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Roofs, like all other components of the building envelope, need inspections on a routine basis. We would like to offer some general direction to help building owners and facility managers perform routine roof inspections.   zumBrunnen has foun...

As they say in the movies and on television: “The following is based on a true story.  The names and places have been changed to protect the innocent.” Of course, in the case of this story, it is really an amalgam of a number of stories and incidents...

The answer depends on how and where they were installed. In multi-family environments, we frequently see outdoor condensing units installed too close together. Condensing units and heat pumps should have an ample amount of free air space around...

Transition Report & Capital Reserve Study  Versus a Property Condition Assessment Report When dealing with homeowner associations (HOAs) and property managers for residential communities, condos, etc., we often get requests to provide a P...

Deferring maintenance can lead to a “breakdown event” and can easily escalate to a mind-blowing 15:1 ratio or even exceed a 40:1 ratio in terms of cost.   The senior living industry is now an established marketplace with facilities of all ages to ...

Sometimes, seemingly small errors result in problems that are surprisingly expensive to correct.  In the work we do, conducting thousands of facility assessments, one of the most common yet easily avoided problems we see is improper placement...

When it comes to energy performance studies in complex facilities like campuses, large multi-family communities, hospitals, or commercial complexes your average operations department might not be fully equipped for the task. But don’t worry – m...

Is It Necessary To Fully Fund Depreciation? Often when providing Reserve Studies we are asked, “When funding replacement reserves, should we adopt a Fully Funded Plan (funding accumulated depreciation) or is a Threshold Funding Plan (based on a ca...

As the leader of a senior living community, you are constantly balancing resident satisfaction, operational efficiency, and careful budgeting so when it comes time to renovate common spaces and corridors, it’s important to take a strategic appr...

For over three decades, zumBrunnen, Inc. has been the trusted partner for discerning investors in the multi-family facility industry. Their reputation is built on delivering unbiased, professional guidance that ensures project success, budget adheren...