July 11, 2006 - 11 months after Hurricane Wilma
A summary of my experience with installation of PGT Impact hurricane
windows http://www.pgtindustries.com/Index.aspx ) sold to me by Global
Industries, Inc. ("GII") Pompano Beach, FL. (note: The Building
Permit Application says Global Industries & MFG Inc, 10 Dorset A, Boca
Raton, FL 33434).
We live in a lower floor in a small condo on the Ft. Lauderdale
Intracoastal waterway, one block from the beach. During Hurricane Wilma
a guest bedroom window was shattered in our unit by flying debris. The
eastward facing windows of the penthouse suite were also shattered by
flying 2x4's which were shooting through the air like missiles from a
new high rise condo under construction on the beach (the Las Olas Beach
Resort). The 2x4's penetrated the hurricane shutters and windows of
the penthouse suite. The owner says winds at that level (about 15
stories high) were over 130 mph. When the windows in the penthouse
suite were penetrated the difference in air pressure made the interior
walls buckle. Significant damage to the Penthouse,
Note: Hurricane Wilma was the most intense hurricane ever recorded in
the Atlantic basin. It devastated southern Florida during October in
the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Wilma set numerous records for both
strength and seasonal activity. Wilma was only the third Category 5
ever to develop in the month of October and with the formation of
Hurricane Wilma, the 2005 season became the most active on record,
exceeding the 21 storms of the 1933 season. Wilma was the twenty-second
storm, thirteenth hurricane, sixth major hurricane, and fourth Category
5 hurricane of the record-breaking season
In the weeks after hurricane Wilma we called every contractor listed in
the yellow pages and on Google in our area. Only 2 said they would
install hurricane windows in condos. One was Sears and the other was
Global Industries, Inc. of Pompano Beach. We first signed a contract
with Sears contingent upon Sears providing three references in Broward
County for windows which had been installed by Sears since Hurricane
Wilma. When Sears could not produce the references (they said their
policy prohibited providing of references to protect the privacy of
their customers) I signed a contract with Global Industries, Inc (GII)
based upon a recommendation of a neighbor who had also signed a
contract with Global and who had called their references.
Moti Dror (aka Moty Max or Moti Max) claimed he is the owner of Global
Industries, Inc. of Pompano Beach Florida. He represented that GII was
an authorized distributors for PGT Industries (PGT), a company that
manufactures hurricane windows and is based in Florida. I purchased two
3 piece windows, one 2 piece window, one sliding door, one single
kitchen window and one kitchen door. The cost was approximately $22,000
which included $695 for a building permit. I was told the windows would
arrive in 8 to 12 weeks. $10,000 was paid when the contract was signed
and an additional $8,000 was due upon delivery of materials. The
balance was due upon completion of the building inspection.
GII told me they had been in business in South Florida for over 15
years. The principals are Moti and Max Dror (aka Dror Max), a father
and son team who were very responsive during the sale, On a positive
note the windows arrived as promised during the last week of June,
2006. An installation date was set during the first week of July. I was
assured by Max Dror that he was sending over "our best crew".
On Wednesday, July 5th, a three man crew arrived headed by an installer
named Robert Dimmie. Max had told me the installers were employees of
GII and were covered under their workers compensation insurance
program. Upon request a copy of the workers compensation policy was
delivered. Robert was assisted by Gil (a Czech national who speaks very
limited English), a huge man capable of lifting and maneuvering the
hurricane windows which are extremely heavy. A third crew member was a
young kid and it was his first day on the job. The job was supposed to
take three days. It took five days to install five of the six
windows/doors. The kitchen door was ordered from a company called
Eurotech. Three weeks after the installation of the first window I am
told GII has no idea when the kitchen door will arrive.
Some things to plan for when installing hurricane windows
Dust
All window coverings (drapes, blinds, etc) and hardware need to be
removed. Fortunately we had large garbage bags to place our draperies
in. The contractor showed up with two tarps, enough to cover the area
around the window he was working on at the time. No floor coverings
were provided. The work produced a huge amount of unanticipated dust
and debris from cutting of sheetrock around the old windows and from
cutting the metal frames from the old windows. In short order, all of
our walls, floor, furniture and every appliance including computers
were covered in dust. The crew kept tracking the dust from each window
to the door and vice versa. We should have insisted that paths from the
windows to the doors be laid with construction paper of the type used
by other contractors we have had over the years. We should have
insisted that all furniture be covered by tarps and that the job site
be cleaned at the end of every day. The afternoon rain turned the dust
on the balconies to clay which also was tracked in the house. We called
a professional cleaner who showed up on Friday and cleaned up after the
crew had left for the weekend. The crew left the house a mess at the
end of each day. They were exhausted. My compassionate wife said it
seemed heartless to ask guys that spent the day wrestling with 500 lb
windows to vacuum and sweep. Fantastic Cleaners, a commercial and
residential cleaning company followed the installation crew on a near
daily basis and made our home livable. Don, the owner, personally
assisted and supervised the cleaning effort which involved cleaning the
floor, walls, ceiling and most importantly, the windows!
