Modern commercial parking garages aren’t the only ones that require maintenance and repair; sometimes residential garages call for Western Specialty Contractor’s restoration expertise as well. Such is the case on the historic residential garage in Minneapolis.
Homeowners recently contracted the Western Specialty Contractors – Minneapolis, Minn. Branch to repair the concrete slabs in a historic mansion’s two-car garage near Lowry Park in Minnesota. The garage, first constructed in 1931, consisted of two levels. One level was elevated at grade and one was below grade.
Scope of work
The original scope of work included a complete replacement of the 2”-3” topping slab (630 SF). It also included a localized full-depth repair of the 10”-12” structural slab (40 SF).
After further investigation into the integrity of the structural slab, the quantity of the structural slab replacement increased to 280 SF. Additional work recommended for a drain replacement and overhead concrete patching. Recommendations also included urethane grout injection, and application of both sealants and a traffic coating.
“During the construction phase of the project, shortly after being on site, we discovered that the integrity of the structural slab was more compromised than we had previously thought, regardless of the core samples that were collected,” said Western Project Manager David Grandbois. “The rebar in the slab had corroded away to nothing and the slab turned to dust as we hammered. The parking slab provided horizontal support to the foundation walls, so we could not continue to remove massive sections without supplemental support.”
WSC instealled full-height shoring from floor to ceiling. This provided a working platform. Additionally, they installed side bracing to prevent the walls from collapsing inward. The slab replacement and pour back had to be sequenced in two phases so that the entire slab was not removed at one time. The project also required a new, heavier duty rebar design.
Space challenges
Since the home’s boiler system sat below the main level parking slab, Western’s workers took extreme care to protect the boiler during all phases of the project from start to finish.
“Hammering into nearly 100-year-old concrete can vary from its strength, rebar size and placement, and aggregates present. It is important to take your time while performing the investigation, discovery and demolition on this type of project,” said Grandbois. “Working on a residential garage can be painstaking for all involved. Due to the noise and obstruction, keeping an open line of communication with the owner, contractor and design professional is paramount.”
Western started the concrete repairs in January 2019. They continued to work on the garage restoration throughout the rest of the year. Western crews returned in November 2019. At that time they completed the sealant and traffic coating part of the project to protect the restored garage.
The engineer on the project was Meyer Borgman Johnson and the architect was James Dayton Design, LTD., both of Minneapolis.
For more information about Western’s concrete restoration services, contact the Western Specialty Contractors branch office nearest you – https://www.westernspecialtycontractors.com/western-locations/.
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects and also property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures and sports stadiums. Western has its headquarters in St. Louis, Mo. It also has 30 branch offices nationwide. Additionally, it employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, you can also visit www.westernspecialtycontractors.com.
