# Cheval Club Condominium Association — Roof & Masonry Matter
## Document package and context (for continuing in a new chat)

**Property:** 1426 N. Orleans Street, Chicago, IL 60610
**Association:** Cheval Club Condominium Association
**Board contact:** Andy Mechavich, President (andy.mechavich@gmail.com)
**Working the matter:** Ryan Link (board member)
**Counsel:** Sabina Arutyunyan, Kovitz Shifrin Nesbit
**Independent consultant:** Hutchinson Design Group, Ltd. (HDG) — Thomas W. Hutchinson, AIA, RRC

### The situation in brief
In 2025 the Association replaced its roof and had masonry repairs done. Kipcon Great Lakes LLC
wrote the specifications and was retained to administer the contract; Ready Home, Inc. (Darek Pyrc)
was the contractor. The roof/deck contract was $374,123 and the masonry contract $94,000.

About three months after completion, a roof drain backed up and the trapped water froze and split
the new membrane seams on the east side. An independent moisture scan (Skyline, April 2026) found
elevated moisture across most of the roof. The Association retained HDG, who inspected on June 3, 2026
and issued a report dated June 18, 2026 concluding the project failed in both design and installation:
the roof was not torn off to the deck, only about half the specified insulation was installed, no
coverboard was installed, counterflashing and cant strips were missing, drains were not properly
replaced or flashed, and the new roof already contains moisture. HDG also found the engineer (Kipcon)
"did not meet the standard of care," and that significant masonry scope (through-wall flashing under
copings/balustrades, sixth-floor lintels, full tuckpointing) was not performed. The City permit
describes a tear-off, but the work performed was a re-cover.

Ready Home has submitted an unsigned change order asking the Association to pay ~$39,700 to repair
the flooded area, plus ~$18,970 in service time, against ~$13,253.50 in partial credits, while also
seeking the ~$46,785 in final contract balances. The Board has not signed or paid it. Key issues:
the change order asks the Association to pay to repair damage that may trace to the contractor's own
defective work; no written change orders were issued for any deviation; and no drainage assessment
reports were ever provided.

### Framing principles used throughout these documents
- Board positions are stated as interpretations for HDG and counsel to evaluate, not as accusations.
- Causation is kept careful: the drain backup is one possible/likely pathway for the east-side damage,
  not stated as the definitive or only cause.
- Everything independently confirmed is attributed to HDG's June 18, 2026 report.
- Legal, insurance, and payment determinations are reserved to counsel. These are not legal advice.

### Files in this package (created for the Board)
1. **Cheval_Club_Roof_Summary_of_Concerns.docx** — Master summary. Leads with HDG's independent
   findings, compares contract vs. delivered, reviews the change order and credits, states the Board's
   concerns, and lists next steps (preserve evidence, notify insurers via counsel, don't sign).
2. **Cheval_Club_HDG_Scope_of_Inquiry.docx** — The engagement scope/questions given to HDG
   (10 work items, "on record" vs. "questions for HDG"), including the permit tear-off issue.
3. **Cheval_Club_Field_Photographs.docx** — Standalone captioned exhibit of the Board's field photos.
4. **Cheval_Club_Roof_Punch_List_Tracker.xlsx** — Roof items tracker (Board Position / Interpretation,
   Proposed Remedy, Notes) with a "Confirmed Defect" status for HDG-verified items, plus a Financials tab.
5. **Cheval_Club_Masonry_Building_Tracker.xlsx** — Masonry & other building items tracker (same format).
6. **Cheval_Club_Owners_Roof_Update.pptx** — Owner-facing presentation (calm, plain language, drawn
   only from HDG's report), with photos from the report.

### Source documents referenced (held by the Board; not all included here)
HDG report dated 6/18/2026; Kipcon roof spec (5555-625) and masonry spec (5555-626); Kipcon proposal
and March 2025 preliminary bid; Kipcon "Response to HOA"; Skyline impedance scan (4/8/2026) with the
expired 2011 GAF guarantee; City of Chicago building permit (Express Permit, issued 9/3/2025);
Ready Home change order (dated 4/28/2026, referencing 5/26/2026); the Board's working punch list.

*Prepared as working materials for the Board, its consultant, and counsel. Not legal advice.*