K.K. from San Diego, California writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I have a rotted balcony doorframe due to termites. Prior to discovery in 2016, I had new doors installed with lifetime warranty. Doors leaked. Door company replaced doors discovering rotted frame from termites. Now Door company will not install until door frame is fixed. HOA did fix but did not replace rotten Header Beam. Door company came out again discovered same problem and refused again to install. Now HOA will not fix until they can “talk to door installer”. Door installer is not responding. About to enter second year going around and around. How can I motivate HOA to quickly repair Header Beam so my doors can be functional? I am worried Door Company may cancel my warranty on technicality if not resolved soon.
Mister Condo replies:
K.K., I am sorry that your HOA is dragging its feet on repairing the Header of your door. I have to say I am a bit confused as to why they would make most of the repair but not all of the repair. I realize that replacing a header beam is much more involved and costlier than replacing a door frame. I certainly don’t blame the door company for refusing to install a new door in a frame that may be damaged by a failing header. That being said, I can also understand the HOA not rushing to replace the header based on the opinion of the door installer. An ideal solution would be to get the opinion of a structural engineer that doesn’t have an interest one way or the other. The engineer’s opinion would be based solely on the durability of the existing header. Either way, if your HOA is insisting on speaking with your door installer, it is up to you to either make that conversation happen or move the process forward by suing your Board, should the dollars justify the cost of a lawsuit. I would certainly pressure the door installer before pursuing a legal remedy. Keep in mind that the Board consists of volunteer s from your association. They don’t likely have experience with determining the feasibility of leaving a rotten door head in place. Your door installer’s information may be the push they need to properly address your problem. Focus your energy on getting the installer to speak with your Board. My guess is that once they know what they are dealing with, they will make a better-informed decision and you will get your new header. All the best!