INSIDE Information on
SB 326 How to Plan Your Project By Rich Carroll Walker Consultants
R
Now let’s take an “INSIDE” look at what we have seen and
approved by the Governor of California on August 30, 2019,
learned overall regarding balcony inspections, financing,
enovation projects are complex and require efficient coordination and now, with Senate Bill 326, balcony repairs have become a vital aspect of these projects.
Senate Bill 326 (Mandatory Balcony Inspection Law) was as an amendment to Civil Code 5551, with the objective to prevent future balcony collapses by ordering owners and HOA’s to have a formal inspection of decks, balconies, stairways, and walkways. The deadline to perform these inspections required by Senate Bill 326 (SB326) is quickly approaching. These mandatory balcony inspections MUST take place by December 31, 2024. This article will guide you through an SB 326 balcony repair project by sharing some “INSIDE” information. The first piece of “INSIDE” information I’d like to share is just that, it’s “INSIDE” the walls and behind the exterior cladding. Herein lies the challenge of being unable to know the extent of damages until the exterior building materials are removed. Almost everyone will notice a roof leak dripping from the ceiling, but this type of water intrusion is hidden and costly, causing damaged building materials to fester until they fail.
scheduling, and receiving the stamped letter that your building(s) must receive to fulfill the requirements of the law. Regardless of what unforeseen conditions or events that might arise, it could be hidden damages, increases in material costs, additional requirements mandated by the local building officials or even upgrades to the existing conditions, these items will increase the project budget and should be quantified. The next piece of “INSIDE” information is how to budget for these unforeseen items that will undoubtedly surface. Best practices for a Project Management team would be to include a 20%-25% contingency amount be used. This means that once all bids are received and a contractor is selected, an additional amount equal to 20%-25% of all construction costs should be included in the project budget. If the project budget does not include these contingencies, it may be necessary to go back to the owners and request
By then it’s too late! This situation is what led to the collapse
a second or third assessment. This would then need to be
of the balcony in Berkeley which resulted in SB 326. One thing
approved again through the ballot process. It will be much
you can be sure of, there will be unseen damages.
more difficult to get these new assessments approved and the
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www.cai-glac.org | September/October 2023
CAI-Greater Los Angeles Chapter