VILLA  ROOFS and VILLA SAFETY

We have two separate articles on this page. The first article is about the current status of Villa Roofs in  Phase  One. The 2nd article below is about Villa safety issues.

Phases I VILLA ROOFS

What is the plan? We will hopefully have  independent roofing companies inspect our 17 and 18-year-old roofs, possibly for FREE. Then they can advise us if and when we need to start replacing our roofs. 
Phase I had numerous leaks over the past several years. However, the overwhelming majority of those leaks were in the Monaco units. Why is that important?
Because many of the leaks in the Monaco units were located where the skylight is connected to the roof. In other words, many of the leaks were NOT actually roof leaks. The leaks were found at a gasket failure point where the skylights are connected to the roof.
The Monacos also have another leak issue. There is a design flaw on the Monaco roofs we believe is called “The Cricket”, above the front door. The water drain above the front door is only about 8 inches wide when it should be 2-3 feet wide. What in the world were the original builders thinking 305 years ago?

Obviously, a small drain like that cannot handle all the water on the roof. Therefore, instead of going into the drain, too much water remains on the roof. Because of that design flaw, we have numerous leaks in that area. Since the overwhelming majority of our leaks are from Monaco skylight or cricket issues, that doesn’t mean the roofs need to be repaired or replaced.  We’ll have a much better idea after the roofs are inspected.

Here’s where we stand today. We know the following:
• All Phase I and Phase III villas had new roofs installed in 2006 and 2007, after Hurricane Wilma. That means our roofs are currently between 17 and 18 years old with a 25 year life expectancy.
• Most of the leaks in the Monaco occur where the skylights meet the roofs and the cricket are. They are not actually roof leaks.
• We have extensive tile damage on many units. Tiles serve two functions. One is decorative and the other is protection of the underlayment from water and the hot Florida sun.
• Much of that tile damage was caused by men walking on the roof clearing the gutters.
What we don’t know is the following. Are only the tiles are damaged, or, is there also serious damage to the roofs [underlayment] under the tiles. That’s why we want at least 2 independent companies, to actually inspect a significant number of our roofs.
Even though I personally don’t know anything about roofs, I’m cautiously optimistic that our 17-18-year-old roofs do not have extensive damage. But that’s nothing more than hope based on the fact that our roofs were built in 2006 and 2007, and were designed to last 25 years. We need those independent inspections to let us know if we need to start our roof replacement plan this year, next year, or 5-6 years from now.
In the end, this hopefully explains why Phase I wants and needs at least 2 roofing companies to tell us the conditions of our roofs, not our tiles. 

PHASE ONE: VILLA ROOF INSPECTIONS HAVE STARTED

Phase One hired a company to inspect 30 villa roofs out of an overall total of 116. Why? Because replacing the roofs will be, far and away, the largest financial project we ever undertake, and we want to make sure we are making the right decision. Before starting a multi-million-dollar project, only an imbecile would begin without obtaining all possible information we can reasonably ascertain about this critically important project.

All HP Villa Roofs were replaced after Hurricane Wilma in 2006 and 2007. That means they are between 17 and 18 years old and they have a 25-year life expectancy.

Will our roofs actually last 25 years, or will we have to start replacing them sooner than expected? Board members aren’t qualified to answer to this question! That’s why we hired a team of expert roofing consultants to inspect our roofs. Once they complete 30 roof inspections, out of 116 roofs, we will ask the experts if we’re good for several more years, or do we have to start replacing all of them next year?

Whatever their answer is, at least we will base our decision upon roofing experts who actually inspected the roofs and know their condition. We will then be confident we made the right to decision to start next year, or possibly 5 or 6 years from now.  Or, would you rather have board members decide when it’s time to start the roof replacement project?

As for the Phase I roof inspections, they will take place between December 13th and December 20th.  We have a significant number of Phase I unit owners who volunteered to have their roofs inspected. That means the inspector must have access to the attic where he or she can visually inspect the condition of the roof, as opposed to examining only the tiles on top of the roof.

Based upon the feedback we received so far, the actual inspection for each unit, not each roof, only takes about 5 minutes. Remember each unit only encompasses 1/2, or 1/4, or 1/8 of a roof.

