Leaks concern owners at 2 Vancouver condominium towers
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 | 6:15 PM PT
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Windows, exterior walls and bricks at Governor's Tower on Drake Street in downtown Vancouver have been replaced. (CBC) The owners of condominium units at a downtown Vancouver tower developed by the Concord Pacific Group have had to pay millions for repairs because the building leaked, CBC News has learned.
A second condominium tower developed by Concord Pacific has also had to have millions of dollars in repairs done because of leaks.
Colin Fox, who owns a 2,400-square-foot unit in Governor's Tower at 388 Drake St., said Tuesday that all of the building's windows, exterior walls and bricks have been replaced.
"I have actually been fortunate in that I haven't suffered really any visible damage but I know that some of the other suites have suffered actually quite a bit of damage," Fox told CBC News Tuesday.
Colin Fox, who owns a unit at Governor's Tower in downtown Vancouver, says he's worried about resale value after the building leaked. (CBC) The cost of repairs to the tower was estimated at $29 million, and each of the 237 condo owners had to fork over at least $118,000, with the cost depending on the size of their apartments, Fox said.
Governor's Tower was built 14 years ago and the 10-year warranty had expired.
"If at some point we do want to sell and move on, as soon as your building is declared leaky, suddenly no one wants it [and] the bank won't touch it. It has to get fixed," Fox said.
The Concord Pacific Group issued a statement Tuesday in response to inquiries from CBC.
"An arrangement satisfactory to all parties was reached some time ago and the exterior building is now being refinished. Concord Pacific is not in a position to provide any further details or comments," it said of leaks in Governor's Tower.
Alan Cadwell says leaks on tall condo towers are not as evident as on low-rise buildings because high-rise towers used metal and steel in their wall systems. (CBC) Repairs have also been done at the 26-storey Parkview Tower on 289 Drake St., another Concord Pacific development.
All the windows on the 14-year-old tower were replaced because they leaked, said Alan Cadwell, whose Langley-based company, The Condo Advocate, repaired Parkview Tower.
Cadwell's company specializes in restoration management for leaky condos in B.C.
"With one good push, the window wall system, in theory, could be kicked out and could be travelling to the floor," Cadwell said of the condition of the windows.
The cost of the repairs for Parkview Tower amounted to more than $8 million, he said.
Cadwell said the leaks are not as evident as on low-rise buildings because the high-rise condominium towers used metal and steel in the wall system.
"You'll get one or two units in a 100-unit complex that got some problems of the floor lifting or you got some issues of wet carpets," Cadwell said.
Concord Pacific said in its statement "proactive maintenance management" is crucial to ensuring the longevity of any building.
"It is important for strata corporations and their property management companies to implement timely and appropriate maintenance programs," it said.
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