Shore Crest Condominium is a residential condominium in St. Petersburg, Florida. As part of the building’s Milestone Inspection, BillerReinhart Engineers evaluated the ground-level columns that support the structure above the parking level. They found widespread distress across the first level.
To confirm the extent of the damage, BillerReinhart Engineers physically sounded and marked 13 ground-level columns. Each showed signs of stucco delamination, concrete spalling, and/or substantial structural deterioration. Several columns had deteriorated more severely and were subject to destructive testing as part of a Milestone Phase 2 in order to determine the extent of deterioration and make informed recommendations on repair methods and shoring. Delaminating areas detected on several columns were determined to be limited to stucco deterioration only.
These findings established the scope of work for the 1st Level Column Restoration Project. It paired structural concrete restoration with stucco repair, all carried out under threshold inspection.
Throughout the restoration, BillerReinhart Engineers made periodic threshold inspection visits to the site. At each visit, they checked the Contractor’s progress against the Construction Documents. Where the field conditions differed from the original assumptions, BillerReinhart directed the repair and produced engineered details to match.
The work began by sorting the columns. Each was sounded and marked, separating those that needed structural concrete repair from those that needed only stucco repair. Select columns were already shored based on recommendations made during the Milestone Inspections and shoring drawings and details prepared by BillerReinhart. BillerReinhart called for additional shoring to be installed for an additional column before any excavation began.
The Contractor then excavated the columns marked for structural repair. Loose concrete was removed until the corroded reinforcement was exposed down to clean steel. On the most deteriorated columns, the spiral reinforcement had lost substantial section, and the main vertical bars showed roughly 20 to 50 percent. BillerReinhart set the fix: replace the damaged spiral reinforcement, drill and epoxy supplemental vertical bars into the existing pile cap, and add concrete coverage where the repair sat beneath the asphalt parking lot slab. The exposed steel was cleaned, coated, and fitted with sacrificial anodes. BillerReinhart also produced engineered repair details so the field work reflected what was actually found on site.
On the stucco-only columns, the Contractor removed the delaminated stucco. BillerReinhart reviewed the concrete beneath and found it to be in good condition, with no signs of deterioration. Those columns were cleared for a new stucco finish. On the columns requiring structural repair, the cleaned reinforcement received Sika Armatec-110 EpoCem bonding primer and corrosion protection. BillerReinhart reviewed the application and confirmed it followed the Construction Documents.
With the steel protected, the Contractor prepared the surfaces to a surface-saturated-dry (SSD) condition using ICRI methods and applied a cement slurry. The concrete repair mortar (MasterEmaco T 1061EX) was then placed into the formed repair areas. Stucco repair mortar was applied elsewhere, as those columns came ready. Once the formwork was removed, BillerReinhart found the concrete repairs sound and well-bonded. A few small areas of mortar had not fully consolidated. BillerReinhart directed the Contractor to cut those out and rebuild them before application of the new stucco finish.
Attention then turned to the last structural repairs. The Contractor excavated the loose and spalled concrete, reaching below the asphalt parking lot slab where the damage continued. Shoring posts went in at the supported beam before the work went deeper. The excavation carried down to the lowest corroded reinforcement. The exposed steel was cleaned, coated, and fitted with sacrificial anodes, then the repair mortar was placed. BillerReinhart sounded the finished repairs, found them solid and well bonded, and cleared the columns for stucco finish and paint.
Through periodic threshold inspection, all 13 ground-level columns at Shore Crest Condominium were restored. The most deteriorated columns received full structural concrete repair. That meant new spiral reinforcement, supplemental vertical bars doweled into the existing pile caps, corrosion protection, and engineered repair details from BillerReinhart. The rest had their delaminated stucco removed, the concrete beneath checked, and a fresh stucco finish applied. As the project closed out, BillerReinhart and the Contractor reviewed the finished stucco and paint together.
Every repair was checked by sounding and visual review. Each was found sound, well-bonded, and generally in accordance with the Construction Documents. The completed restoration was documented in two signed and sealed Threshold Inspection Summary Reports.
Client
Shore Crest Condominium Association, Inc.
Location
St. Petersburg, Florida
Building Type
Residential Condominium
Scope
13 ground-level columns restored through structural concrete repair and stucco repair
Deliverables
Engineered Repair Details, Two Signed and Sealed Threshold Inspection Summary Reports
Our Engineers assess the condition, set the repair scope, and stay on site to confirm the work is done right.
