What’s the Difference Between a Property Manager and a Project Manager?

by ApartmentsCommercial Constructioncommercial renovationCondo ConstructionProject ManagersProperty Managerssuburbs

If you think a Property Manager and a Project Manager should do the same job on a capital project, think again. It is important to understand that, although they have similarities to their job scope, there are multiple differences between them. For example, a Property Manager typically deals with the residents and the owners and the impact that the project has on them both physically and financially. Whereas a Project Manager is more focused on the construction project from start to finish. The difference in scope also has an impact on price as well as the time investment to complete the project. Understanding these key differences will allow you to streamline your capital projects where the lines of duties are drawn and provide clear communication. The result? You will significantly improve the outcome of your capital project and reduce headaches along the way.  Read more below. 

Resource Request  

Property Managers have a lot to do in their role to service their clients. They oversee four primary areas: building and grounds, financial, administration and technology. For instance, scheduling notices to residences, soliciting and administration of financing vehicles like bank loans, setting up the owners within that system, ensuring that they are fulfilling their financial obligations, etc.  With this approach, Property Managers can effectively facilitate the coordination of projects that are being led by Project Managers on specific jobs. 

Project Managers’ responsibilities planning, organizing, and directing the completion of specific projects for an organization while ensuring these projects are on time, on budget, and within scope. 

Too often the Property Managers are expected by clients to go far beyond their scope of duties to save money by rolling Project Manager responsibilities into the realm of the Property Manager. They are taking valuable time away from the Property Managers to perform their everyday responsibilities. Getting two for the price of one is not an option. These specific roles must be budgeted for as separate entities—because they are.  

 For example, if the construction costs are expected to be $300,000 then the Property Manager is expected to get proposals for the “oversight” work beyond their own responsibilities—that falls under the domain of the Project Manager and must be added to the budget. Project Managers tend to get a percentage of a project cost. So, if their fee was $30,000, the overall budget for the project could be $330,000.  This amount does not represent the “fee” that the Property Manager may be entitled to for providing additional services beyond their standard contract obligations.  

Resource Request

It is critical for property owners facing capital projects to understand the difference between a Property Manager and an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) to retain good working conditions for all parties involved. This role awareness also prevents massive burn out within the Property Management industry. It is necessary to allocate the right budget for both professionals to protect your most valuable asset. Landmark Associates is an award-winning general contractor that has a deep understanding and appreciation of the two PM roles. We are experts at partnering with the Owner‘s Project Manager while working in tandem with the Property Manager, so your capital project gets done effectively and efficiently. Be sure to download our PM vs. PM Guide here.  

 

How to Make the Best of Capital Projects

by ApartmentsCommercial Constructioncommercial renovationCondo ConstructionEventsProperty Managerssuburbs

Everyone has a need for subcontractors when they are considering a capital project. Although they have been around for years, contractors have become more specialized due to the advancements in construction and technology. With new companies springing up all the time there is always a need for qualified subcontractors in your area. Landmark Associates—an award-winning construction and renovation firm based in Boston’s Metro West—has recently formed a strategic partnership with Caliber Painting, a professional commercial painting company. Landmark is excited to be able to provide our clients with a more robust way to handle capital projects—from the exterior to the interior.  Our goal is to make organizing and completing projects easier for everyone involved.  

(Old Reading School House, a Landmark renovation project, Reading, MA) 

One Stop Shop

Benjamin Seeley, President of Caliber Painting, and his team are experienced commercial painters with years of experience under their belts. With this strategic partnership, Landmark Associates can provide the project management and completion services for construction projects ranging from residential apartment buildings to industrial facilities. As a Landmark Associates client, you will have the flexibility to consider new construction, expansion, renovation, or replacement project for an existing facility or facilities, knowing that we have a full range of contractors and subcontractors– like professional painters, at our fingertips.   

(Caliber Painting) 

Up Your Game

When you complete a challenging job, the rewards can be enormous. You can build your confidence and earn the respect of your colleagues and clients when you work with us to complete projects quickly and efficiently from start to finish. But if you do not identify the right contractor and engage them effectively before you begin working on your project, you will not complete it on time or adequately. You will not get the job done on time or within budget. You could even end up losing money on the project because you engaged the wrong person.  

