1.Remove 2 to 3 feet of soil from the crawl space under the building.
2.Secure the G-Beams and make any other repairs in the crawl space.
3.Place French Drains around the entire building to move the rainwater directly to the drains preventing moisture from reaching the expansive soils beneath the building.
4.Supporting structural repair to the east end of the building.
5.Complete all interior and exterior repairs.
Hope this info helps you.
Rick Hagel/Chairman of Building E Committee for years 1 & 2.
Building E Summary and Remediation Plan
The outlook for building E over the past year has improved significantly. Since accepting the position as the Building E Chairman last year I have worked with three foundation repair companies as well as local structural and geotechnical engineers. Three foundation repair companies bid on the project and the La Vida HOA Board ultimately decided in favor of Hayward Baker, Inc. (HBI) not only because they came in with the lowest repair estimate of $250,000 but also because of the company's excellent reputation and extensive experience with micro pier technology. In addition, HBI was already familiar with the Building E situation, as they had done a preliminary investigation back in 2001.
In February of 2005 HBI representatives were on-site to assess the problem in more detail from underneath the building. Their engineers performed a caisson survey in the crawlspace, which had never been done previously but was necessary to understand what was going on with the structure and what actions should be taken to fix it. The caissons are concrete piers, which go deep into the ground and provide structural support for the building. The survey data revealed only a 3/4 -inch differential over the entire span of caisson supports. This means that the caissons have settled back down to nearly level. Based on this measurement HBI concluded that there was no need for them to intervene at this time. Furthermore, if LV HOA follows their engineer's recommendations there should be no need for any elaborate and expensive foundation repair in the future. The local structural and geotechnical consultants concurred with this assessment.
The HBI engineer speculated that at some point in the past there was an event or possibly a series of events where water was allowed to saturate the soil underneath and around building E. The swelling of the improperly compacted soil caused the caisson supports to heave upward and cause the evident structural damage. Therefore, the most important requirement in the remediation process will be to keep the soil underneath and around Building E as dry as possible to avoid any further damage to the structure. At this point the scope of the project has turned to preventative maintenance.
In May of 2005 the LV HOA Board selected Draeger Construction to follow through on HBI's recommendations. Draeger construction works exclusively with HOA's and has experience with structural restoration projects similar to that of building E's. The Draeger representative concurred with the HBI report and indicated that most structural problems these days are being fixed with proper drainage and waterproofing techniques as an alternative to installing expensive pier systems. Some action items for Draeger Construction will need to happen immediately before the summer monsoons begin:
1)Design and install a drainage system around building E.
2)Remove all excess soil underneath building E because it acts like a sponge and retains moisture.
3)Downspouts and gutters will need to be inspected, cleaned out and if necessary repaired to ensure that the rainwater from the roof is effectively diverted away from the foundation.
After steps 1-3 are complete some structural repair will occur underneath the building in the crawlspace- particularly on the east end. Floor joists and beams will be lifted up and reattached to the caisson supports. Another caisson survey should be performed after the monsoons to measure if there was any significant movement and demonstrate that the above steps were effective. At that point, further cosmetic repairs can begin: Interior repairs, cracks in the walls, damage to stucco and window replacement will all be addressed. The Drager representative also recommended coating the building with Elastomeric paint, which among other benefits, will help waterproof the structure. Other water considerations, which could potentially contribute to soil saturation, will also be addressed. For instance, the faulty Polybutylene pipe, which has been notorious for leaks throughout building E, will be replaced with superior Polyethylene line. The sewer line may also need to be inspected for leaks. Lastly, a desert landscape may become a requirement around the perimeter of Building E with the removal of non-native plants that require more water.
Christopher France
Building E Chairman
La Vida HOA Board
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Chris France took over the project for the third year and has now sold his unit and moved. We send him a very big "Thank You" for all of his hard work on this project and helping us to get to this point. He will also be missed as a member on the Board of Directors. We wish him all the best at his new home and in his future. Again, thank you Chris.
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