Definition: Thermal imaging is simply the process of converting infrared (IR) radiation (heat) into visible images that depict the spatial distribution of temperature differences in a scene viewed by a thermal camera. In layman’s terms, and at CSFTS, we use a thermal Imaging camera to pinpoint where undrained water is lying in wait to cause damage […]
Infrared & Inspections
Your Time, Your Life: Sometimes That’s not the Case in a Strata or Condo Home
So, you’re the proud owner of a Strata dwelling; or you’re responsible for managing a Strata dwelling; or perhaps you sit on Council for one. Regardless of your role, you have a vested interest in wanting maintenance and repair to be a natural and stress-free part of your day-to-day life. You might think that maintenance […]
Your Time Machine: Reducing Your Time Commitment While Bridging Today’s Strata to its Desired Tomorrow.
The Work of a Strata and Home Owner Associations (HOA) Manager, Board or Council member, or Strata owner (the Stakeholders) ranges from (a) rewarding & satisfying to (z) a chaotic, time hogging, stress inducing, physical & psychological nightmare. The villains who seek to introduce chaos to Stakeholder’s lives are weather, wear/age, and unexpected events. How, […]
Peace of Mind Part 1: Gain Peace of Mind With Your Home by Addressing These 4 Questions
Is peace of mind a concern when you think of your Strata? (also known as Condos, Home Owners Association {H.O.A.} or Multi-Owner) When it comes to Strata ownership, peace of mind is created by good maintenance, good finances, & harmony in the owners’ community. When it comes to your home & investment, peace of mind […]
Peace of Mind Part 2: What’s the Remaining Useful Life of the Major Systems in Your Home?
That’s quite a topic for a blog these days. We hear of bad news, sad news, and outright mad news, but unfortunately, we don’t hear lots of good news. That’s when each of us needs to dig down deep (the 3 D’s) to find ways we can let the general news tone run past us, missing us in its sweep to […]
Peace of Mind Part 3: What is Strata’s Plan to Prevent Negative Surprises That Can Steal Peace of Mind?
What is your Strata’s plan to prevent negative surprises that will steal peace of mind? Based on our 2 previous posts on this topic, we know we need to understand, as a path towards peace of mind with your home, the true condition of your Strata/Condo. We also have a better idea as to why […]
Water Detectives: Using Technology to Find and Repair Water Ingress Issues
Our ancestors built their shelters to protect themselves from rain or snow. We do the same today, but with far more complex dwellings. We still must protect ourselves from the same enemy: water. A friend of ours renovated his bathroom with new tiles. Two years later the entire wall of his bathroom collapsed suddenly. The […]
Home Inspection: Putting Steroids on This Required Part of Selling Your Home
If you’ve ever bought a new home, then you know the drill. You decide to sell, and the real work begins. 2 huge phases are needed: (1) get your current home ready to put on the market, and (2) get the new home ready once you move in. Within those 2 phases there are 2 […]
The Calm After the Storm?: Don’t Wait Till After the Storm to Reflect on Risk Planning
November 12 – 15, 2021 will go down in this writer’s mind as the dates when he wished he’d built an ark! Many people are in “the same boat” according to the many news sources, mainstream and local, reporting stranded people and vehicles, plumbers run off their feet with busyness, restoration companies that can only […]
A Different Reality: Post Disaster Realities and Pre Disaster Risk Preparedness
I love listening to the stories my boss tells regarding building maintenance mishaps. Not mishaps that occur during maintenance, but ones that occur when maintenance was either not completed properly, or someone decided to “take the risk.” But while taking the risk is a decision based on actuarial competence and statistical probabilities, disasters remain aloof, […]
The Small Stuff Doesn’t Have to Become the Big Stuff
Many of the visits we at CFSTS make to homes often turn into examinations and consultation of small incidental issues – the kind of issues that a homeowner may see as requiring expertise to assess and fix. We truly enjoy helping homeowners understand how the components of a building fit and work together. But driving […]
Integrity: Doing the Job Right From the Start
Sadly, Integrity is a word not in common use these days when describing work habits or professional demeanour. Too many companies reward an employee’s ability to get the job done without ever asking how achievements were attained. Many employers don’t really care about the “how” as long as the “done” appears. The ironic thing is […]
