PROJECT FIVE

Concrete high-rise building.

A typical high-rise condominium tower built with brick, stucco and concrete.

Initial scope of project: Repair localized (targeted) areas exhibiting water ingress damage.

MAJOR CHALLENGES:

Access required constant suite entry and the use of Boson chairs. Typical hidden problems included inconsistent waterproof membrane details, inappropriate installation of flashings and poor finishing details at electrical box openings.

“Shelf angles” (brick supports) often have membranes incorrectly installed, thus allowing water ingress into the window assemblies nearby.

Wind and weather considerations on high-rises increase potential for additional damage during construction and extreme danger for the workers.

OCEAN WEST SOLUTION:

Work was initiated during good weather months to minimize hazards for occupants and workers.

Poorly executed details were found behind the brick façade and underneath balcony flashings.

Water ingress sourcing required brick and flashing removal and substantial detail work with water proofing membranes was needed.

Although these problems are fairly typical for this era of high-rise construction only those suites reporting interior problems received attention.

NOTE: Strata owners faced with these types of problems have onerous choices to consider: the cost to re-detail all locations that possibly have similar problems may run into the tens of millions; some strata choose to allocate (ongoing) yearly repair budgets, possibly saving considerable money in the present but also incurring the constant wrath of individual owners faced with water ingress.

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PROJECT FOUR

Low rise wood frame building.

Condominium project in Vancouver had mixed wall finishing (brick/stucco/siding).

Initial scope of project: Repair localized (targeted) areas exhibiting water ingress damage.

MAJOR CHALLENGES:

Minor surface detail flaws resulted in considerable hidden damage.

Intersections at brick and stucco and flashings resulted in slow long terms water ingress.

Owners requested that work be completed unobtrusively, fearing property devaluation from excessive tarpage.

OCEAN WEST SOLUTION:

Areas of obvious concern were opened to reveal construction problems.

A repair strategy was developed with a consulting engineers.

Targeted (spot) repairs were undertaken once scope of decay had been ascertained.

NOTE: Targeted repairs like these may solve the specific problem(s) but may not reveal hidden damage at other locations without obvious tell-tale signs.

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PROJECT THREE

Three storey wood frame building.

A private condominium building in Vancouver had small leakage issues around patios.

Initial scope of project: Repair localized (targeted) areas exhibiting water ingress damage.

MAJOR CHALLENGES:

Locating the source of water ingress in buildings with numerous decks and flashing details is often time consuming and may require “destructive” testing (opening wall sections, removing stucco, removing flashings etc.)

It was revealed that all deck handrail flashings were surface mounted against the building and therefore allowed water entry at those intersections.

OCEAN WEST SOLUTION:

Initial inspection priority was given to suites with noticeable exterior or interior damage. Once the source of water ingress was established (incorrect flashing work) then a repair strategy was developed for all decks with similar designs as noted above.

Inside corners at these locations were opened and revealed localized(but severe)decay.

The areas were repaired and new flashing with appropriate details were installed.

NOTE: Targeted repairs like these may solve the specific problem(s) but may not reveal hidden damage at other locations without obvious tell-tale signs.

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PROJECT TWO

Low rise wood frame building.

A BC Housing project for the elderly and some assisted living.

Initial scope of project: Replace exterior walls windows and doors.

MAJOR CHALLENGES:

Safety of elderly occupants moving through the work site. Noise factors affecting their health. Minimizing disruption of interior living spaces during wall remediation.

OCEAN WEST SOLUTION:

The central courtyard was cordoned off to allow for construction equipment and materials storage to be centralized and out of harms way for the tenants.

The mornings and late afternoons were used to prepare and organize materials so that noise levels were reduced to the minimum.

Wherever interior spaces needed restoration, separation walls were erected to minimize dust and noise to the suites. Occupants were given notices well in advance of actual work proceeding.

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PROJECT ONE

Low rise wood frame building.

A BC Housing subsidized project occupied by many single parent families.

Initial scope of project: Decay Repairs.

MAJOR CHALLENGES:

Work had to proceed with families in place. Safety factors due to the many children on site. Asbestos abatement (removal) required individual suites to be vacated during a repairs and resulted in substantial changes to the scope of work.

OCEAN WEST SOLUTION:

Occupants were notified well in advance about any work required on their premises. Although workers attended the site at 7:30 am each day the actual construction work was delayed till 8am. The site was cleaned and vacated each day about 4pm.

Site trailers and storage of all materials was kept out of the site courtyard and well protected.

The discovery of slight trace amounts of asbestos in the original drywall filler was taken as an opportunity to remove all the ceiling drywall and replace this with new. This required the services of a specialized abatement crew (at great expense).

Occupants were relocated to other BC Housing sites through the Ministry of Housing.

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