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Infrared Asphalt Repairs
Conventional pavement repair entails removal of distressed asphalt, replacing it with new-hot-mix asphalt, and rolling it to achieve compaction and a uniform surface. A major problem with that method is the creation of “cold” joints. The new asphalt will not meld with the in-place material and the joints must be periodically sealed to keep water […]
Fear and Loathing in the Community Association
There is a phrase in the lives of community associations guaranteed to make the blood run cold – Special Assessment. Property managers and boards of directors fear it, and homeowners are usually angered by it. The most common initial reaction from those affected is to find someone to blame. It has to be the fault […]
Cracks Happen
Cast-in-place concrete will, more often than not, crack. In a nod to that characteristic, weakened planes (control joints) are formed or cut into conventionally-reinforced concrete slabs and sidewalks to influence where cracks occur. Cracking outside of control joints can indicate shortcomings in concrete placement, finishing, and/or curing, as well as influences from without. Cracks can […]
Buying A Condo Part 3- New Vs Old
There’s something inherently appealing about buying something brand new, but newer isn’t always better, especially in construction. A dishearteningly large portion of our work involves problems in new buildings, ranging from shoddy workmanship to new technologies that don’t live up to expectations. One advantage to buying a unit in an older building is history. Inherent […]
Things To Look For When Buying A Condo-Part 1
Physical Inspection When you buy a condominium you’re also buying into the building that encloses it, as well as every other building in the association and everything else intended for common (and limited common) use. You’ll be paying to operate, maintain, repair, and (when the time comes) replace them. With that in mind, it would […]
The Importance of Building Rehabilitation
A study was recently done in three cities (Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington, DC) to measure how neighborhoods are affected by the presence of older buildings. The study used spatial analysis to determine the role that building age plays on a neighborhood by measuring forty performance metrics. Some of the criteria included cultural vibrancy, real […]
What’s In A Word?
Words can have a number of meanings and can even change meanings with time. This is especially true of terms specific to a technology or industry. Following are definitions of a few roofing and paving terms that people outside those trades (such as board members) may hear and not fully understand. Overlayment – Placement of […]
Protect Against Job-Site Hearing Loss
Restoration and construction job sites can be dangerous. Surprisingly, one of the most common job-site related injuries is occupational noise induced hearing loss. The equipment used on- site is extremely loud and over 30 million U.S. workers per year are exposed to noise levels that are high enough to cause irreversible hearing loss. Hearing loss […]
Is Your Building Suitable For Solar Power?
Solar panel systems are lighter than most people expect. Generally, they add less than 4 lb. per square foot of load to the roof. Most construction after 1970 is designed to support much greater loads than this and may not require structural upgrades. Buildings older than 1970 may need some structural work before the solar […]
More on Pervious Concrete
A previous blog entry “Escaping the Hardship of Hardscapes” was an introduction to pervious pavement. Here we get a little more in depth. We hear a lot about impervious surfaces such as parking lots, creating run-off that can be detrimental to both human and environmental health. One of the solutions being used increasingly is pervious […]
In The Know with Stamped Concrete
We routinely encounter stamped concrete in the course of our work and a number of issues seem to be commonplace. Where exposed to chemical deicers, particularly sodium chloride (salt), scaling/spalling is present far more often than not. Salt reduces the freezing point of water, thereby potentially increasing the number of damaging freeze-thaw cycles. Concrete is […]
Why Do Retaining Walls Collapse?
The YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrNluXrrHKY of the recent retaining wall failure in Baltimore after several days of heavy rains highlighted to many how devastating a retaining wall collapse can be. While we were not involved with this situation, we are currently working on several retaining wall replacement projects that resulted from collapses. There are typically two […]