Unless your building is less than 40 years old, there is a very good chance that you will have some environmental remediation issues that will need to be addressed. At a minimum, you will have refrigerants and perhaps mercury thermostats and mercury-vapor light tubes to properly remediate.
Most likely you will need to secure the services of an industrial hygienist/testing agency to perform a survey on the property to identify known or suspect asbestos, lead, or other hazardous materials. It is vital that they do a thorough job and identify even suspect materials, provide a location of these materials, as well as an estimated quantity.
Many times, these testing agencies will perform what are called “non-destructive sampling” surveys. These are actually incomplete surveys that are done in cases where the building may be occupied or where there is concern over compromising the weather integrity of the building. As a result, window or joint caulking and glazing, roofing layers and membranes, pipe chases within walls, and flooring layers and mastics below existing floor finishes may all not be properly tested and identified as asbestos-containing materials.
These untested materials will still need to be abated, and project costs and schedule extensions can increase exponentially as a result of incomplete surveys. Here again, a reputable and experienced demolition/remediation subcontractor can help to identify such problem areas at bid time to help prevent unexpected costs and schedule impacts.
By using reputable contractors for your project, it will not be difficult to obtain extremely high recycling ratios. Concrete, masonry, stonework, terra cotta, and gravel can all be recycled and reused, sometimes right on site for subgrades, drainage, or roadways. All metallic material, to include ferrous and non-ferrous metals, wiring, piping light fixtures, MEP components, light-gage metal stud framing, aluminum ceiling grid, aluminum or steel window frames, curtainwall, or storefronts, and even rebar can and should all be recycled to the fullest extent possible.
In most cases, demolition materials such as drywall, ceiling tile, glass, or carpeting can not be recycled due to concerns of the recycling stream becoming contaminated by unknown asbestos or lead from older buildings. However, during the build-back or fit out of a renovation project, new scraps and extra new materials in the form of drywall, lumber, ceiling tiles, carpeting, glass, and insulation can often times be recycled to add to the project’s LEED score.
Occasionally, existing fixtures such as toilets, sinks, bathtubs, radiators, and other architectural components can be donated to local charities to help the needy.
During the course of a renovation or raze and re-build project, the local community can be either a great advocate or a formidable adversary. It is important to get off on the right foot with local interested parties and neighbors as early as possible.
You can do this in many ways. By notifying and keeping them informed of the plans for the future of the site, and the ways this will benefit them and enhance their community, you can assuage their fear of the unknown or of an unwanted development.
By working hard to ensure comprehensive MOT (maintenance of traffic) plans, you can help to alleviate the unavoidable traffic impacts that will occur from a major project in the neighborhood. By clear, concise marketing, advertising, and signage, you can keep the public informed and interested in the transition that is occurring daily before their eyes.
If a perimeter site barricade is required, consider creating safe viewing ports so that passersby can witness the progress of your project. The more informed and engaged you can keep the surrounding community, the better word of mouth advertising you will have for your endeavor!
Whatever type of project you may have in mind that requires change, modification, updating, or removal of your existing structure, ACECO can help. We are often asked to get involved in conceptual planning, providing rough-order-of-magnitude (ROM) costs for these conceptual plans, and helping to troubleshoot, sequence, and provide schedule input for projects from beginning to end.
We know from over 85 years of experience what types of conditions, trouble spots, and pitfalls to look out for, what contingencies to plan for, and how to perform complicated work in restricted spaces. Let us put our years of experience and stellar safety reputation to work for you. Contact us today for more information on how to get started.
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