Window Sills
We have granite window sills under each window. Max had assured us that
installation was a simple matter of popping out the old and popping in
the new but they were not responsible for damage to the window sills.
Needless to say each sill needs to be replaced. Add $200 per window at
least to your budget.
Smell
The stench of airplane glue hit us when the installer starting caulking
the first window. He assured us that the "airplane glue" smell
which was making us sick, would disappear as soon as the window caulk
was "cured".
Curing is a fancy word for drying which, we were told by the
manufacturer of the caulk, is a function of temperature, humidity and
the amount of caulk used. In Florida the summer temperature is in the
low 90's with 90%+ humidity so keeping windows open and the air
conditioning off is not an easy task. We kept the air off all day for
each day they were working. If you are planning to stay in the home
during installation get some big fans and wear a bathing suit. By
Monday, five days after the first window went in the smell was getting
worse. I decided that whatever the cure period was, it wasn't the
promised 24 hours.
The installer, Robert, said that the caulk was furnished by GII and is
used because "it lasts for 25 years". I grabbed a caulking gun they
were using and read that they were using OSI SBR-100 Window and Siding
Caulk, a solvent based (as opposed to latex based) caulk. The caulk
tube said "Not Recommended for Interior Use". The Federal Guideline
for use of the caulk on the caulk tube was issued in 1970 (I Googled
it). Fearing brain tumors and lung cancer I first checked OSI's
website http://osisealants.com and then, finding nothing helpful called
OSI's customer service 800-999-8920 who referred me to tech support
at 800-624-7767. There was no one there that late on Friday but the
first thing Monday morning I got a call from a guy named Brian who said
that the OSI SBR-100 is the cheapest caulk they sell, it is rated for 5
years and is for exterior use only. He said GII should have used an OSI
product called H2U which is a latex caulk rated for 25 years. He also
said the caulk they are supposed to use on the exterior is the OSI
brand called "Quad", a solvent based product. Since Friday I have
placed over 15 calls to Max and Moti regarding the caulk and other
issues. As of Thursday, six days later, no calls to GII have been
returned.
No Building Permit and when to pay the Contractor
Upon arrival the installers unloaded all the windows. This is a back
breaking job that took most of the first day. The crew wrestled each
window from the truck to the property by hand. I was surprised that
they didn't even have handcarts (I would have used a forklift) for
this difficult task.
Once all the windows were placed on our balcony (which could have
easily cracked with all that weight) Robert asked for a check for
$8,000 as specified in the contract. I asked for a copy of the building
permit. He said GII forgot to put it in his work folder but it would be
delivered later in the day. I said I would give him a check when I
received the building permit.
By the end of the first day only the double hung window in the bedroom
was in. Again I was asked for a check and again I told the installer I
would swap a check for the building permit.
By the end of the second day two more windows were in and again I was
asked for a check. I repeated my slogan but the installer said he was
going to get fired if he didn't return with a check. I was beginning
to feel sorry for the crew and worried for myself. The crew had worked
non-stop except for lunch (I bought) and ice water which my wife kept
offering them throughout the day. These guys worked hard. They were
covered in dust and sweat and tempers were running short. They were
yelling matches between them which were sort of funny since Gil
didn't understand a thing Robert was yelling at him. He just smiled
and said "Ja". I felt sorry for Robert and said that I had done an
online check for the building permit on the City of Ft. Lauderdale
website http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/building_services/index.htm and there
was no record on file for a building permit for my project. Judging
from the expression on Robert's face I knew instinctively that I had
a problem.
A neighbor, a CPA, member of the Board and someone who also ordered
windows through GII (she was next on the installation list) called the
City only to find out that permits had never been issued for my windows
or hers.
On Monday I was assured by my neighbor that Max Dror had personally
"redelivered" the applications to City of Ft. Lauderdale's
Building Department. Robert said Max claimed the City lost the original
applications. Nevertheless the crew returned Monday afternoon and
started to work on the sliding glass door, a project which took them
all day. They returned on Tuesday to finish caulking, this time using
an off-the-shelf latex caulk sold at Home Depot for what little
remained of the interior caulk project.
At 5 pm on Tuesday Robert announced they were finished even though the
kitchen door had not been installed. The windows were not going up and
down without a screeching sound and one would not stay up when opened.
Robert confessed he had never been trained to "adjust" the
balancing rods and springs in the windows and only Max had that
precious knowledge. Since none of the windows were working effortlessly
and since calls to GII were not being returned more detective work was
in order.
Is the Company that Sold you your Windows an Authorized Distributor?
