Dear Maintenance Men:
My apartment building has freestanding garages that have a pedestrian door in addition to the main vehicle garage door. We have had several garages broken into recently and I’m looking into ways to strengthen the pedestrian doors as that was the point of entry for each break in. The doors swing in and even with a dead bolt locked the thieves managed to get in. How can I strengthen the door without it looking like a jail?
Clint
Dear Clint:
Try reversing the entry door. Have the door swing out instead of into the garage. You can reinforce the frame from the inside by installing a 1x2 inch doorstop all along your doorframe. The door will close against this new frame and will make it very hard to kick in. The frame stop can be either wood or square metal tube material. The door should be a solid core exterior grade and use a good quality dead bolt lock. The hinges will be exposed, so use three heavy-duty tamper proof hinges. This will produce a very solid and near impenetrable door. Without noisy power tools or a police ram, nobody is getting through without a key.
Dear Maintenance Men:
The wood fence patios on my property are not very old, yet the posts appear to be rotting out in the ground. I feel they should have lasted much longer. The fence now leans and is a danger. I will be replacing all the posts soon and want to know how to stop the posts from rotting in the concrete footings. Do you have a suggestion?
Mark
Dear Mark:
Your problem is most likely poor drainage. The posts just rotted away because of excessive moisture. For a long-term installation, use either redwood or pressure treated lumber. Dig your posthole at least 6 inches deeper than normal. Fill the bottom six inches of the hole with ½” sized gravel. Then set your post in place, level it and pour in another 2 or 3 inches of gravel. Fill the balance of the hole with Ready-Mix or Post-Mix concrete. Taper the top of the wet concrete at a slight angle to the post; that will help drain water away from the post. For added protection, you may want to consider waterproofing your post with Thompson’s Water Seal or roofing tar. That should help keep your post healthy for much longer.
Dear Maintenance Men:
I have a laundry room problem. I am forever repairing drywall holes that have been kicked in. How can I stop the tenants/kids/visitors etc. from abusing my laundry room?
Steve
Dear Steve:
Since many people use the laundry room as a meeting area and keeping a guard is not reasonable. The quick and easy answer would be to install a self-closing/locking security door and give keys to all the tenants. This works to a point, but over time the door may find itself open. So, we tried to beat the vandals at their own game. We now install “T-111” plywood along the lower four feet of the laundry room walls. T-111 plywood comes in a 4x8 sheet and has vertical lines running through it. Typically, T-111 is used for garage door sheathing and building siding. Installation is straight forward. We cut the plywood in half producing 4x4 sheets. These are then screwed to the wall at every 16” or at each wall stud. The lines should be vertical. Then install a 1x4 plank to trim the top of the sheet along with a plank at the bottom as replacement for the base coving. Caulk all seams and edges, paint with primer and enamel paint of choice. If you two tone the trim board and T-111, it looks very nice and it will be a lot tougher on your little vandal’s toes than your wall!
WE NEED Maintenance Questions!!! If you would like to see your maintenance question in the “Dear Maintenance Men:” column, please send in your questions to: DearMaintenanceMen@gmail.com
If you need maintenance work or consultation for your building or project, please feel free to contact us. We are available throughout Southern California. For an appointment, please call Buffalo Maintenance, Inc. at 714 956-8371
Frank Alvarez is licensed contractor and the Operations Director and co-owner of Buffalo Maintenance, Inc. He has been involved with apartment maintenance & construction for over 30 years.
Frankie is President of the Apartment Association of Orange County and a lecturer, educational instructor and Chair of the Education Committee of the AAOC. He is also Chairman of the Product Service Counsel. Frank can be reached at (714) 956-8371 Frankie@BuffaloMaintenance.com For more info please go to: www.BuffaloMaintenance.com
Jerry L'Ecuyer is a real estate broker. He is currently a Director Emeritus and Past President of the Apartment Association of Orange County and past Chairman of the association’s Education Committee. Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional since 1988.
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