination of all of these issues. CONT I NU E S ON PAGE 26

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