When a common interest development is new, and for some years thereafter, maintenance problems are minor. Everyone knows that sooner or later roofs, siding and decks will have to be replaced, streets resurfaced, water and sewage systems renewed, and so forth.   But there is a tendency to put off the painful decision to make the kind of monthly assessments which would provide adequate cash reserves. As recently as 1978, for example, the monthly assessment was only $60.

But as a development ages, deterioration becomes all too apparent The component elements of wooden structures have a limited lifespan.  Marin weather, with its frequently recurring cycles of sun alternating with rain or with moist fog, is not kind to exposed wood.

In 1985 the State legislature recognizing the explosive growth of the common interest form of housing, and the need to prescribe the basic maintenance responsibilities of Associations such as this one, adopted the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act.  Among other things, the Act mandated that an association identify the estimated remaining life of the major components which it has to maintain, and that it address the procedures used for the calculation and establishment of sufficient reserves.

In 1986, the Board of Directors engaged a firm to complete the Association’s first Reserve for Major Component Replacement Study of Shelter Ridge, and to devise a plan for identifying and prioritizing maintenance problems. In the ensuing years, the Association has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in contracts pursuant to these reports which are updated every three years in accordance with the Davis-Stirling Act.

In this connection, it is important to point out that the Association does not merely repair to the original standard; it attempts to upgrade the standard of construction when doing so will prolong the useful life of the structure. Wooden shingles are being replaced with fire resistant. composition roofs, 3/8” siding with 5/8” plywood sheets, deteriorated decks of soft fir with properly seasoned and treated redwood.

Although we believe we are making progress, it would be a mistake to believe that the process will ever be “over.”  Maintenance at Shelter Ridge will continue to be our most important administrative and financial problem as it is for any other common interest development, and for any private homeowner.

In the event of any unanticipated basic eligible maintenance being needed, please make the appropriate request(s) online by following these instructions.

Article V of the CC&Rs, Responsibilities for Maintenance, Repair and Replacement, is certainly one of the most important passages in the Governing Documents. Each Homeowner should avail themselves of the valuable information found in this section with respect to both the owners and the Association responsibility,

The section covers the following areas: Common Area; Owner’s Lot; Walls & Trim; Building Roofs; Fireplaces, Flues and Caps; Patios, Walkways, Driveways, Foundations; Decks & Railings; Fences & Gates; Carports & Garages; Exclusive Use Common Area; Matters Affecting Contiguous Residences; Sewer & Utility Lines; Landscaping; Sump Pumps; and Insect Infestation.

Download/print the CC&R's here:  Complete CC&R's