Books
When Bad Things Happen to Good Buildings: Red Flags in Property Condition Assessments: A Reference Guide to Problematic Building Materials and Conditions in the United States
The presence of various historically deficient building materials – such as polybutylene piping, fire-retardant treated plywood and aluminum branch wiring – is considered a “red flag” by real estate investors and lenders. For those investing in real estate, managing properties and performing condition assessments, it is imperative to have a good working knowledge of these materials and conditions due to their history of failure and the resulting impact on real estate value, operations and safety. The first publication of its kind, the PCA Red Flag Book discusses over 20 different problematic building components and includes methods of identification and potential ramifications of each “red flag”. In addition to the most frequently encountered materials such as recalled fire sprinkler heads, heaters and appliances, this new book includes comprehensive information on a variety of other conditions such as phenolic foam roofing insulation, microbiologically-influenced corrosion in fire sprinkler systems, insufficient electrical capacity, and Chinese-manufactured drywall. Originally published in 2017, this new second edition published in 2023 has been updated with additional photographs, content, and a chapter on mine-related subsidence.
Property Condition Assessment Handbook – 20th Anniversary Edition
Originally published in the early 1990s as the first book dedicated to the systematic evaluation of building systems, this handbook is designed to assist real estate investors, property owners and building professionals in establishing engineering assessment programs in order to make informed investment decisions and/or determine the financial and operational viability of properties. This 20th Anniversary Edition has been updated with hundreds of new component photographs, industry references, “red flag” commentary and building evaluation techniques.
Zen and the Art of Facility Assessments
Numerous books and publications have been written about the evaluation of buildings and sites, but none have approached the practice of facility assessment from the perspective of Zen teachings. After nearly three decades in the facility assessment field, Chuck McClain developed a thought-provoking how-to guide interconnecting the disciplines of Zen and facility assessment. Combining timeless Zen concepts and practical facility assessment discussions, this new book presents unique and useful ways to look at life and the field of building evaluations.