VILLA SAFETY ISSUES

If you live in a villa, there are four areas where you should do research, analyze your options, and make an informed decision. One of the 4 options, flood insurance, also applies to garden apartments in the apartment buildings.

Please check out the photos at the bottom of this page.

WARNING! It happened here @ HP in January of 2014 and it can happen again. Check out the news headline to see what happened in Ft. Lauderdale April 12, 2023.  Per the National Weather Service office in Miami, more than 24 inches of rain drenched the greater Fort Lauderdale metro area. Delray Beach is very close to Ft. Lauderdale, so the flooding on April 12th could have easily struck our community.

  1. FLOOD INSURANCE:

In 2014, Huntington Pointe was the center of a major storm which flooded the entire property. Check out the photos below, which I took the day after the flood, so you can see what HP looked like 24 hours later. In both Boynton Beach and Delray Beach, it rained heavily for approximately 9 consecutive hours and then suddenly stopped. The water level rose up to the garage and entrance doors.  If it had rained another 1-2 hours, every villa and garden apartment would have been flooded.

Home [Condo] insurance does not cover flood damage, only a policy from FEMA provides that kind of coverage. You can get one through your insurance company or directly from FEMA. If you are a Florida resident, the cost of the policy is relatively cheap, and it will hopefully give you some peace of mind. If you are a snowbird, the policy will be more expensive. To reduce the premium, remove the building coverage because that’s owned by the Condo Association.

NOTE: My 2024 FEMA Flood Insurance Premium is $170 because I decided to eliminate building coverage. Why? Because the Condo Association owns the building. However, that leaves my cabinets and tiled floors without coverage.

  1. HURRICANE IMPACT GARAGE DOOR

A huge, possible vulnerability in your home during a hurricane is the garage door. If you have the original garage door with the little glass windows at the top, your villa is potentially vulnerable to powerful hurricane force winds entering the garage, causing massive damage, and possibly even lifting the roof off your home.

You can eliminate that dangerous possibility by purchasing a hurricane impact garage door. Do your own research, then decide if you’re comfortable keeping the original garage door, or if you would feel safer with a hurricane impact door. If you decide on the latter, find a reputable company and ensure their work is inspected and approved by Palm Beach County.

3. Palm Beach County Alarm Permit and ADT

This little article is a warning and advice for HP Villa Owners. Although what I’m going to say is directed specifically at villa owners, it may also apply to apartment dwellers, but I don’t know if that’s true.
It is highly recommended that you obtain an annual Alarm Permit from PBC. The cost of the annual permit is only $25, and you must renew it every year. I just renewed my annual permit online. However, I had a question about my permit renewal, so I called the PBC Alarm Permit office [561-688-3695]. The young lady I spoke with, gave me some excellent advice. That advice is the secondary reason for this little article.
I was told a long time ago, if you don’t have the PBC alarm permit and your alarm goes off, PBC will not respond, or if they do respond, they will hit you with a significant fine. Why take that chance when you can purchase an annual permit for such a small sum of money?
But that’s only Part I of the protocol. Here is Part II, which is critical.
Once you renew your annual PBC permit, you must call our alarm company, ADT, and give them your PBC account/permit number. I was told by PBC, that if ADT doesn’t have the account number in their files, they will not respond to an alarm going off in your unit.
Why take a chance? After you renew your alarm permit with PBC, call ADT and give them your account number for their records.
Please Note: ADT will not talk with you unless you provide them with your ADT password. If you don’t have it, that’s another reason to call ADT.


4. DRYER FILTERS in the ATTIC

Many, but not all of our villas, have dryer vents in the attic which must periodically be cleaned. I’m not positive, but I believe the Majorcas and Capris have dryer filters in the attic. They should be cleaned once every 18-24 months. Find out if you have a dryer filter in the attic, if you do, please hire someone to clean it.

JANUARY 2014: HUNTINGTON POINTE – 24 HOURS AFTER a FLOOD

Note: To see an enlarged version of a photo, click on it with your mouse, or if on a tablet, tap the photo.