- Contractor liabilityHow long the contractor is liable for each part of a new building under the Sale (Apartments) Law: inspection periods, warranty period and the difference.
- Doors and signageFire doors that must close against stairwell air pressure, lobby doors that blow open or sag, lit exit signs: what we check in doors and signage.
- Technical roomsPump room, generator room, electrical room and fan rooms: what each should contain and what we check in the engineering inspection of the common areas.
- Construction defects in roofsWaterproofing failures, dangerous railings, access and maintenance problems: what to check on the roof of a shared building.
- Dampness in buildingsDampness in a shared building mostly shows in the parking garage, storage wing, windows and envelope. How we find the source, also with a thermal camera.
- Main lobby and floor lobbiesThe lobby is the face of the building. What we check in the main and floor lobbies: ventilation, entrance door, access, sealing, signs, tiles, fire doors.
- Utility cabinetsWho checks every utility cabinet on every floor? We do. These cabinets matter, and they can hide defects serious for the building's safety and function.
- Storage roomsWhat we check in a building's storage wing: dampness from outside, ventilation that prevents condensation and mold, and fire and smoke detection systems.
- Life-saving systemsFire suppression, hydrants, pressurization and smoke fans, CO detectors, generator and fire doors must work together. How we test their integration.
- Plumbing and drainage systemsFrom the pump room to the plumbing cabinets on every floor: what we check in the water supply, drainage and sewage systems of a shared building.
- SafetyWhat could really be more important than making sure our families stay safe?
- Flooring and claddingFlooring and cladding defects in a shared building: height differences under SI 1555, tiles that may fall, damp stains in stone and broken tiles.
- Corrosion (rust)Rust is in almost every building: doors, pipes, railings, cladding hooks, rebar. Why the sea makes it worse, what the standards require, how we record it.
- Cracks, plaster and paintStructural cracks, thermal cracks and crazing: what each type of crack says about the building, and what we check in common area plaster and paint.
- Technical specification and plansResidents of a shared building: make sure you received everything in the building's technical specification and that all the common areas match the plans.
- Exterior claddingStone, ceramic, mosaic and plaster facades: how they are installed, what the standard requires, and what happens without expansion joints.
- StairwellThe stairwell is the escape route. We check pressurization, self-closing fire doors, stair sizes, railing and handrail per SI 1142 and emergency lights.
- Windows, glass walls and shuttersWhat we check in common area windows and glass walls: scratches beyond the standard, safety glass below 1.05 m, seals, and water entry at the cladding.
- Structural frame and masonryDiagonal cracks, rusted rebar, segregation in concrete and block wall defects: what we check in a building's structure and when a crack needs quick repair.
- DrywallDrywall ceilings in lobbies must meet requirements for structural strength and finish. We check supports to the standard, sagging, bulges, joint cracks.
- ElevatorsElevator inspection in a shared building has two parts: the construction around the elevator, and the elevator systems, checked by an elevator inspector.
- Lobby doorTwo lobby doors open on a stormy day create a wind tunnel that can fling the door and hurt someone. The fix: an aluminum and safety-glass wind barrier.
- MailboxesMailboxes are inspected too: width, depth and height under the Israeli Standard, extra boxes for the building committee, and a roof against the rain.
- Additional spacesThe common areas inspection also covers the residents' club, stroller and bicycle rooms, gym, pool, sauna and restrooms. Each space is inspected in full.
- Electrical engineer inspectionFrom the building sign and stairwell lighting to the panels and generators: only a trained electrical engineer can find a building's electrical defects.
- Buildings we inspectedBuildings we inspected: Migdalei David in Haifa, Mishkenot HaUma in Jerusalem, Sarona in Tel Aviv and more, and what the building committees wrote to us.
- Defects we found in buildingsReal cases from common area inspections: a lobby door blown open, a fallen cladding stone, poor sealing at roof pipes, a smelly garbage chute.
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Common property
What an engineer checks in a shared building, area by area: lobby, stairwells, parking garage, roof, elevators, life-safety systems and more. Guides by the engineers of Arad for building committees.