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DEAR MAINTENANCE MEN
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Dear Sam:
It is very common for older buildings to have no in- sulation whatsoever. As for where the best bang for your buck is concerned; ceiling insulation is the winner. For single story or top story units, ceiling in- sulation is very easy and inexpensive to install. Wall insulation is much harder and involves a more inva- sive approach. To illustrate the differences; ceil- ing insulation can be either batt insulation or loose fill insulation. The batt method is a bit more labor intensive and is less effective than loose fill. If you decide to use loose fill, be careful not to block ven- tilation holes or cover any through the ceiling light fixtures. Insulating existing walls typically involves drilling holes just below any fire blocks and blowing loose fill insulation into the wall cavity. Repairs to walls will be needed after the work is completed. The best of all worlds would be to do both wall and attic insulation. But if you must choose one over the other, we recommend doing the attic first as we have found this to be the most effective at cutting heating and cooling costs. You may want to check with your city or utility supplier; they often have low cost energy saving programs, or rebates.
Dear Maintenance Men:
How can I add more storage to my utilitarian type bathrooms? The residents complain that they need to store their toilet paper in the hallway! Please list a few suggestions on what to do?
- Robert
Dear Robert:
It does seem bathrooms are sometimes designed as an afterthought. Sink, toilet, bath and that is it. A modern bathroom will take into consideration the need for storage, electrical devises, personal hygiene etc. The first item that comes to mind is installing a bath sink cabinet. An old style cabinet might only have a set of doors under the sink. We find this is not adequate and a cabinet should have drawers along with access to under the sink. The drawers can store hair dryers, and all manner of per- sonal bath items. A unique system we like utilizes the space between the studs in the wall. Cabinet doors or mirrors can be used to cover storage in the walls. The wall storage is perfect for toilet pa- per, rolled up towels, tooth brushes, and most other small items. Install multiple towel racks on the back of the bathroom door for additional towel storage. The space above the toilet can easily accommodate an overhead cabinet for larger items. Reversing the swing of the bathroom door from inward to outward will greatly increase the usable room and make the bathroom appear larger.
WE NEED YOUR QUESTIONS!!!
If you would like to see your maintenance ques- tion in the “Dear Maintenance Men:” column, please send in your questions to:
DearMaintenanceMen@gmail.com
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64 JUNE 2021 - APARTMENT MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE AMM1/6