Masonry Maintenance Budgets and Seismic Code Upgrades
The Earthquake in Mexico City Should Have You Thinking
Marty Smith | VanWell Masonry, Inc. | Vendor Member
If you own a masonry building, you are more aware of a few details about your building than you were a few years ago. By now you are aware of how your building is constructed, and whether it is a brick veneer or a structural masonry building. If not, I suggest you get a hold of a structural engineer, or call me and I will have a look. Just so we are clear: If your building has a brick veneer, it is not considered a masonry building and will not fall under the coming code upgrade requirements. However, if the framing and roof are dependent on the masonry to hold it up, then it is a masonry building, and will be subject to upgrade at some level.
This story is created around one of my client’s recent requests for future budget numbers from us. As the manager of a significant historic masonry condominium building on Queen Anne Hill, he is very diligent in his budgeting for the future maintenance needs, so the condo owners are not surprised or hit with unexpected capital improvement bills. This manager has been doing his job for years and is very thorough. We are currently scheduled to complete the last half of a specific maintenance project next year (terra-cotta restoration).
In addition, he had us give him the restoration numbers for the remainder of the terra-cotta on the building over a 4-year period (as mentioned, it is a significant building). He recently got a hold of me to start helping him put together the repointing budget over a 6–8 year time frame starting in 2024! Man, talk about thinking ahead.
This building is constructed of unreinforced masonry (URM). It may, or may not fall within the purview of the rules that are soon to be enacted within the city of Seattle. I have advised him to put everything else on hold until he, as well as the board, have done an analysis of what is coming, talked to an engineer, and at least begun the discussion about budgeting for the future.
As I have indicated, this building has an unknown construction type. We know that the walls are constructed throughout with brick, making it eligible, but don’t know if the building framing is concrete. This would eliminate it from being a URM by current definition. Therefore, it is critical to talk to an engineer.
The city council has finally decided that the URM issue has risen to the top of the list. Of course, with the mayor stepping down and a new mayor coming into office, things have slowed again. However, it is generally thought that the clock is going to start ticking in 2018. As is usually the way, once Seattle passes its code ordinance, the rest of western Washington, and possibly the rest of the state, will fall into line.
As a responsible building owner or manager, you are scheduling out for some years with projected maintenance projects. If you own or manage a URM building, now is the time to have it looked at. If even a third of the building owners and managers we have already talked to decide to commit to a retrofit, VanWell Masonry will be booked out for 4–5 years.
A word of caution: I have seen this before after the Nisqually quake. Be leery of all contractors. Do your homework. In the next few years, there is going to be an influx of new companies that “specialize in seismic retrofits.” Ask for references. Look at their work. Talk to the owners, managers, and board members. I am still fixing work done by some of the so-called masons from after the Nisqually quake. It is better to get in line and wait than do it twice. As long as you are diligent, the city will work with you.
VanWell Masonry’s Restoration division has over 100 years’ cumulative experience in Western Washington, restoring and preserving masonry structures. From commercial to multi-family and single family — we will analyze it all. For inquiries, please email: info@vanwellmasonry.com or call: (360) 568–6400.
