Common Value-add Upgrades
All buildings require maintenance and from time to time maintenance items become too numerous for an Owners' Corporation to manage. Often these smaller projects come together to form one large building upgrade. At CM+A we believe that additional value can potentially be unlocked by simple building upgrades. Common value-add upgrades include:
Voluntary fire & safety upgrades
Accessibility upgrades to AS1428.1
Improved energy efficiency and running costs
Refurbishment of landscape, lobbies, and common areas
Additional units, or car parking spaces
New rooftop terrace
Common Fire & Safety Upgrades
Common signs that your building may need a fire & safety upgrade:
Balustrades & railings seem low
A small child could climb or squeeze through balustrade openings
Exit strategy is not clear
Emergency lights not provided to stairs
Only one mean of egress for buildings over 25 metres high
Long distances to egress
No fire sprinklers
Obstacles or tight corridors
No fire separation of roof voids
Poor or missing fire insulation where services pass through fire walls or floors
Battery operated smoke detectors
Stairs or ramps seem steep, unsafe, irregular, or slippery
Combustible exit stairs and floor covering
Floors not leveled
Doors in exit path do not swing in direction of egress
Generally low light levels
Apartment entry doors not self closing or fire-rated
Doors are chocked/held open
Concrete cancer
What is a Fire Order
Fire orders are issued by Council or the NSW Fire Brigades. An order to upgrade your building can arise from four known scenarios:
A fire occurs in the building.
Substantial work is proposed and a Development Application or S96 is lodged.
Council receives a complaint.
Random audit undertaken by the Council's Fire Safety Officer, a Council Building Surveyor or a NSW Fire Brigades. See section 121B (Order 6) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.