CB Flooring, Inc. -- February 7, 2012

Urban legend said that the floors were sanded down as far as they would go. As we planned for the renovation, after much deliberation on the design team, general contractor, and flooring specialists, the School elected to "save" the old pine floors and take a chance that they could be refinished. Monarc Construction, our general contractor, selected CB Flooring to handle the restoration work on the floors.

CB Flooring is working wonders on the School's fine old pine floors. Amazing craftsmanship.

The small sanding machine takes off a very small amount of wood.

Multiple choices for the final stain. The horizontal stain is the original flooring; the vertical samples are on new pine flooring.

The floor in the former First Grade, soon-to-be Music Room. The wood has been stripped but not yet stained or varnished.

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 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.

Chimneys Ahoy! -- November 7, 2011

4th Floor, West Chimney. The library is to the right and the corridor leading to the former Humanities classroom is on the left.

The Library.

The Library.

West side of the School looking across 2nd Street, SE. The chimney tilts towards South Carolina Avenue, SE.



In my October 19th post I included a photograph showing the masonry beginning to bulge on the 4th floor's west chimney. The situation quickly deteriorated as the wall began to fail. With the wall bulging out to the north not unsurprisingly the chimney above the roof line began a serious tilt south. Monarc Construction was quick to provide progressively more substantial supports to buttress the wall and hold the chimney in place.

Initially in the design process the School's architects and engineers planned to take down the chimneys as we rebuilt the structural supports through the center of the School to open up space for enlarged classrooms. The chimneys would then be reconstructed. As the project underwent the value-engineering (VE) process we decided on a different approach, one that would retain enough of the chimneys' core to support new structural steel and the existing chimneys. This approach, we expected, would save time and cost less than dismantling and rebuilding the chimneys. Once the wallboard was removed from the west chimney on Levels Three and Four and the cutting began Monarc Construction concluded the remaining bricks and very old mortar were not stable enough to carry the load. When the wall on the 4th floor began to buckle and the chimney began to tilt work in this area was stopped until the experts completed their review and proposed solutions.

Linton Engineering LLC examined the crumbling structure, the original architectural plans, completed then reviewed its recommendations with cox graae + spaak, the School's architects, Monarc Construction,the contractor, and the School's project management team. For the west chimney, then, we return to our original design: the chimney above the roof line will be taken down and the interior chimney supports will be dropped down to Level 3. Level 4 supports will be rebuilt with reinforced masonry block of sufficient strength to support a reconstructed chimney. The east chimney, which was damaged in the earthquake, will also be reinforced.

Seasonal Greetings from Monarc Construction -- October 19, 2011

The men of Monarc Construction added seasonal touch to their sign in front of the Dent School.

Demo and Steel Wrap-up October 19, 2011

Monarc Construction has finished nearly all the demolition work planned for the interior of the Dent Building. Wow! Do we now have space! Most of the steel has gone in to replace the brick and mortar infrastructure. Today two very long I-beams are being installed in the loft -- one runs from the northeast corner of the building to the center of the great space and the second runs from the southwest corner of the building to the center of the great space. With this installation we can remove several of the former wood supports making the 4th Floor area "support free." It will no longer look like a reconverted attic.

As I have mentioned in several posts over the past few months the most dramatic enhancement to the Dent Building is to the core structure inside the front door running from Level 1, the former Reception Area, through the entrance foyer, stairs to nowhere, and to the Rose Window Room.

The vision is taking shape as you can see in the following pictures:

This picture is taken from Level 1 looking towards the existing front door. The structural steel will support the new entrance foyer and reception area. The structural steel at the higher elevation supports the flooring for the Head of School and Registrar's Offices.

The foyer area is framed and ready for concrete to be poured. The two vertical plywood panels protect the front doors from construction damage. We plan to replicate the terrazzo flooring that was in the original Dent Building.

Looking up towards Level 3 you see the framing to support the Rose Window Room. The space between the steel beams, below, and the wood joists, above, will be offices for the Head of School and the Registrar.

Et Voilà! The Rose Window Room is now level with the rest of Level 3 and the foyer area is substantially wider.

This shot is from the landing in the rear stairwell looking down to the entrance to Level 3. Note all the different patching that has been done over the years as this entrance has been modified. We have moved it again in this project.

This is the west chimney as seen from the library. It is a little wobbly right now and has some temporary support.

With the steel in and the walls buttressed the concrete trucks are delivering load after load to complete the footings and level the floors.

Dent Renovations -- August 29 - September 2

I have posted pictures of the scaffolding Monarc Construction has erected in the Dent Building to temporarily support the School and permit new, permanent steel supports to be installed. Construction work is a dangerous profession, and this message hit home during the earthquake. Imagine the momentary abject fear the men in this building experienced during the earthquake; they believed that the noise and shaking was the building collapsing on their heads.

