Capitol Hill Day School Building Addition

Through the upcoming renovation of the Dent building, the School will realize a long term strategic goal of supporting and strengthening our programs by improving and updating our facility.


The School has established this blog to inform parents, friends, neighbors, and students of the status of the project. Please check the site often or subscribe to the RSS feed for notification of when new items are posted.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Fire and Life Safety -- January 31, 2012

A strategic objective of the Dent Renovation Project was to install a sprinkler system in the facility. This objective has overcome many obstacles in the road to conclusion. Today the underground water tank that will provide a supplemental source of water should the sprinkler system activate was delivered. One big water bottle.

The installation project -- digging the hole for the tank, shoring it, and piping the water to the pump unit in the Dent School boiler room, and providing an underground cable connection between the two School buildings is in the capable hands of Creative Pipe Fitting Solutions, Inc., Clinton, MD.



The contractor has begun work on the site; the tank will be buried under a section of the side yard play equipment between the Dent Building and the 214 Townhouse.


Site prep well underway. Monarc Construction built housing to protect the air condenser units.


Disassembled play equipment.


The water storage tank awaiting unloading.


Down the alley the tank comes!


The workmen were very careful to avoid the overhead power lines as well as protect the brick from the bulldozer treads.



Level 4 HVAC Units -- January 31, 2012

One of the strategic objectives of the Dent Renovation Project is to improve the heating and air conditioning of the facility. The 4th Floor has received significant emphasis with the installation of R-30 insulation and the design of a high-efficiency unit to both heat and cool. Level 4 will have a brand new, state of the art, system. Today we take delivery of the air handling units that will be installed over the common space in the loft. Just in time!



An intermediate objective will be getting these units up four floors. Clover Contracting has its work cut out.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Head of School's Office -- January 24, 2012

A thoughtful design element is the window on the south side of the Head of School's office. Adds light and gives the illusion of extra space. The main entrance to the Dent Building is in the lower portion of the photo.


Millwork -- January 24, 2012

Installing the mill-work is a slow, accurate process to make sure that it all fits in the space and is plumb. Of course these tasks follow the incredibly difficult juggling act to get the mill-work up the stairs and through the doors without denting or chipping any of it. Some of the pieces are huge.


This installation is in the 3rd Grade classroom recessed in the space previously occupied by the center core chimney.


This cubby unit is in the new 5th Grade classroom, last year's Science classroom. Check out the floor; note the outline of the wall that used to separate the former Science Classroom from the Head of School's Office.

Rose Window Room -- January 24, 2012

The "new, improved, enlarged" Rose Window Room is coming together bit-by-bit every day. Looking Good!



Stair Railing -- January 24, 2012

New stair railings have been fabricated and delivered. Installation is the next step!

Parking Lot -- January 24, 2012

The staff parking lot is a jumble of building supplies, equipment, trucks, and trash. A far cry from the rows of faculty and staff cars when the site is occupied by faculty, staff, and students.



White is the predominant color choice for contractor vehicles, it seems.


In the center of this picture you can see the slate chimney caps. Once the chimneys are back up a crane will return to lift these heavy caps back up and in their original places.

Level 1 Flooring -- January 24, 2012

The final coat of sub-flooring was poured overnight and the crew is completing a fine polish on the surface. Hard to believe after all the discussion this aspect of the renovation project entailed that the job is near completion. I have learned that the Level 1 floor is now "flat," a distinction from "level."



The surface is scheduled for completion Thursday, January 26th.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Level 1 Flooring - January 23, 2012

In the complex web of firms working on the Dent renovation project, Monarc Construction, our general contractor, subbed the flooring to CB Flooring, Columbia, MD. CB in turn subbed to floor preparation to Sub-Floor Solutions, Inc., of Atlanta, GA.

Sub-Floor Solutions, Inc., arrived on site Friday, January 20th and informed Monarc that all of the existing leveling materials on Level 1 needed to be removed so the moisture barrier could be installed directly on the original concrete flooring. The material that Sub-Floor planned to use to seal the floor would have caused the layers of leveling agents that have been added over the years to deteriorate with the result that the moisture seal would have failed.

The exercise resembled an archaeological dig. The Monarc crew found wood supports for abandoned steam lines from the original heating system, areas where there was but a concrete skim over dirt, and in other areas several layers of leveling material.

Today, Monday, the floor is sealed and the crew from Sub-Floor will pour the material that will result in a flat surface on which the finished flooring can be installed.


