Notes from BSORA Zoom Meeting Wed 18 June 2025

Many thanks to those who attended. 

We now have a committee! 

Notes from the short meeting can be found here, and have been added to the WhatsApp group and circulated by email to make sure everyone has a chance to see them and be involved. 

Next meeting will be Wednesday 2 July 2025 at 1430. Zoom Link will be circulated via WhatsApp and Email. 

Notes from Zoom Meeting 4 June 2025

 Dear all,

Huge thanks to those of you who managed to join in the meeting held yesterday regarding the maintenance of 46 Brunswick Street.  It was great that we had a majority of properties represented.  

I've prepared some notes which I attach here.  I have added these to the WhatsApp group and also emailed them to make sure everyone has a chance to see them.  

The first task right now is to re-establish BSORA - Brunswick Street Owners and Residents Association so that we have a proper forum for decision making.  We need a committee of office bearers and members, so if you want to have your say and be involved please get in touch.  

The Constitution, which details the roles, and that will need to be updated, can be found here. 

I'll follow up again shortly.  

Thanks.

Catriona

(Proposed Chair)

2025 Building Survey Report Discussion - Zoom meeting Wed 4 June 2025 at 1300

 Dear all, 

As most of you will know from the WhatsApp group*, I have arranged a virtual meeting for us to discuss the recent Building Survey report that we commissioned from DM Hall into the state of our building. Apologies for those I may have missed by using that method to communicate it.   

*(NB If you have not already joined the WhatsApp Group, please contact me with your mobile number so I can add you).  

I appreciate that there will never be a good time to suit everyone, so I hope that as many as possible will be able to join us on Zoom on Wednesday 4th June at 1300. 

Topic: BSORA - DM Hall Survey Review

Time: Jun 4, 2025 13:00 London

Join Zoom Meeting

(Link is in the WhatsApp Group)

As a rough Agenda, I propose the following: 

• Introductions
• Background
• 2025 DM Hall Report and Recommendations  (Each item is noted urgent  - i.e years 1 to 2 - apart from those in italics which are years 3 to 5)

1 Scaffold to front and rear elevations.

2 High level stonework repairs to both elevations. (Stonework repairs to rear elevation).

3 Mortar pointing renewal to all front elevations. (Mortar pointing repairs to rear elevation).

4 Repairs to cast iron guttering to all front elevations and rear elevation. (Stonework repair to single stone to basement of Brunswick Street).

5 Rodding thorough and redecoration of vertical rainwater downpipes to front and rear elevations.

6 Repair leaking overflow pipework to Brunswick St.

7 Replace rainwater hopper heads with larger units.

8 Strip slating and replace wetted timber sarking boards to underside of roof. - (Note: I requested a separate timber report - details can be viewed here) 

9 Overhaul of all slated roof pitches.

10 Overhaul of flashings and replacement of rear lead valley gutter.

11 Replacement of central flat roof covering and glazed cupola.

12 Reseal / replacement of velux rooflight flashings.

13 Overhaul of all chimney stacks to Montgomery Street and Brunswick Street,

14 Overhaul of mutual chimney stacks to 48 – 50 Brunswick Street.

15 10% Contingency Sum.

• Actions

 - Revive BSORA (Brunswick Street Owners and Residents Association) and establish a committee to take forward next steps: i.e. appoint Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Members (For information, a reminder of the Constitution can be found here)

 - Agree next steps e.g. Scope of works; Put out to tender; Obtain quotes; Vote; Agree contractor; Gather money; Appoint Contractor; Commence work.

• Close and agree a date for next meeting.

**********  

I am no building expert so, to try to understand some of the terminology and details, I found these links to be quite helpful references:    

• Ref Tenements : https://underoneroof.scot/maintenance/stone-tenements-and-villas/ 
• Ref Gutters: https://underoneroof.scot/moulded-gutters/ 
• Ref Slate Roofs https://underoneroof.scot/slate-roofs/
• Ref Chimneys: https://underoneroof.scot/chimneys/
• Ref Mutual Chimneys: https://underoneroof.scot/mutual-and-gable-chimneys/
• Ref Cupola: https://underoneroof.scot/skylights-and-cupolas/

If you have any questions you would like to send beforehand, please send them to me by 9am on Wednesday. 

Many thanks,

Catriona

Date confirmed for the Full Building Survey - Thur 6 March 2025

 This is to confirm that, finally, we achieved agreement and payment (via Novoville) to commission a Full Building Survey from DM Hall.  This will take place on Thursday 6 March 2025.  

Thanks, all.   

Majority Now Signed Up to Novoville!

I am pleased to report that we now have 12 of our 14 properties engaged with the Novoville App, representing a clear majority.  Physical letters have now been sent to the remaining two, so hopefully they will soon join us. 