Fortunately for the men and for our construction project the shoring and remaining bricks and mortar held. Following a structural inspection of the building only a portion of the chimney was damaged and had to be removed.

A substantial amount of structural steel is in place in Level 1. Installing supports in an existing building has to be carefully engineered and completed by skilled workers.

Photos:

1. Structural steel in the parking lot awaiting installation.

2. Dumpster of bricks and mortar. A significant portion of the Dent Building has left the School in dumpsters.

3. The former ASP/SC Office is in the foreground looking towards the PreKindergarten classroom. All those skinny poles, the shoring, held up the three floors above during the earthquake.

4. New structural steel installed in the ceiling of the Kindergarten classroom.

5. The elevator pit.

6. The "dead space" between the Science Room and the 5th Grade. A steel beam will replace the wall on the right and this space will be incorporated in the former 5th Grade to create the new Science Laboratory.

Dent Renovations -- Chimney Removal -- August 30, 2011

Monarc's Ronnie and Kyle high up in a cherry picker to guide a crane to the Dent School's chimney that was damaged by the earthquake. Linton Engineering, LLC, evaluated the structure following the earthquake and has recommended that the unstable portion of the chimneys' crown be removed before Monarc can continue structural work inside the building. The two chimneys are so unstable that there is risk that construction vibration could crumble the chimneys damaging the School's original slate roof.

The crane and cherry picker's arrival on site was delayed as they were deployed to aid in tree removal and PEPCO power restoration. What will be next?

Dent Renovation Progress July 25 - 29

Monarc Construction estimates that it has completed 77% of the demolition work. Nothing remains of the center core but a small pile of rubble. Excavation work on the footings and the elevator shaft shows progress as well.

Picture Captions:

1. Elevator pit. The elevator pit is at the former entrance to the Kindergarten classroom.

2. Loft "Great Space" Sunlight streaming in on the upper left is from the library entrance. The ladder on the right is where the drama closet used to be.

3. The Science Room minus (or now including) the Head of School's former office.

4. The PE Office.

5. Level One. The small opening on the left is the entrance to the PreK under-the-stairwell storage space. The remaining rubble is where the Receptionists' Office was. The construction debris and dirt unearthed from the footings is carried out bucket by bucket by the demolition crew.

Dent Renovation Progress - July 18 - 22

During the week of July 18 - 22 Monarc Construction continued demolition work in the Dent Building. The classrooms have been restored to their original size -- no more Level 3 bathrooms, the staff room is gone, the manny office is no more. Wow -- the rooms are large! The final design will retain much of the space that has been created through the demo process.

The most dramatic aspect of this phase is the work on the central core running from the main entrance foyer and steps up to Level 2, the Business Office and the Rose Window Room. This entire space is now open. The Head of School's office, an enlarged Rose Window area, and what should be a dramatic entrance foyer will be constructed in this space.

Scrolling through the photographs:

1. Monarc's artist-in-residence has protected the Rose Window symbol over the Level 2 rear exit door.

2. Monarc was surprised to "discover" this new stairway that was not on any plan. It is the former PreK storage closet.

3. Dumpsters come and go as the rubble is moved offsite.

4. The near area is the former secure storage room behind the Receptionist's Office. The far stairwell connected Levels 1 and 2.

5. This is the former Drama Closet on Level 4. The elevator will be located in this spot.

6. Recycled brass hardware from the interior classroom doors.

7. Refinished interior doors that will be reused following renovations.

Kickoff for Construction -- June 22, 2011

Monarc Construction will report to work at the Dent School on Tuesday, June 22nd to begin our building renovation project.

Schedule:

Week of June 22 - June 24: Salvage Work -- Clean out all of the interior furniture, fixtures, remaining classroom items and detritus from the Dent Building. This is called the "Make Safe" phase.

Week of June 27 - July 1: Interior Demolition will begin. Footings will be dug. Interior structural steel will be delivered.

I will keep the schedule updated as many weeks in advance as is feasible.

Monarc Construction -- Footing Evaluation, May 21, 2011

Ron Wetzel, Site Superintendent, Monarc Construction, along with Ron, Jr. and Kyle spent Saturday morning, May 21st, examining the foundation of the Dent School.

After digging down through the basement floor the team discovered that Dent was built upon a substantial layer of rock and cobblestone (visible on the right of the footing picture)covered with cement before the brick interior structural wall began. Ron judged the footing quite satisfactory. Pictures, measurements, and final calculations will be used by the engineers to determine the amount of additional steel needed to support the building. Most of the masonry for the chimneys will be removed to add additional classroom space.

Wetzel will be Monarc's Site Superintendent for the Day School's construction project.