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February 23, 2007
Moving Right Along
Before any work started at the site we hired Don Friedman of Old Structures Engineering to do a structural analysis of the foundation and floor joists of the building. This engineering report and the structural drawings that resulted were used in lieu of architects plans to obtain DOB permits so that we could begin working on the building. After each floor is cleared of debris, Don and our contractor, Greg Toledo of Action Construction Corp., will meet to reassess the stability of the floor and see how much of the existing wood is salvagable. A fire from 1975 and the ensuing water damage did weaken a lot of joists, but a surprising number of them are in good condition. There is a certain romanticism to the idea of keeping as much of the original building intact as possible, particularly wooden beams that have held the floor up for over a hundred and fifty years. Stability comes first, but we will leave any joist that can continue to do its job properly. When the joists are replaced and the floor is level, a new 3/4 inch plywood subfloor will placed on top.
With the debris cleared out and the first set of subfloor down, it's easy to see how a gracious apartment layout fit easily into each side the building. I've seen the floorplans for how the units were laid out before the fire gutted the building. The building is forty feet wide and sixty-five feet deep with approximately twenty-six hundred square feet per floor. Subracting the hallways and various light shafts, each side-by-side apartment was roughly 1100 square feet. On the first floor where we are working, each unit may be slightly smaller because of the entry hallway, but they are still quite large.
Posted by broken angel at February 23, 2007 7:11 AM
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