SE, Washington DC Exterior Hardscape Repairs

NSA is involved in many different types of projects, including projects that are technical in nature as well as those that are more design oriented.  The main entry stoop of a Southeast Washington, DC apartment building is a good example of the former.  NSA was brought in by the Owner to evaluate the current repairs and to make recommendations for more long-lasting repairs and/or replacement.

Past repair efforts had failed and deterioration of the stoop had progressed to a point that the slab needed to be removed and replaced.  NSA was further retained to prepare construction and bidding drawings for the replacement work.

In projects such as this, attention must be paid to both the specific technical aspects of the construction as well as to protection, phasing and contingencies.  To that end, NSA produced drawings and specifications for the demolition of the existing slab and the installation of a new slab that incorporated the following items to make for a comprehensive and seamless remediation process.

Included are specifications, notes and drawings for:

• Notes for protection of the adjacent building walls, existing doors, windows, and electrical equipment located under the stoop and phasing of this same work, as well as coordination with the Owner for ingress and egress during construction, so that the phasing and other requirements were clear from the beginning.
• Specific structural elements to support the new slab.
• The inspection and assessment of the existing building wall which would support the structural elements.
• Providing several probable design options for slab support at the existing building wall.  These options were thought through and provided as part of the construction and bid drawings so that bidders and builders had the broadest understanding of the potential issues and remediation options and could incorporate those options into their scheduling and pricing in the beginning, rather than waiting for RFI responses and or Change Orders.
• Remediation of the lower-level door head which exhibited evidence of deflection, by providing several options for repair and replacement, an approach similar to the one used on the slab bearing at the existing building wall.
• Additional repairs to area way walls and steps to ameliorate water freeze/thaw damage and associated impact on the new slab support walls.