Project Spotlight - Wall Repair

We recently completed repair of a large retaining wall at Hamlin Court in Middletown. We'd gotten reports from residents about bricks and mortar popping out of the wall. When we inspected it, we discovered some pretty serious damage, and more importantly, a big safety concern. Water had gotten in behind the brick, and after many years of freezing and thawing, the wall was in very bad shape. Here are some photos:

We worked with several contractors to get bids on the project, and after a meeting with the Board, we hired a local company to work on the project. Their first step was to take down the brick facade. A dumpster was rented, and the demolition began. It became obvious pretty quickly that there were problems. Previously, a section of the wall had been repaired. When the brick face was removed, a pretty nice concrete wall was revealed, and it was cleaned up and painted. Not the case here! What we found was a mess ... broken bricks, concrete pieces and various debris in front of a decrepit concrete wall.

 

 

The contractor came up with a plan to remove the debris and repair the concrete wall in a way that would be stable and safe, yet remain affordable to the Association. First steps were to secure the wall to avoid a collapse, then put in wooden forms for the concrete.

 

Re-bar was added to support the new concrete ... LOTS of re-bar! Drain holes were added as well, to allow water to move away from the wall instead of building up behind it and freezing. The new concrete was poured. After a few days' drying time, the new wall was revealed.

The contractors moved on to the next section. Luckily, there was less debris behind the brick, and the concrete wall was in much better shape than the one next to it. Minor repairs were done, and the wall began to look really nice!

After a consultation with the Board about color and type of finish, a concrete stain that matched the brick building was chosen. Paint was also offered as an option, but the contractor felt that water might seep through the porous concrete and cause the paint to peel. Here's a photo of the wall after a couple of coats of the stain were applied.

We are so happy with how this project turned out, as are our clients. They were very pleased with the contractor's professionalism and attention to detail ... and how quickly the job was completed. What a great way to wrap up the warm weather season!