Featured Project:
5800 & 5900 3rd Street
1. Built in 2013, the two 148 unit mixed residential and commercial building complexes experienced leaking within the first 5 years. The HOA sued the builder, recovering several million dollars and retained a construction consultant to create a scope of work and select a contractor (out of 3 bidding the job) to repair and waterproof the buildings.
Front view of 5800 3rd Street
Aerial view of both building complexes
2. Construction consultant W. Charles Perry PE & Associates designed a water test that proved it was unnecessary to replace all windows to stop leaking into living units, saving the HOA a substantial amount of money. ARC — the only contractor with in-depth waterproofing and restoration experience – was chosen as the contractor to repair, restore, waterproof, and paint the buildings.
3. Scaffolding was erected on wall and window areas to enable work on the exterior of the buildings and window areas in the interior of the living units were re-tested.
New sheet rock, mud & texture was installed at the interior of the living units to restore window perimeters and Interior sheet rock walls were painted to match existing surfaces.
Exterior building walls were pressure washed with restoration cleaner and windows, walls, doors, penetrations and expansion joints were sealed with urethane rubber. All Exterior walls were then primed, caulked and painted.
4. A problem developed with persistent leakage into the parking garage areas. Holes were drilled in the concrete slab and standing water was found at 3 inches down into the 6-inch slab. Though the contract called for injection waterproofing into wall and slab cracks, it was decided to do more investigation into the source of the leaks.
The Exterior walls of the parking garage were excavated to see if the existing French Drain was working properly:
5. The drainage system had failed, was full of mud, and had been installed with inadequate slope to drain water. Parking garage surface drains were inspected and found to be functioning but were not tied into the sump system, leaving a question mark.
The contract called for waterproofing the walls of the parking garage which were leaking. After this was done, it was decided to re-visit the drainage problem. More investigation revealed that a subterranean creek intercepted the west side of the building, so it was decided to install a deeper French drain on that side below the existing water table:
6. Existing vegetation, concrete and asphalt paving was removed and a new French Drain with new 4-inch perforated pipe, drainage separation fabric, and crushed rock was excavated over 150 feet under the existing concrete sidewalk and asphalt street parking area.
Thie existing drain culvert was core drilled to allow entry of the new drainage system to relieve massive water pressure that had no outlet. This solved the water intrusion problem at the parking garage slab.
The benefit of the new successful drainage system was that ARC was able to provide a $150,000+ credit to the HOA for projected work that was now deemed unnecessary.
7. An examination of the roofs of the buildings showed there were still many years of useful service. So, instead of replacing the roofs, it was decided that ARC install a silicone roof coating with silicone mastic flashing detailed at all cracks and seams of the existing roof areas.
8. Additional waterproofing repairs included installing a drip screed around the perimeter of the soffit areas to allow water to drip away from the soffit and walls before restoring the stucco:
9. Another important waterproofing repair focused on vertical wall expansion joints – screws attaching the membranes were found to be severed in two sections resulting in leakage into the interior walls, with water showing up on the first floor at the entry ways below the expansion joints. ARC replaced the screws and bonded the rubber membrane back to the wall with urethane rubber caulking to prevent future water intrusion.
10. The original Contract for the work included injection for both 5800 and 5900 3rd Street parking garages, waterproofing elevator sump pits and sealing the leaks at the junction of the concrete walls and parking garage slab. But the installation of the parking garage drainage system made this projected work unnecessary. Additional unforeseen leakage areas – revealed by a very powerful wind and rainstorm – at planters, entry doors, louvers and sidewalk expansion joints were completed with 16 change orders, which stopped all leaking. ARC was able to complete all added work at “under the cost of the original bid,” due primarily to the credits created from the successful drainage system.
RESULT: Saving substantial sums of money, the Hoa Board and Staff were very happy with W. Charles Perry PE & Associates expertise and abilities and ARC’s performance. ARC additionally secured a good working relationship with W. Charles Perry & Associates leading to other construction repair and waterproofing projects.