The layers of leveling agent that had to be taken up. This product was most likely that which was installed several years ago by Dominion Floors, Inc., Arlington, VA, when the School removed the Pergo flooring in Level 1 corridors and installed simulated oak linoleum.


Below the leveling agent, shown above, is some of the original concrete covering the wood framing for the steam piping.

Photo: Courtesy of Mark Bellingham, Monarc Construction


A portion of the Level 1 flooring subsurface removed by the Monarc crew.



The hardworking team from Sub-Flooring Solutions, Inc.


The shiny new moisture barrier.


The shiny new moisture barrier.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Pack-up to return to Dent -- January 13, 2012


Friday, January 13th faculty and staff began to pack up teaching and office supplies at the Mods to return to Dent. Paxton Van Lines delivered supplies earlier in the week. The excitement is beginning to build!

Library Flooring -- January 18, 2012


Work progressed on rebuilding the west chimney to the point where the subflooring in the library could be stabilized.

Stairwell Enhancements -- January 18, 2012


This grillwork will be added to the emergency stairwells on both the north and south sides of the building. New treads will be added as well to give the stairs a more finished look.

Millwork Installation -- January 18, 2012






The custom mill work was cut and assembled off-site then delivered to Dent School for installation.

The cabinets and shelving were built by Clark's Lumber & Millwork, Inc., 7422 Commerce Way, Ruther Glen, VA 22546

Thursday, January 5, 2012

ADA Access -- 2nd Street, SE Entrance


Robin McGrew, cox, graae + spaak, architects, and Mark Bellingham, Project Manager, Monarc Construction, wrap up discussion items from today's Project Meeting at the School's ADA entrance at the rear of the Dent Building. You may recall that there used to be steps down to the sidewalk grade from the parking lot in this spot.

Handicap access to the Dent Building and handicap access within the building are major goals of this renovation project.

Interactive White Boards -- January 5, 2012


The electricians have run the conduit for the interactive whiteboards that will be installed in most elementary and upper school classrooms. There are plugs for electricity and computer cable. This is the 4th Grade.

Millwork -- January 5, 2012



The millwork crew is everywhere. Doors are framed and bolted in. Our floorboard design includes a small recessed area through which all the electrical cables run to enable us to take off the unsightly surface mounted wiring we had and avoid the necessity to channel into the plaster walls. Design credit to the architects for this good idea. The former PreK/K classroom is now millwork central. All of the built-in cabinets were assembled offsite and will be delivered for permanent installation very soon.

Light Fixtures -- January 5, 2012



We did not replace the ceiling light fixtures during the 1998-2000 renovations. Since then the fixtures became totally obsolete. Lighting technology evolved as LEED standards set lighting standards for classrooms and fixtures and bulbs became more energy efficient. Our new lights will be just spectacular. Most will be equipped with motion sensors to turn on (but more importantly off) when a room is not in use.

HVAC -- January 5, 2012


We hope for a dramatically improved climate control system in the renovated Dent Building. This picture shows the duct work in the Level 3 Foyer area, giving a good idea of the careful attention to wrapping and taping of the ducts to minimize heat and cooling loss. Our former venting was not insulated. This will aid with sound attenuation as well.

Edgy Kennedy Space Center look.

IT Installation -- January 5, 2012


The School and its information technology partner, Community IT Innovators (CITI), selected Disconnect Reconnect LLC, Fairfax, Virginia, to install the wiring to hook up our computer system. A rational, organized, reliable network backbone for the School's computers is one of the primary objectives we hope to obtain in the renovations. Wiring Dent is one part of Disconnect Reconnect's responsibilities. Wiring between Dent and the adjacent townhouse will be placed underground (no more ugly wires hanging between the buildings) and the townhouse wiring will be upgraded as well.

The picture shows the terminal for computer wires, our IT Frame Room, located on Level 1 about in the same place of the former Receptionist Office where Michael and Barbara used to sit.

CB Flooring -- Hard at Work, January 5, 2012





CB Flooring, Columbia, Maryland, is the subcontractor Monarc Construction selected to complete the flooring for the renovated Dent Building. They began work this week on the pine wood floors. We elected to retain the original pine wood floors; as many of the doors and walls have been moved from the building's initial design the flooring must shift as well. In these pictures you see the flooring as the floorboards are removed, trimmed, nails removed, and cycled for reuse.

January 5, 2012 -- The Elevator


The Elevator -- Level 1


The Elevator -- Level 2


The Elevator -- Level 3


The Elevator -- Level 4

The elevator has been installed. Best yet, it works. Verizon will come on January 17th to hook up its telephone line, it will then be inspected, and then it will be commissioned into service. Wow.