HomeMy WebLinkAboutFwd_ East Vail Window Permits .pdf From: Jim Krezowski
To: Chris Neubecker;CommDev
Cc: Jim Krezowski
Subject: Fwd: East Vail Window Permits
Date: Wednesday,March 21,2018 11:45:04 AM
Dear Chris, Please forward this email to the following members of the Design
Review Board before the March 21st Review meeting.
Thank you.
Jim and Liz Krezowski
To Bill Pierce, Chair
Rollie Kjesbo, Co-chair
Andrew Ferstl, Doug Cahill, and Peter Cope
This note is in regard to the 4 unit condo building at
5014 Main Gore Drive South,. East Vail, built by
Tillmeyer in the late 1960's. The building with the
Tallbear on the porch.
Late 2014-Stacy Ohlsson bought units#2 and#3, and
Melissa Hewitt bought unit#4. The 4th owners, Jim and
Liz Krezowski had owned#1 since the '80's. It was a
building owned by our family members until in 2014.
In January 2015 -Stacy's windows in#2 and#3 were
being replaced by a firm in Denver as we arrived in Vail
from Christmas in MN. Note on our door said new#2
and#3 windows were to be installed Jan 7, 2015.
Yes,we were surprised but accepted it.
I was out skiing the next week when several phone
messages were left on my cell by Melissa about Jim and
I coming in to sign for Melissa's window replacement
permit that day (her windows were now being installed
at that time in unit#4 and she had neglected to apply for
a permit, as had Stacy. We had stressed in emails to
them about proper permits for work to be done.
Stacy, Jim and Liz Krezowski and Martin Haeberle
along with Warren Campbell met at 9am on Jan 20,
2015 in TOV offices.
It was agreed at that time that Jim and Liz would OK the
work that had been done without any permits at the
Tallbear building even though the Krezowski's wanted
to install new windows also but didn't wish for white
vinyl windows. We agreed to white vinyl as we seemed
to have no other choice (the window were already
installed) and didn't want to create problems for the new
people in the building.
Melissa's permit was granted over the counter with a
back date of 1/08/2015.
A further meeting was agreed on for that same day, 4PM
Jan 20, 2015 at 5014 Main Gore Drive. Melissa drove up
for that meeting. Martin and Warren drove out to site
(Tallbear)to discuss windows.
Jim and Liz asked for shorter window sizes to be ok'd in
their#1 Tallbear as in#3 (Unit#3 shorter windows had
already been installed without a permit).
Krezowski#1 living room floor no longer had a "pit" and
windows were and had been below floor grade. We
asked that windows on either side of the corner fireplace
be shorter and just down to floor level. --Windows had
been in two sections originally with bottom section a
wind out window in the pit area not now needed or
useful.
(Unit 3 intended to do away with pit in a remodel
planned for that unit.)Unit#4 -Melissa still had pit and
had installed the taller windows.
We also asked for a bay window in upstairs guest
bedroom (non were in any of the other three units guest
bedrooms). We eventually chose not install that bay
window but installed a window matching#2#3 and#4's.
Martin and Warren granted these requests ( included the
bay window in#1's guest room) at that driveway
meeting.
The next day Stacy sent us a followup email (We have
copy) agreeing to shorter windows and bay window
upstairs ok'd by she and Melissa.
Jim called TOV Jan 20, 2015, and spoke to Carolyn to
pass on a thank you to you both. She enjoyed that and
said that nobody calls to say "thank you".
We checked later with TOV about firm Melissa used-
Lowe's -and were told they were not approved to work in
Vail (after installing without permits) We knew that the
Denver firm Stacy used was "persona non grata" in Vail,
and that Home Depot was OK'd in Vail.
We then contracted with Home Depot to replace our unit
#4 windows. The assured us that they would measure
and take out proper permit for us as that that was part of
their job.
When buying from Home Depot, the customer pays price
in full before work is done. We did that.
There was a very long time lag before windows were
measured that year. When copy was sent us we had to
call Gil Folsom, the contact person, measurer,
salesperson, expediter, all rolled into one. He had
mistakenly measured for same size windows either side
of fireplace rather than the shorter, floor level windows
we expected. Gil deleted the longer sizes on the invoice
and also changed the price (shorter windows were less
expensive than longer expanse windows).
Again, it was much longer that we wished before the
windows were installed on November 2 or 3, 2016, a
very cold and windy day. It took all day with much
debris and dust blowing into living space. We discovered
the next day that the three pane window (in the living
room) did not fit right(measured properly) and that drill
holes were not filled in the other installed windows.
---now, after many phone calls --not yet resolved by
Home Depot as of March, 2018.
The Krezowskis received a letter in the summer of 2017
from the law firm( Stovell and associates)retained by
our HOA, Stacy is President and Melissa is
Sect/Treasurer, (Krezowski's are simple owners), telling
us that our windows were not approved by the Town of
Vail, that new siding was to be installed and that costs to
us will be added. This was the first we had any idea that
our windows were not approved. We did pay $10,000
per month for several months to our HOA in 2016 to
shore up the condo treasury to pay for a future upgrade
to siding at 5014. We had not seen any plans at that time
but we later learned that that project was applied for
March 13, 2017 (DRB 17-0070) and was approved as of
4/19/17.
We, of course, checked on the news that our windows
did not meet code and discovered that the permit#B 16-
0276 Expedited 7/22/2016 Town of Vail
Job#krezowki 9228361 said: Project Description: Same
for Same
Unfortunately, we had not planned for "Same for Same"
or "like for like".
We were, we thought, installing windows, as decided
and ok'd, as were done in Unit#3, the other side of the
building, the windows to match our floor level.
The Krezowski's feel that Home Depot made a mistake
in applying for the permit after so much time had gone
by in getting Home Depot's act together. The person
from HD who had applied for our permit was and is
unknown to the Krezowskis. He was in a serious auto
accident and was not available to speak to us.
Actually Home Depot doesn't have their act together yet
and after many phone calls to Home Depot about this
miscommunication--( and our unhappiness with air
leaking in first floor at the three pane window).we have
had only one call returned to us to give us another
number to call which was not returned to us. (The
Krezowski's have lodged a formal complaint with the
Colorado States Attorney General's Office and plan to
lodge a complaint with Home Depot's home office
Georgia States Attorney General's office).
We have been expected by TOV to remove our good
installed windows and replace with below floor
windows? (that can't be code?)
Chris Newbecker at TOV suggested we should appear at
a Planning meeting in summer or fall 2017 but gave us
no hope that things would change for us even with
applying for a new and more expensive permit .
That would have mean a 2300 mile round car trip to
Vail from MN where we live in the summer. Jim has
Parkinson's and extra trips are difficult- Jim and I are
both 82 years old.
The Krezowski's way back in 2015 approved the Ohlsson and Hewitt
windows without their having permits. It does seem unusually cruel that after 3
and one half years that the Krezowskis have had enough sleepless nights.
We would hope that March 21 would be the last of our worries over TOV's
approval of windows approved in Jan 2015.
Our suggestions would be that TOV would "close out" Home Depot's
installation efforts in Vail (such as was done to Lowe's installation permit) and
that homeowners in Vail would need to look over and approve any permit taken
out on their behalf.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Liz Krezowski and Jim Krezowski 612-991-1338
krezco@centurylink.net