Page 12 - NY Cooperator Expo April 2019

12 THE COOPERATOR —APRIL 2019 COOPERATOR.COM L ike people, buildings age. Even under the best of circumstances, weather – particularly water, in the form of rain, snow, and ice – followed by or com- bined with extremes in temperature can do permanent damage to facades, cornices, parapets and other ornamental features, as well as to rear and side elevations. These problems can be exacerbated by design flaws or neglected maintenance. Often, it’s not until a thorough inspection, a leak is- sue – or worse, an incident where some- thing falls from a facade and strikes some- one on the ground below – that the signs of a problem become evident. That’s why it’s so crucial that the signs are noticed before damage is done. The Causes of Facade Deterioration “Structurally, a lot of issues we come across may be due to improper design,” says Rhocel Bon, a senior associate at Klein & Hoffman, a national engineering firm with offices in Chicago and Philadelphia. “We see flaws resulting from design, and even more from lack of maintenance, or deferred maintenance. With brick buildings for ex- ample, if there isn’t a tuckpointing program, you’ll find that after some years, the mortar joints start to weather. Water enters the wall cavity, which can cause problems to the un- derlying steel.” Tuckpointing is a maintenance method for mortar joints that involves removing the outer inch or so of existing mortar and replacing it with new mortar. The existing mortar must be tested first, to insure that the strength of the new and old mortar is the same. Bon explains that applying re- placement mortar that is stronger than the original material will only cause additional problems. The same is true of the converse; the new mortar shouldn’t be weaker than the old mortar either. “Most of the time, the biggest factor in New York City—as well as other cold cli- mates—is the freeze,” says Eric Janczyk of Nova Restoration, a facade maintenance and restoration company located in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. “Both heat and cold have their own issues. In winter, you have the snow and ice hitting the build- ing, and moisture can infiltrate the build- ing. Then it freezes up and can expand, causing pressure from within the walls, that can in turn cause areas of the facade to bulge and displace. Rain can also get behind the bricks, which can create struc- tural issues behind the facade. Exposure to the elements – sun, wind, rain, and snow – impacts sealants, making them age more quickly. The sealants can become ‘gummy.’ This is especially true on east-facing facades and elevations. Be it cold or warm weather, water can then cause erosion of the under- lying steel.” Another cause of deterioration on fa- cades is pollution, though that damage is mostly aesthetic. The effects of pollution on stone – particularly limestone – are well known. It can turn the normally buff-col- ored stone black. The stone is porous and made more so by the effects of pollution, further weakening the facade and facilitat- ing water infiltration leading back to the problems described above. The Useful Life of a Facade ‘Useful life’ is a concept from account- ing and appraisal that assesses how long something can realistically last, given the environmental stressors and regular wear- and-tear it’s subjected to on a daily basis. Nothing lasts forever – and different build- ing components have different useful lives. For example, the useful life of a roof might be 25 to 30 years, while the longevity of a boiler might be 40 or even 50 years. Ac- cording to Janczyk: “The life of a facade is initially 50 to 60 years – but many build- ings built in the 1970s didn’t demonstrate that. A lot of them were constructed with poorly-made glazed brick, and a lot of them are need of repair now. In those buildings, the useful life of the facade is more like 25 or 30 years. That’s the result of poor con- struction and/or poor materials. Who built a property, when it was built, and what it was built of are all major factors.” Repairing and Maintaining Your Facade Both Janczyk and Bon suggest that fa- cades, as well as side and rear elevations, be inspected for damage assessment every three to five years, whether they fall un- der required local inspection guidelines or not. They both agree that newer buildings should be inspected a little more often than not, as older buildings were simply built better. If a problem or defect is found, in most cases the first step will be to install a build- ing canopy—also known as a sidewalk shed or a girdle—to prevent anyone from being struck by falling building materials. Over the past few decades there have been in- cidents of facade collapse causing fatal in- juries all over the country. These tragedies could have been avoided with regularly scheduled inspections and the installation of canopies. While no-one likes the cano- pies, and many municipalities are seeking to limit the time an owner can keep one up around their building, they are a necessary eyesore. “Despite complaints, we are not overdoing it with canopies,” says Janczyk. “The first priority,” says Bon, “is to secure any kind of hazard that may fall. Then we go up with scaffolding and touch the surface to see if anything is displaced. With masonry you are looking for corrosion, rust, etc. We check the sealant around parapets and win- dows. Terracotta is difficult to inspect, be- cause much of the seal isn’t visible. We test it by sound and feel. We do something similar with concrete. We tap it. Dilapidated con- crete has a distinct sound.” Beginning restoration work depends on what problems are found. Much of it also depends on the client and how soon they want to act – which is one reason sidewalk canopies often stay up so long. The cost of repairs can be high, and the property owner may want to protect against liability from falling debris, but not complete the work immediately. Bon says he has seen building owners and administrators delay recom- mended work for as long as a year, depend- ing on the client’s financial situation and sense of urgency. For his part, Janczyk points out that it makes sense to complete all the work nec- essary at one time regardless of the costs, because if you don’t, each time you do some portion of the work, you will have to put up and take down the canopy, which is a very expensive proposition. “Once you’ve done the mobilization for the project, it’s best to Facade Restoration Taking Care of Your Building’s Exterior BY A J SIDRANSKY LANDSCAPING, LAWN CARE & CURB APPEAL/EXPO ISTOCKPHOTO.COM