All posts by Jen

06/28/18 Reserve Study Specialists

Did you know that John Hershey, President of J. Hershey Building Consultants, is not only a Licensed Architect and Reserve Specialist but has also earned the exclusive designation of a CAI Educated Business Partner?  These designations are what sets J. Hershey Building Consultants apart from our competitors and highlights our experience and dedication to the industry.  This means that your Reserve Study is performed by a true expert with the knowledge to provide your Association with a useful working document that can be referenced for several years! We recently performed a Reserve Study at the Association shown below in northern Illinois.  This Association consists of (3) 3-story buildings containing (63) residential and (10) commercial units.  One of the buildings also contains an indoor pool, fitness center and community room and the three building share a parking garage.  In the coming weeks we will be performing Reserve Studies for Community Associations in Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania!

06/05/18 Summer Construction in Full Swing!

During the spring, the J. Hershey Building Consultants team was busy preparing drawings and specifications for roof and balcony repairs at several community associations.  Those projects are now under construction and we have been hired by the associations to perform in-progress site visits to review the construction status.  Each site visit is followed with a written report that outlines the construction work performed, schedules, payment applications as requested, and issues that may arise including full color photographs.  It is our mission to simply the lives of the property managers we work with by being their “go-to” firm for all their building evaluation, design/engineering, bid assistance and construction monitoring needs.  Give Jen a call today at 844-543-7743 or email her at jk@jhersheygroup.com to discuss your potential community association projects!  Below are images from current community association projects where we are actively performing construction monitoring services!

 

 

053018 – Design Build Home Renovation Update

The replacement of the siding is nearing completion at one of the J. Hershey Design Build home renovations in Libertyville, Illinois!   On the interior the hardwood floors have been completed and are ready to be stained and the kitchen cabinet installation will be wrapping up this week! In the before and after images shown below you can also see the beautiful new front entrance into the home.


BEFORE

 

AFTER

05/23/18 – May’s issue of The Blue Print

The J. Hershey team had a great time networking at the CAI National Conference and Trade Show earlier this month!  Click here to read the May issue of The Blue Print which include a recap of the National Conference, updates on current community association projects, in-progress pictures of J. Hershey Design Build home renovations and much more!  As always, for all your consulting, design, construction and community association needs please do not hesitate to contact us at 844-543-7743 to discuss your project!

05/17/18 Wisconsin Reserve Study

J. Hershey Building Consultants’ President, John Hershey, who is also a CAI Reserve Specialist, was on-site yesterday in Appleton, Wisconsin, to perform a Reserve Study site visit for the Association shown below!  This Association consists of (7) 2-story buildings containing (84) units.  In addition to maintaining the exterior of the buildings the Association is also responsible for monument signage, parking lots, lighting and landscaping.    When a Client selects a “Level 1 Premium” J. Hershey Reserve Study it will always be completed by a Licensed Architect or Engineer with CAI Reserve Specialist credentials and the majority of reports are turned around within 20 business days from the site visit!  To request a  Reserve Study please click here to fill out our easy-to-use online request form or give Jen a a call at 844-543-7743.

 

05/15/18 Happy Anniversary

The J. Hershey team is celebrating our 9th anniversary today!  Thanks to our amazing Clients, we are thrilled at the growth the company has experienced these past nine years including the addition of offices in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida as well as the introduction of J. Hershey Building Consultants and J. Hershey Design Build in 2017!  As always, it is our mission to be your “one-stop shop” helping to guide your design, consulting or construction project from start to finish.  Please contact us today at 844-543-7743 to discuss your upcoming project needs and thank you for being part of our journey!

05/09/18 – Roof Replacement

The J. Hershey Building Consultants team is preparing constructions drawings and specifications for the replacement of the roof shown in the images below. This Association consists of (1) 3-story building containing (24) units and is located in Westlake, Ohio, close to the shores of Lake Erie. Once the drawings are complete and approved by the Association we will assist with bidding and construction oversight for the duration of the project. It is not uncommon for J. Hershey Building Consultants to save our Clients time and money when they hire us to perform all four phases from initial evaluation through construction administration. It is our goal to be your “one-stop” shop guiding the project from start to finish.  Please give us a call today at 844-543-7743 or email Jen at jk@jhersheygroup.com to request a proposal!

05/02/18 Capital Improvement Projects

Now that spring has sprung, our team has been busy performing construction administration services for community association projects where drawings, specifications and bidding were completed with our assistance at the end of 2017. During construction we perform scheduled site visits to monitor the progress, assist with payout requests, answer questions on behalf of the board and prepare written reports for the association detailing the progress.

Current construction administration projects as shown below include the roof replacement of a 4-story, (36) unit building, the roof replacement of (25) 2-story town-home buildings and we just completed construction drawings for the balcony railing replacement of (152) units in (6) 3-story buildings. We are now moving into the Bid Phase of the balcony railing replacement project and will be meeting bidders on-site this week to review the specifications and answer any questions so they may prepare their proposals for the Board’s review!

Give us a call today at 844-543-7743 to discuss your capital improvement project needs.  It is not to late to begin construction this summer!

 

04/25/18 April’s Blue Print

From specific questions to ask your potential Reserve Study professional to images of in-progress J. Hershey Design Build projects our April issue of The Blue Print has something for everyone!  Click here to read and as always, feel free to give us a call at 844-543-7743 to discuss any of your project needs!

04/23/18 Questions to ask your Reserve Study Professional

Last week, J. Hershey Building Consultants performed a Reserve Study site visit at a vintage 4-story walk-up building in Evanston, Illinois, which contained a laundry room, package delivery room, storage lockers, an underground parking garage as well rear wooden stairs.  A Reserve Study site visit was also performed for a town-home association which consisted of (8) buildings containing (36) units.  Along with review of the exterior of each building the Association also maintains a pond, general landscaping and the street.

When hiring professionals to produce a Reserve Study it is important to ask detailed questions regarding the experience of the professionals…this should go beyond the standard…”Has the professional previously produced Reserve Studies for properties which are similar to our property”?

Some questions to consider may include:

·Is the person who is visiting the property a licensed professional or are they an unlicensed employee who may or may not have a college degree in architecture or engineering?

·Is the person who is visiting the property a licensed architect or a licensed engineer?  If they are a licensed engineer, then what type of engineering degree?  Examples may include, civil engineer, structural engineer, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, etc.  A licensed architect is commonly very familiar with all aspects of building construction.  On the other hand, someone who is an electrical engineer is unlikely to have in depth knowledge of structural design.

·Does the licensed professional produce bid repair documents or provide construction monitoring of capital improvements for multi-family properties or is their experience restricted to the preparation of Reserve Studies?  We consider it to be beneficial for a professional who is preparing your Reserve Study to have experience with building design as well as involvement in the building construction process.

·Depending on the type of property, we recommend the Association give consideration to have multiple professionals involved in the preparation of a Reserve Study.  A town-home Association with no common mechanical systems for example may not significantly benefit from having multiple professionals involved.  However, a mid-rise or high-rise building with common mechanical, electrical, and fire protection systems may benefit from the individual expertise of multiple professionals, especially those who are familiar with current design practices when evaluating capital improvements.  One or more professionals to consider when evaluating a building with complex systems may include an architect, structural engineer, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, and elevator consultant.  An architect or an architect and a mechanical engineer is generally recommended for complex building systems.

Below are some images from our visits last week.  To request a Reserve Study proposal please give Jen a call at 844-543-7743 or click here to fill out our easy-to-use online request form!