Undertaking a Building Restoration Project
If you have chosen to take on a restoration project make sure you are considering all the details involved. Careful planning must be considered, as each building can present in its own set of unique challenges. Often time, upon proper inspection, discoveries such as mould, wood rot, water damage or unexpected hazardous materials make special considerations necessary throughout the building process.
So, how do you make sure your building restoration goes off without a hitch, or without the potential for costly repairs down the road? Working closely with highly trained engineering firm is often the best way to mitigate challenges upfront and guarantee a safe renovation. Here’s a little insight into the process, and how an engineering firm can help:
Start with the Right Info
As per the Building Maintenance Bylaws, as mandated by the City of Calgary, initial assessments of the property being restored are vital to ensuring a safe building and construction process. Therefore, the first step of any restoration project involves gathering as much information as possible regarding the building. This includes construction plans, operation and maintenance manuals, documented user experiences, and more. Engineers use these documents to determine the methods and materials used in the building’s envelope. Since not all envelope systems are cross-compatible, it’s important to ensure that the exact specifications of your materials are known so that the restoration design fits your property’s exact needs.
Design with Confidence
Since your engineers will have reviewed all relevant documentation for your structure, designing your building’s new envelope can now take place, taking into account the permanent structural elements, as well as the needed additions, etc. Overall, the design’s goal is typical to stay close to the original aesthetic while maintaining a budget friendly build. This can be difficult depending on the existing layout, materials used, restriction of access to certain areas of the building, and a variety of other potential complications that make close attention to detail and a solid knowledge of building envelope a necessity.
Revise as Necessary
During the design process, plans will be revised several times before they are approved by the owner, municipality, and any other relevant governing bodies. Once the design is finalized and approved by all parties, building envelope engineers are still able to assist through the kickoff and duration of your project by advising subcontractors on envelope best practices, conducting periodic inspections, checking the installation of insulation and vapour barriers, and doing a final inspection before the building envelope is sealed. All inspections are capped off with a full report detailing the items inspected, site conditions, and any problems located, along with proposed solutions.
Seal of Approval
Once all inspections are complete, building envelope engineers like Orata’s team of experts will provide a letter of compliance to indicate that the building is compliant with all codes and applicable standards.
Partnering with a reputable building engineering firm allows you peace of mind throughout the building restoration process. Learn more by contacting our team today!