I have a related query [hope it’s ok to add it here rather than starting a new post]:
Neighbours on the ground floor of my apartment building are proposing a kitchen renovation that would include (among other things) moving the gas hot water heater for their apartment from inside the kitchen to an external wall. They are going about it correctly: have drafted a by-law and sought an EGM, which will be soon.
My question as a strata newbie is about how and when best to raise my concerns about the gas hot heater location.
Background:
The neighbours are proposing “relocating the hot water heater to the wall outside the kitchen area above the window”.
My understanding is that there are manufacturer rules (and perhaps more general building codes as well) for installing these appliances. In particular, they can’t be 150cm vertically from any openable window, which would actually preclude it from being placed above their own kitchen window (and below their upstairs neighbours’ window) since there wouldn’t be the necessary 3+ metres clearance between the two floors. It’s also my understanding that the heater would have to be placed so that it can be accessed without need for a ladder or scaffold, which also rules out what they’re proposing.
Meanwhile, placing the heater at their window height would probably run into horizontal-distance-to-windows/corners rules.
The other problem is that the wall in question is adjacent to a fairly narrow path (about 150cm wide, running between the back wall of the building and the back fence) that is the main way of accessing our apartments for all residents. So this heater would intrude fairly significantly (30cm?) into a frequently used pathway and could even be considered a hazard.
Is this a matter I should raise in advance of the strata EGM or at the meeting itself? Should I communicate my concern to the strata manager or is that “not their job”?
The by-law doesn’t specify the model or type of heater: is it reasonable to ask about that level of detail or to request evidence that what is planned won’t break any installation rules?
I’ll be candid: I think it’s a bad idea. The building is an old one (late 1930s) and while not heritage listed, it is in a heritage conservation area. The addition of a white excrescence to the exterior brickwork – even if it is at the back of the building – in a location that all residents would have to walk past and look at every day, is not an appealing proposition. But personal taste and preference aside, I think there are genuine practical concerns and I’m not sure how best to raise them.