MAINTENANCE RIGHT hen it comes to decisions about exterior maintenance, one of the most difficult challenges a trustee faces is choosing between short- or long-term cost savings. The heart of their dilemma is balancing the savings promised by a short-term fix against their responsibility to make the correct long-term decisions for their association. And these days, thanks to the stagnant economy and the depressed housing market, the pressure to go with the short-term fix is greater than ever. But more often than not, choosing the quick fix is a mistake. Take it from Planning To Do the Job Exterior Maintenance and Improvement Choices for Long-Term Savings a contractor who has been helping associations evaluate their property maintenance and improvement options for nearly 25 years—short-term thinking usually leads to greater longterm costs. But a short-term investment in planning typically leads to significant long-term savings. Let’s take a closer look at how this principle applies to three common property maintenance and improvement decisions. W 1 Spot Siding and Trim Repair vs. Full Replacement Want to save your owners from wasting good money on an expensive property maintenance mistake? Think twice the next time a contractor recommends spot or partial siding and trim replacement. Although there are instances when spot replacement makes sense, most of the time this patchwork approach to building maintenance is just a superficial fix for a much deeper problem. Rotted or warped siding and trim is usually a sign of water penetration caused by inadequate flashing. Until this underlying problem is corrected, your owners will continue to pay for repeated siding, trim and paint failures. Wait long enough, and you may also have to 22 CONDO MEDIA • DECEMBER 2011