Since calls to GII were not being returned including calls to Max and
Moti's personal cell phones I decided to call PGT Industries. I was
informed that GII was not an authorized distributor and PGT had never
heard of GII. They said PGT offered classes for installers on how to
install and adjust windows. Robert, our installer, admitted he had
never received any training from PGT and he had not been trained on
adjusting windows by GII. PGT was able to track my order down from
numbers on the window. They had sold the windows to Buckley Window
Corp. located at 4308 NE 5th Terrace Ft. Lauderdale 33334 phone number
954-396-4211. Robert, my installer said that if Max did not return my
calls to call PGT. PGT said since my windows were sold to Buckley Glass
to call them. I have called Buckley twice, speaking to a receptionist
named Kim who said only Robbie could answer my questions and he was
"out of the office".
If you haven't paid why are you complaining?
While it is true we still owe the contractor over $10,000 we can not
reinstall our window coverings until the windows are finished. We have
a cleaning team coming tomorrow for a second time who will undoubtedly
have to return at least one more time. It has been over a week after
the installation of the first window and our home still smells like
airplane glue. In desperation we hired a consultant, Craig Exterkamp,
owner of Panda Glass (formerly co-owner of Builders and Decorators and
Glass) an expert at window installation. He arrived at our home today
and started a "punch list" which was half completed when he had to
leave on another call.
Within the last hour a typical summer afternoon Florida thunderstorm
blew through. We closed all the windows and after the Eastward facing
windows were pounding by driving rain there are no signs of leaks. I
will take a hose to the windows as soon as it dries.
Stay Tuned
Will the airplane glue smell ever go away? Will we ever get a building
permit and pass inspection? Did the smell or dust permeate our
furniture ... forever? Will we get brain or lung cancer? Will our
hurricane insurance be cancelled? Will the condo pay for the broken
window and frame? Will the installer ever return? Will our windows ever
get adjusted?
My wife just keeps bringing me more Jack Daniels and says not to worry,
everything will be fine. In fact the biggest worry, that another
hurricane would hit before our windows were installed, is over. I no
longer care about the Weather Channel and can focus on more important
matters ... like how am I going to pay for the next installment on my
hurricane windows?
Update - July 19 two weeks after installation began
Still no permit and I haven't seen the installers since they left a
week ago.
Robbie from Buckley Window Corp., the company that sold the windows to
GII, finally returned my call last Friday. 10 days after the first
window was installed. He is a funny guy who sounds a bit like Joe
Pesci, the actor from the Lethal Weapon series. He sounded a bit like a
character out of the Sopranos but when I asked where in New York he was
from he told me he was from Boston. By the end of the conversation my
window project began to sound a bit like a mini "Big Dig",
Boston's multi-billion highway project that includes a tunnel that
collapsed recently killing a woman.
Caulk
His response to my complaints that the solvent based caulk was making
us sick and is only rated for 5 years:
OSI caulk is crap. We only use Dymonic caulk (see
http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/building_services/howto_guides.htm ) or NP1
manufactured by Sonneborn.
I complained that the installer used caulk rated for only 5 years.
Robbie's response ... "You live in a condo right?" "Yes", I
responded. "Is it a nice condo, he asked?" "Yes", I responded.
"How often do they repaint the building, every five or seven
years?" "Yes", I responded. "Well then," he said, "when
they repaint your building they re-caulk the windows so why pay for 25
year caulk when your building is going to repainted every 5 to 7
years".
The Windows don't go up and down
The windows don't go up or down without effort, screeching and in one
case not at all. I complained, "The installer did not bring the parts
that keep the windows straight in their tracks and he did not bring all
of the corner covers to cover the sharp metal corners on each
window", I added.
"What am I, your installation bitch", he replied, dead serious. I
didn't know whether to laugh or get offended. He explained that he
gives all the necessary parts to the installer and that I should call
him. "But the installer told me to call his boss who told me to call
PGT who told me to call you", I explained. "That doesn't make me
your installation bitch", he replied.
Windows guaranteed to leak! I am going to hose down the windows to see
if they leak -
I was advised by another contractor to hose down the windows to see if
they leak "I guarantee your windows will leak", said Robbie. "If
you hose them down you will get a flood!"
After my stunned silence and before I could reply Robbie added, "Read
your contract, did you buy leak proof windows? No, you bought impact
resistant windows. Nowhere in your contract does it say your windows
won't leak".
He went on to say something about the water pressure being 60 lbs per
square inch and that windows are not designed to take rain blowing
horizontally against them. Stupid me, I didn't buy leak proof
windows. I guess they cost extra.
Clean off the glue and stickers on my windows and doors ...... please
As the installer was leaving, the windows were still covered with a
greasy film, bits of caulk and stickers from the factory. Aren't you
going to clean the windows off before you leave?" I asked. "No",
replied the installer, "that is the homeowner's responsibility."
Update: July 26, 2006
The building permit arrived today. Now we have to schedule the
inspection.
Update Oct 10 2006 4 months later
Only the contractor can schedule an inspection. They have not done so.
When asked why we were told the sliding glass door they installed will
not pass inspection because 2x4 used to shim the sliding glass door was
not "engineered". Ownership and management of Global has changed
twice. An aluminum engineered mullion should resolve the problem but it
will mean removing the doors and replacing the wood 2x4 with aluminum
(and paying engineer to submit report). Waiting for response from new
owners.
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