June 2005

Outer Limits

Assessing the condition of the exterior elements of a facility on a regular basis helps to maximize value.

By Bruce K. Wilson

Regular inspection of the exterior elements of a facility is important for several reasons. First, a primary responsibility of the facility management team is to protect and enhance the physical assets of the facility. Second, there is value in creating curb appeal for a positive first impression. A third, very important element is safety and security. Depending on the specific facility, one of these factors may be of higher value than another, but they are all important.

Primary areas of the exterior that require regular inspection include landscaping, irrigation systems, and pest control. Normal wear and tear on a facility is reason alone to justify periodic inspection, but what is the effect of a year of extreme weather?

Every property is affected by the environment, which can be unpredictable. Changing conditions can be significant and require major adjustments to the normal maintenance routine. [For more on building envelope inspection, see "The Building Envelope Breakdown," TFM, May 2005, page 48; online at www.TodaysFacilityManager.com .]

Conditions specific to the facility should also be taken into account when deciding on inspection processes. For instance, a regional shopping mall will handle heavy traffic, especially around the holidays. A corporate research campus probably does not experience such high traffic and may not have a peak season. This is a variable that needs to be evaluated on a site by site basis. Some sites are difficult "right out of the box" due to existing site conditions before construction.

Regardless of the site nuances, there is the question about the regularity of site inspections. Facility managers should consider who will perform the work and how often these inspections will occur.

One logical place to start, especially with a new facility, would be to contact the architects involved in the original design, as they have an interest in seeing the property develop according to its proposed intent. They are familiar with the site conditions and can target problem areas with solutions and prove helpful in fine tuning ongoing maintenance practices.

Oftentimes, a facility manager is assigned to a maturing facility without an existing, ongoing inspection process and is unclear where to start. If the facility manager has expertise in a certain realm, hiring an outside expert in that area may not add value. Facility managers should, however, look for outside expertise in areas where they do not have the depth of knowledge necessary to develop and execute a good maintenance program while evaluating the long-term effects.

There are property management consultants who work with facility managers to enhance their landscape maintenance programs. One caution here is that some landscape contractors look at these consultants as conflicted in that the contractor fears that the inspecting consultant needs to find something wrong in order to justify the consulting fee.

In addition to these resources, there are numerous other professionals whose services can benefit exterior inspection and maintenance. These include landscape contractors, consulting arborists, and irrigation consultants.

Areas To Inspect

Attention to landscaping is important to preserving the exterior assets of an organization. A quarterly or semi-annual inspection is often sufficient for most facilities.

To a degree, monthly inspections border on micromanaging for most properties. There are cases with some very high profile, complex landscapes where a monthly inspection is valuable. However, for most properties a quarterly or semi-annual inspection is sufficient to determine if adjustments to maintenance practices are needed due to environmental conditions or changes in use patterns.

With respect to maintenance programs, attempts to save money on fees can often be shortsighted when it is the life cycle cost of the maintenance program that affects ownership costs more. For instance, if a maintenance program does not correctly address issues in terms of fertility for plant materials, irrigation, and pruning practices, it is a prescription for destroying rather than enhancing the investment. That money saved may result in the need for a large renovation project in three to five years.

It is important for inspectors to look at the big picture. Depending on the qualifications of their contractor, this is where the facility manager may need to hire specialized consultants to help create a maintenance program.

For instance, most landscape contractors do not have the qualifications to manage the long-term health of mature trees. Also, many facility managers do not realize the value of trees to the property. Mature trees reach a point where they are essentially irreplaceable. Therefore, this may justify a proactive maintenance program.

A consulting arborist is the ideal specialized consultant to build a long-term tree care program. That way a budget can be developed to reduce vulnerability to storm damage and to eliminate other safety hazards associated with mature trees. Also, facility managers should not underestimate the long-term destruction that can be done to trees by landscape maintenance programs that focus only on the landscape specification, which usually excludes trees above 15' in height.

Irrigation management, or lack thereof, can have long-term effects on landscape plantings and other elements of the exterior environment. Having an irrigation consultant come in annually is a worthwhile investment. It is relatively easy for someone with a trained eye to observe symptoms of overwatering or underwatering in the landscape.

On this front, technology has developed rapidly over the last few years, making Evapo-Transpiration (ET) controllers cost effective tools in managing water in the landscape. ET controllers essentially adjust irrigation timing based on weather readings, taking the human element out of the process. Since most water mismanagement is a result of personnel failing to adjust controller timing to changing weather conditions, this saves water and money. It also helps to prevent damage caused by overwatering. An irrigation consultant can ascertain if a facility can benefit from this technology.

When conducting a visual inspection of landscaping and irrigation systems, the facility manager can look for the presence of stress spots-areas of grass with a grayish or wilted appearance. These spots are caused by a lack of water and occur before the grass turns brown.

Areas of standing water or continuous damp areas on the grounds, including paved areas, can be a sign of a leak in the system. Parking lots and other paved areas are often broken down by constant overwatering or overspray onto-or seepage under-the surfaces. It is also important to inspect the effect of watering practices adjacent to buildings where overspray, poor initial design, or excess water can lead to damp conditions that favor mold development.

Pest control is another important area in exterior inspection procedures. In looking for potential problems, facility managers should keep an eye out for rodent burrows and harborage areas such as tall weeds. In addition, they should check for signs of termite tunnels on exterior foundation walls.

The key is to keep the area adjacent to any facility clean, well mowed, and free from weeds.

Making The Plan

There are many aspects to think about when considering the issue of inspection. The process should include first identifying the specific needs of the facility. What is the value of the exterior environment to the facility or business? What areas of expertise are needed to complement the facility team to make sure the investment is being protected? Building a team of outside resources around those needs can help the facility manager stay focused on the long-term or life cycle cost of the maintenance program.

Wilson is CEO of the Symbiot Business Group located in Sandy, UT. He can be reached at bwilson@symbiot.biz.

Do you have concerns about the exterior of your facility? What inspection processes do you have in place? Are you up to speed with the ADA? Send your thoughts to avazquez@groupc.com.