The right architect does not just perform the inspection. They protect the board or owner across six specific moments — from initial scope through permit and construction closeout.
A board never has to guess where a Nalu engagement is heading. The inspection either finds nothing and rolls into the reserve study, or it turns up conditions that route through repair drawings, permit, and construction. If it finds an immediate threat, the fifteen-day clock starts the moment the report is issued.
Element counts, sampling method, invasive-testing budget, and the immediate-threat protocol written into the proposal before anyone climbs a ladder. This is where boards get protected from surprise change orders later.
Written report with photos, element-by-element condition ratings, and the specific SB 326 or SB 721 statutory language required by the reserve study, the association records, and any local code enforcement filing.
Plain-English translation of what the report actually means: what has to be repaired within 120 days, what can be planned into the reserve study cycle, and what the insurance implications are before renewal.
Repair drawings, specifications, and structural coordination that let three qualified contractors bid to the exact same scope — so bids are actually comparable and the board is not picking between apples and oranges.
Corrections, resubmittals, and coordination with the local building department. This is where amateur permit packages die, projects lose three to six months, and boards get blamed for things they never had visibility into.
Site observation during framing and waterproofing, RFI responses, and the closeout package the board files with the completed inspection cycle. This is what makes the next inspection cheaper, faster, and less exposed.
Not every SB 326 proposal is comparable. Two things separate a professional scope from a low-ball bid built to disappoint the board six months later:
The proposal should tell you exactly what invasive testing costs per element and how many elements the architect expects to open up based on the visible sample. Not "TBD." Not "as needed." A real number the board can plan around.
If the inspector finds a life-safety threat, what happens next? Who gets notified, in what order, on what timeline? The 15-day statutory clock does not wait for board meetings. The protocol should be spelled out before the proposal is signed.
These two items are the difference between a proposal that protects the board and a proposal that creates new exposure.
Every report is signed by the architect of record and formatted so the board, the property manager, and the contractor can read the same document and reach the same conclusions.
Element count, sampling method, invasive-testing budget, immediate-threat protocol, and construction-document scope — all in writing, before you sign anything.
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