Building Envelope Rehabilitation

We are currently involved in a condominium repair project.  The scope of work includes removing existing stucco and wood siding.  The original design called for replacing the siding with hardie panels and corrugated metal siding.  As soon as we started demolition we discovered the building had no structural sheeting (plywood) and was sheeted with gyp board throughout.  This made the original design problematic as without plywood sheeting you must nail the siding to the studs which eliminates any chance for panel alignment and decorative screw patterns.  With re sheeting the building with plywood not within the budget the design was changed to horizontal hardie plank siding.  Different exposures are being used on various elevations with paint color variations to create an interesting texture in keeping with the original design.  There was still a need to add studs at inside corners and wall ends to allow for vertical trim and a nailer for the end of the siding planks.  This approach was more cost effective than re sheeting the entire building but still resulted in a cost increase.  The lesson here is if you have an older building (in this case circa 1970s) it pays to do some destructive investigation to determine the wall assemblies as the original drawings for the building indicated plywood sheeting.  Times were tough during the time the building was constructed, corners were cut and materials downgraded to lower costs.  Knowing the existing construction deficiencies and defects would have been helpful during the design and budgeting phase.  Fortunately we have a responsive construction team (Architect, HOA, and GC) and have been able to quickly implement the appropriate design changes to provide for a cost effective solution without sacrificing the design intent.

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