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Subject: Modular Buildings For HOAs as clubhouse.

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JohnM3
(Florida)

Posts:208

10/19/2006 5:32 PM
We started out with a simple request of our city fathers let us put in a modular building 24 x 40 foot to have as a clubhouse. Our developer was ableto BS the first 4 owners in our 307 unit HOA that they are not needed. Then they got the city to downsize the guest parking for 307 units down to 12 spots. So we have accumulated a chunk of money over 16 years and got a great deal on a lease buy back Clubhouse Modular. Understand thats how we build schools in Florida with modular buildings whaich get approved very easily. We thought ours would be a pice of cake, as our city police has 4 of them the water dept has 2 of them the local high school has 22 of them the local grammer school has 18 of them. But the city has made us do major remodels that are unbelieveable. So far over 35,000 dollars on a 54000 dollar building. It is leased from a company in Penna, engineered by a 3rd party in florida ( State requirement)and being built in Georga who will also deliver it and mate it on our site ( Used to be the playground pre-Hurricane Wilma )we have our GC but the city insists on intimidateing him big time and his fees aint small either. Looking for advise or tech help......We are located in Broward County. PS The city fathers almost kissed us when I did the proposal to them to add 85 parking spaces and the clubhouse as a total project it was televised and touted as a home run. Then we hit the bldg dept! Please understand we are whats effectionately called being on what they call a fast track for approval. That was 2 years for city approval building finished in July ready for shipment and now we are looking at maybe Dec delivery to the job site...Yukee poo.

JosephW
(Michigan)

Posts:788

10/20/2006 9:50 PM
and there are owners out there who want community associations to be run more like cities. First suggestion, (I assume GC means General Counsel), it your paying big time money and he/she's getting run over, then you might as well pay big time money for someone who knows where the "bodies are buried" and can actually accomplish something. Second, find a local developer who isn't in any way tied to your site, but has had success getting things done in Broward, and buy him lunch and ask for advice. He may know how to help in the political arena, and probably knows who to talk to about your technical issues. (or try the local chapter of the builders association) I wish I could provide more specific help, but I don't know Broward or modular all that well. Joe

Joseph West Official HOATalk.com Sponsor Community Associations Network, LLC www.CommunityAssociations.net *See legal notice below (end of page) or go to www.hoatalk.com/legal

JohnM3
(Florida)

Posts:208

10/21/2006 8:51 AM
GC= general Contractor. He just finished a modular building that was put in the next town north of us thats why we chose him. Too boot one of my friends is a City Commisioner. Finding a local developer in Broward County is impossible the whole county was built out by Lennar, and 2 other developers. 1 of them left behind 350,000 tires in our community buried underground. The whole problem is its impossible to get at the City Commisioners. They can force this bldg dept to ease up. I allready thru it in their faces that they sure as hell did not put the local school board thru this crap. There answer is the School System in Florida is exempt from State Bldg Codes.Then I showed them pictures of there own Police Dept has 4 of them. They claim they put them thru hell! I also told them I have 500 acres for sale in the Everglades swamp. Then the head of planning tells me I should have bought from a Florida Company. I told him fine I would have loved to but the 2 companies who used to build them were blown away during Hurricane Wilma. There is a company called ERICKSON BUILDERS that is putting up communitys of modular homes all over Florida . There models are located at Tampa. You go there pick out the house show them how you want it modified and they put it up in any one of the 20 developments scattered all over Florida.We are in the process of buying 1 in a town called Oak Hill in Volusia County, Florida. The whole problem is the city bldg dept is scared of everything to do with our development cause so much crap was pulled in the building of the development.IE the tires, a code enforcement bureau with no guts, a police dept that at best can be called lazy, a fire dept that wants 8 fire houses built in a city 12 miles long east to west by 5 city blocks deep north to south.With a City Hall that cost 12 million dollars.That is now re-building the Police Dept cause the original had a flat roof that leaked. They are also building a 6 floor parking garage where the top 5 floors are finished and now they are trying to figure out how to build the ground floor. ( Tilt-up construction) Im the Project Manager and a Electrical Contractor and the HOA Treas.Thank God the building builder (GE) is very flexible.They get it built we lease it for 5 years then for 1 dollar we own it. Lovely people to deal with. I praise them hourly but they are even getting very disgusted. I personally know where the bodies are buried and am the state of blowing this into the local tv people.

ClaudeV
(Florida)

Posts:84

10/21/2006 11:39 AM
John, Pardon my frank observation, but it appears you have MANY more "issues" than just the modular building one! When I wanted to build my out building here, (a shed..ok), I went through all sorts of problems with the county building inspectors trying to get a definitive answer as to EXACTLY what they were looking for to make it "in compliance". Long story short: There were 5 different inspectors. I spoke to each one on different occasions and got 5 different answers and interpretations of the STATE law. Finally I decided that the reason they were vague was because NONE OF THEM really "understood" the state law and they were reluctant to "commit" to a definitive answer to a taxpayer. I took their own "example plans", got my permit, (not in that order,,lol) and built my shed. They came out to inspect it. You know what??? They NEVER LOOKED INSIDE IT to see the hurricane straps for the roof joices! They NEVER checked the anchors! ALL they checked was the "set back" clearance. Signed off on it and left! Many time I think we taxpayers place FAR TOO MUCH faith in the expertise of our county employees!

JohnM3
(Florida)

Posts:208

10/21/2006 2:32 PM
No what I am saying is the same thing you are saying and its what I am trying to tell the city fathers the Bld Dept dont know squat Plus this building is 24 feet wide by 40 feet long it gets shipped in 2 parts. So far they have stalled me on every mickey mouse thing they can find wrong with the 16 sets of engineering drawings. Yet I was dumb enough to speak to the city fathers , mayor all 4 city commisioners and they all said no problems. Then the roof fell in and they all hide behind WE WANT IT TO BE SAFE bs. All the rest is history that way others have the full story!

ClaudeV
(Florida)

Posts:84

10/22/2006 8:56 AM
After hurricane Andrew, the state of Florida went crazy with the new wind standards for new construction. Some good, some just over kill. Local building codes use the state standards and many of the inspectors/approval for plans are unsure if they are in compliance. The code can be conviluted. If the manufacturer of your building has plans that are approved by the state standards, and can prove that by citing other sites where their products were approved as is; it would seem that your local building office need only be provided with such documentation and put that puppy to rest! Wishing you all the best luck!

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