“…now that his [Sam Brown’s] original contractor, the Benchmark Corporation, has gone bankrupt, the next-lowest bidder is about $1 million higher.
But even cheaper financing won’t completely close the gap, he’s [Brown is] quick to admit. He says he is currently meeting with architects to see about cutting corners on the construction and grading, but he isn’t certain what they will be.” -Aspen Times 3/29/1984
Design, Materials & Construction Defects
(an appended listing)
Causes of Water Intrusion, Rotting Structural Members and Mold
- Lack of proper flashing (definitely inadequate and installed incorrectly)
- No venting in attics or crawl spaces (added by owners)
- No vapor barrier around frame to prevent moisture intrusion
- Interior vapor barrier placed to retain moisture
- No overhangs/eaves/flashing in roof design
- No drip cap above windows
View these items HERE
- Roof design that creates ice dams [intersection between roof lines and walls=main source of water intrusion] See HERE
- Windows and doors not sealed (poor or non-existent caulking)
- Exterior areas and grading designed to draw water towards the building. See HERE and HERE
- Venting of bathroom moisture and clothes dryers into the building interior (possibly illegal)
- Drains in shaded areas
- Tongue-in-groove siding instead of overlapped. See HERE
Causes/Evidence of Failure in Structural Integrity and Durability (Low-end building techniques)
- 170 units / 13 buildings built in less than 6 months
- The use of unqualified labor during construction
- Last minute change from a modular building plan to stick building without a proper blueprint or project manager (new construction contractor hired less than a month before breaking ground)
- No uniformity in dimensions between units meant to be uniform
- Use of asymmetrically sized studs.
- Water cut-off valves for individual units nearly inaccessible in crawl space under the building. (Rental units built with valves inside the unit)
- Walls not plumb.
- Sewage pipes improperly sealed.
- Triangular steelwork in covered entryways. (code violation) See HERE
- Drywall used as firewall on exterior of building and behind siding (waterlogged)
- Cantilevered lower deck steps put stress on main building structure. Had to be removed. See HERE
- 2nd story sliding doors to nowhere leave a 12-foot drop to the ground (The developer claims the buildings were never intended to have 2nd story balconies/decks. Yet each sale unit includes a sliding exit/entry glass door. Meanwhile appropriate windows are found in each rental unit.)
Owners unit sliding door Rental unit window
Causes of Energy Inefficiencies
- Little or no insulation (much became waterlogged and useless)
- Cheap, inefficient aluminum frame windows, not designed for high altitude application. See HERE
- Broken vapor seals on windows within first few years and onward. See HERE
Click here to see what Z Group Architects revealed at Centennial…