We look forward to introducing you to Ben Seeley, the President of Caliber Painting, to see how the Landmark team and Caliber Painting can collaborate with you on getting your next capital project started and completed on time and on budget. And to further up your game, we’d also like to give a shout-out to the MAA Expo taking place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on Wednesday, September 15th. Stop by the Landmark booth there and join over 1,000 property management professionals who manage, develop, own and/or support 175,000+ units in Massachusetts for the MAA’s largest gathering of the year! Let’s work together on how to execute the best capital projects from start to finish. 

DCIM100MEDIADJI_0068.JPG

Old Reading Schoolhouse Condominiums – Fire-Water-Weather and Code Requirements

by Condo Construction

In June 2017, a fire enveloped several units of the four-story, 40-unit Old Reading Schoolhouse condo building, which had been converted from a school to a community center, and finally to a residential complex in the 1980s. The building was up to code and had sprinklers in its hallways and stairwells, but not in the individual units, which were not required at the time of the condo conversion.

That’s part of the reason the fire spread quickly through the building’s ceilings and through interconnected construction voids created during the original conversion to condominiums. The result was a 7-alarm fire that involved firefighters from Malden, Stoneham, Boston, Melrose, Wakefield, Lynnfield, Cambridge, Everett, Lynn, North Reading, Medford, Woburn, Somerville, Burlington, Winchester, and Saugus, in addition to Reading’s own fire department. To douse the flames, these firefighters collectively used 1.5 million gallons of water.

But that amount of water also came with a steep cost: the water damage, in combination with significant smoke damage, resulted in damage to every condo unit in the building, including extensive mold damage. Further complicating matters, workers and contractors could not enter the structure until insurance adjusters and inspectors had released the building for remediation – a process that lasted for six months, leaving the building’s interior exposed to the elements, and adding exponentially to the damage.

At a recent Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston (BRAGB) site tour, Scott Wolf, Managing Partner of BRIGS, LLC, spoke candidly about the challenges involved with the reconstruction and preservation of such an historic building, where there were still grooves in the stair treads from years of use by students when the building had been a school. “We had to bring the building up to code while working within a structure built many, many decades ago,” Wolf commented.

BRIGS chose Hopedale-based Landmark Associates as the general contractor for this unique and challenging project. Known for its remodeling and construction management expertise within the condominium and commercial facilities markets (including restoration contracting following fire and water damage), Landmark was excited to tackle this complicated project, and help the displaced residents return to home as quickly as possible.

When the investigation concluded in November 2017, Landmark’s first challenge was to close up the building before the winter elements could inflict further damage. The next phase of the project was construction and renovation. The project included not only the rebuild of the fire-damaged units, but also a variety of other major renovation work, including:

  • Rebuilding the entire roof, including skylights and most of the fourth floor which had collapsed onto the third. This was a significant challenge as the age of the building meant that all of the walls were out of level and rafters needed to be cut individually and double beams were needed to stabilize the structure.
  • Stripping down all the other units to the stud walls due to mold and water damage.
  • Rebuilding those walls within current building codes.
  • Installing wiring, gas lines, fireplaces, a new sprinkler system, plumbing, and new windows. In fact, all of the HVAC systems had to be reconfigured based on new code regulations.

“My crew and I had to work within constraints that we had never faced before,” said Tony Chiarelli, President of Landmark Associates and a BRAGB Board Member. “But we are determined to produce living spaces that any of us would be motivated to live in, ourselves. From our perspective, the two biggest challenges were first, fitting today’s codes into an historic building, and second, trying to balance the needs of 40 unit owners who all desire individualized remodeling plans.”

Landmark made extensive use of fellow BRAGB suppliers and contractors during the project. Allegiance Construction and Development provided finish carpentry, while Metropolitan Cabinets and Countertops supplied all the cabinets and countertops for the rebuilt units.

BRIGS is hoping that residents will be able to reoccupy their units this year, and Chiarelli and his team at Landmark are working feverishly to meet that schedule. “The displaced residents have gone through a horrible ordeal; they lost all their possessions and their homes in a matter of hours. We want them to be delighted when they return home,” Chiarelli said. “So while this project has been challenging, it’s also been one of the most rewarding projects in my 30 years of business.”

This article was reposted from the original article published in Bay State Builder Magazine