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Building Surveys
Being pro-active with regularly
scheduled building/structural surveys is a great idea. All buildings require
maintenance and repair. Building/structural surveys are intended to evaluate
components (roofs, structural, pavement, etc.) of the building to locate
problems or potential problems before they get worse. The sooner action steps
are taken to correct a problem (or potential problem), the less costly and
disruptive the corrective action will be to your facility.
Forensic Evaluation of
Deteriorated Failed Systems, Components
Forensic evaluation is a formal
way of saying "We know what happened, let's figure out why it
happened". The cause and effect relationship needs to be fully understood
in order to develop an appropriate repair protocol that will be long-lasting and
durable. The saying goes, if man does not learn from the past, he is doomed to
repeat it. Forensic evaluations are the key to avoid repeating past mistakes and
wasting money.
Intrusive Evaluation/Field
Sampling/Laboratory Testing
Our intrusive (destructive)
evaluation work, sampling and laboratory testing services are part and parcel to
answering the question "Why are we having these problems and ideally how
can we avoid them?. Demolition of masonry walls, extracting concrete roofing or
pavement cores and other material samples for laboratory analysis, as well as
performing insitu tests using a pachometer and Swiss Hammer, chain drag surveys,
etc. are all services we can provide to evaluate your building's problems.
Water Penetration Evaluation
and Testing
Rooting out the leak source is our
specialty. This work often involves spray testing and/or intrusive evaluation to
get to the bottom of it all. Leaks are challenging and often a frustrating
nuisance with which many people live. Remember, the damage you can see caused by
the leak is often not the damage with which you should be concerned. The
deterioration of building components (i.e., masonry ties, shelf angles, wall
framing, concrete, etc.) should not be ignored.
Design and Specifications for
Repair
The heart and soul of a renovation
program is the contract, which contains the specifications that define the
Contractor's responsibilities to the technical repair aspects of the work. A
well prepared specification attracts competitive bids and thus ensures the Owner
is getting a good value for his money. The solid foundation for a good
specification is proper evaluation and design.
Solicitation and Review of
Bids
Preparing a bid package complete
with bid forms tailored to the project and soliciting qualified Contractors is a
job most efficiently handled by the consultant who developed and understands the
repair specification. Conducting a pre-bid conference is the most important step
in procuring competitive bids. Once bids are solicited for a specific scope of
work, the bids often contain apples-to-oranges comparisons regarding issues
which can potentially have a huge impact on the total project cost. Weeding
through the bid submissions to locate potential problems, preparing a balanced
appraisal and issuing a bid summary are part of the services we can provide.
Construction Monitoring and
Contract Administration
Overseeing the Contractor's work
through periodic site visits is critical to confirm the quality of the
Contractor's work is conforming with the specifications and to expose
deficiencies that may exist in the work. Keeping the Contractor accountable is
the name of the game. Contract administration involves periodic progress
meetings, documentation, review of submittals, dealing with field problems and
processing pay requests and where necessary, preparing change orders.
Field Inspections and Reports
Monitoring the Contractor's work
periodically requires a competent engineer, consultant or inspector to observe
the ongoing project. Noting problems early and documenting them are important to
maintain quality control on repair projects and to obtain a satisfactory end
product.
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