As an initial stage, we have requested quotes for a Full Building Survey from these 3 companies (in addition to the one I got last year from DM Hall).  

• EALA impacts
• David Narro Associates
• We are GLM   

Please feel free to look them up yourselves.  The actual proposals will be available to view via the app. 

In the meantime, DJ Alexander (who manage 2F2 and 1F2), arranged for someone to come today and check the roof. (Mark Lynch of Lynch Roofing).  After braving a vicious assault by the nesting seagulls, he has confirmed that the gutters are blocked, again, and has recommended, again, that they should be cleaned out at least every 6 months.  This is nothing new, and I do think a regular maintenance arrangement should be considered.  

Anyway, I believe you should each have got a notification via the app alerting you to this first proposal, so do please go and have a look.  Once we have all the quotes in, we can maybe arrange a meeting to discuss, and/or each owner will be able to vote and we go from there. 

Thanks,

Catriona

Penthouse Paddling Pool

 It's June again, and that means heavy summer storms that seem to bypass our rhones and just come straight in to my flat....

It's one thing when it comes in the top, but when it comes into the 2nd floor too, you know you have to do something!! 

So just sent this email out this evening: 

Dear neighbours and representatives, 

It is now over 10 years since we collectively commissioned a full building survey by DM Hall that helped us to identify, scope, procure and complete some significant maintenance work on our shared property here at 46 Brunswick Street.  (Details still available at https://brunswickstreetblog.blogspot.com/) 

Like most of us, the building has aged in that time.  Action is required again, not least because several different properties in the block have recently (and not so recently) been impacted by substantial water ingress.  But those are the bits we know about, and it is likely there are some additional impacts (such as potential damp etc) that we don't necessarily know all about.  We need to know, holistically, what we are dealing with so that we can plan, budget and act accordingly in the short, medium and long term.  This is a shared responsibility. 

Those who were involved previously will no doubt recall the hard work involved, and be keen to make things as easy as possible going forwards.   One of the keys to this is undoubtedly communication.  (For those that are not aware, we do already have a 'stair' WhatsApp group that you are welcome to join: 

https://chat.whatsapp.com/JcLQ2JmoLif0SnijIE7l66 )   

It is not perfect, but I do believe that the Novoville App* can help us. Therefore, you are now invited to join us in a 'virtual' tenement created in the 'Novoville App'.   You can find more information about that here:   https://sharedrepairs.novoville.com/   

I have already gone ahead and set up a 'Virtual Tenement' called '46 Brunswick Street Block', with our 14 'properties' in it.  I have added names etc where I know them, but it is now ready for you as individuals to go in and link to your property as either owner, agent, tenant etc.  In some cases I have already sent a link, in others I am yet to do so, so do look out for it.  (You may be able to go in anyway, using these links)  

 If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly, although bear in mind that I am only learning as we go with it too! (*Please note that while it is currently an 'app' for mobile phones only, you do not have to be a smartphone user to be involved).  

Many thanks,

Catriona

I am sorry to report that I recently experienced significant issues with water flooding into my home, at 3F2, again. (Tue 25 May 2021). 

I managed to get someone to come out at short notice and check it.  He confirmed that due to the rhones being blocked, with debris and weeds (see photos in this Google Photo Album)  the water was unable to get round the bay window to the down pipe on the far side of 3F1, and so it just backed up and into mine.  This amount of growth and vegetation has obviously taken quite some time to accumulate, with the seagulls not helping.  This reinforces the impact of a lack of any routine maintenance schedule to help keep them cleared. 

The advice was that it should be cleared at least twice a year - next time in the autumn, say November time, once the trees have shed their leaves.  (On the up side, he did say that the roof was still in great order!).  It is 10 years since we undertook a full building survey which highlighted work likely to be required in the short, medium and long term.  A decade on and we are now at that 'long term' point, so it may well be prudent to review some of the points identified at that time, in order to catch any of them before they become urgent.

Given the volume of water and the urgency of this particular situation, I agreed to their quote to come back and clear it on Wednesday 3 June 2021, which he did.  

I  now seek your support please for 

a)  payment of £30 per property 

(which is less that a 1/14th share of the £473.28 paid in full by me on 10th June 2021).  

and 

b) a proposal that we establish a proper maintenance routine with a local firm to prevent this from happening again.     

At the very least, we might consider using our existing BSORA (Brunswick Street Residents and Owners Association) bank account to gather regular payments so that we can continue to protect our properties.  The company used on this occasion was Weatherseal Roofing, sourced via Home Force ) but I suggest that we gather competitive quotes from a range of companies and choose one to agree a running contract with for the building.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact me.  

Thanks for your support, 

Catriona