We are quickly approaching the start date of the painting project, approximately mid-June,  and we want to give you as much information as possible so that you can make decisions pertinent to your unit and be ready for the busyness that's going to take place on the property. We ask for everyone's cooperation and understanding as we undertake this great project. It will be worth it!

WHAT WILL BE DONE AND HOW WILL IT BE DONE

1. Remove rails and screens
2. Sound check stucco and repair as needed
3. Pressure clean the buildings
4. Seal, patch and caulk
5. Paint and finish coat
6. Reinstall rails and screens

This project will be done with two vendors, Vic's Painting and Railings Plus, who will work hand-in-hand (on the water side) to expedite the process, each doing a separate job. Vic's Painting will begin with Building 1. There will be no replacement of railings, however they will be taken off and modified during the painting process.  From there, painters will proceed to 3, 2 and 4, in that order.  This is a HUGE project and multiple teams will be working.  Simultaneously, Railings Plus will be removing the old screens and railings, measuring the openings and then construction of the new railings will begin.  They will begin removing railings in advance of the painters because the painters have to come along behind them to fill, seal, caulk and paint before new railings can be installed.  We will post construction schedules as we receive them.  I want to point out that workers may start as early as 7:00 a.m. and working as late as 6:00 p.m. and also on Saturdays so that the project can be completed by Fall.  These hours take into consideration the rainy season. 

EQUIPMENT AND PARKING

• This is a HUGE project.  There will be lots of equipment and lots of movement of owner vehicles.  Equipment will be brought on site for the duration of the project by both vendors which will include "stages" or scaffolding, and storage containers as well as portable bathrooms.  The equipment will be along the water side of buildings 2, 3 and 4.

• This will cause some parking inconvenience.  Spaces which are not currently used will be "borrowed" temporarily as we see the need to move vehicles.  Those of you who have "loaned" your spot to someone while you're away or who have someone moving your car periodically, please notify them AND the office in case it has to be moved.  As soon as we are notified by the contractors that a particular building is going to be started, we will notify you and then cars must be moved.  

BALCONIES, WALKWAYS AND LANAIS

• All balconies and walkways must be completely cleared.

• In lanais that do NOT have hurricane glass, it is suggested that the furniture, plants, etc., be moved back from the screen and railing and covered with some kind of protection.   

• There will be construction, grinding, and, depending on stucco damage, workmen may be working on both sides of the wall.  If you leave belongings in your lanai, any damage or dust will not be the responsibility of the contractor.  We will help move lanai furniture if you need assistance.  Please email the office at puntarassaoffice@gmail.com

• Lanai's with or without hurricane glass may be locked down from the outside once the railings and screens are removed according to State Law and could be locked down for up to several weeks.  Please notify anyone who is expecting to use your unit (visitors, guests or renters) that this may be happening when your building is being worked on and, if we can, we will make this inconvenience as short a duration as possible. Also, please notify realtors or any other person who takes care of your unit.

SHUTTERS  - a big issue

• There are 55 units with shutters which have to be sized to fit the bedroom window opening.  

• All sunscreens must be removed from the existing screen structure and will not be reinstalled by our vendor.

• The Board has been on record since May 23, 1990 (amended April 1, 1992 and again April 16, 2003) with a construction policy for the installation of shutters.  If yours have not been installed according to adopted policy, you are responsible for the replacement and reinstallation.  If there is any modification needed for the shutter, which, in most cases there will be, your installer, whoever it may be, will have to get a permit before reinstallation can be accomplished. 

• All shutter canopies on the outside of the building along with the railings that support the shutters will be painted to match the building at a cost to the unit owner of $20.00 per shutter.  You will be billed separately for this.   

• Any newly installed shutters will require that our contractor or your vendor paint the shutters to match the color of the building.  Your vendor must contact us for paint samples.

• Some shutters were incorrectly installed directly onto the screen and cannot be reinstalled. We will notify you if this applies to your unit.

• You may contact your own vendor to take shutters and sunscreens down, or our contractor, Railings Plus, will take them down for $10 per linear foot of the shutter and will reinstall for $10 per linear foot.  You will be billed separately for this.  If our contractor takes them down, he will label and store them until reinstallation.  Please advise us immediately of your intentions via email or letter. 

Railings Plus (our contractor) 386-983-5612

Rollsecure Shutters, Inc. 239-841-4041

Rolsafe Shutters 239-225-2487

Hurricane Shutters, Inc. 239-466-7799

Eurex Shutters 239-332-2744

• For those shutters which were not sized to fit within the bedroom window opening, you have two options:  1) have the shutter customized to fit the opening or 2) buy a new shutter.  The following costs were given by our contractor for new shutters which fit the window opening

This purchase would be between you and the contractor, not the association.  Time is of the essence.  Please advise us immediately of your intentions via email or letter.

Our Contractor (Railings Plus 386-983-5612) Prices for New Shutters:

            Under 20 Units           Manual Operation $1,150       Motorized $1,400

            21 Units & Over         Manual Operation $1,050       Motorized $1,250

            This price does not include permits or possible engineering costs.

HURRICANE GLASS WINDOWS

• Some hurricane windows have been improperly installed directly onto the knee wall without appropriate supporting structures.  We will notify those of you for whom this is a problem.  Hopefully you know the name of your contractor and can show that you had a permit.

• Those improperly installed windows do not allow for the installation of the new railings and screens since code now requires 3" deep rails rather than 2" as before.

• This may be an opportune time for you to install a hurricane window in the bedroom and/or the rest of your lanai rather than buying new shutters or having to reinstall an existing shutter which may need modification.  Please contact a vendor for prices (suggested list below). Time is of the essence.  Please advise us immediately of your intentions via email or letter.

• For those of you who would like to consider the installation of hurricane glass windows at this time,  you may contact our vendor, Railings Plus, or any of these who have done work at Punta Rassa before:

            Railings Plus  386-983-5612  (our contractor)

Gulf Coast Builders, Inc.  239-454-7780

Frank L. Tata Services LLC  239-222-8410

Gulfstream Contracting  239-572-1422

Thank you in advance for your patience and participation in this painting renewal project. There will be some cost incurred for those residents who must have shutters removed or replaced.  However, I'd like to point out that this entire project is not being paid for by special assessment to each owner, but is being paid for by reserves and operating monies.  

This is the first time a project like this has been undertaken (exceeding a half million dollars) and the cost has not been passed on to unit owners through special assessment.   

Finally, the information below was submitted to the Board and we think it bears consideration by all homeowners at Punta Rassa.  Please consider the comments of a fellow resident:

"We face a serious risk from owners who do not have hurricane code compliant windows and sliders. Some are in terrible shape and need replacement even if there wasn't a code issue.

Cost / Return.  Code compliant windows/shutters are the best investment an owner can make.

Protection.   What is worse then water damage and the health risk of mold? How high will insurance premiums go if a claim is made?

Cost of Air-Conditioning.     Save up to 30% on utility bills. 

Insurance.   Save up to 45% on premiums.

Factory Tint.   Offers up to 99% UV protection.

Outside Noise Reduction.   Up to 50%.

Property Value & Resale.   Higher value, reduced time on the market.

Condensation & Humidity.    Substantially reduced.

Community.   When a unit floods it may also flood a neighbor."

These are important facts and we encourage you to give thought to making whatever changes are necessary while this project is underway.

Working with commitment for you,

Jim Walker

Association Manager