Waldorf Condominium Association

Monday, May 6th, 2013 by Jazz Pared

Challenge

Super Storm Sandy was a massive storm which devastated homes, buildings, and businesses along the Jersey Shore in the fall of 2012. The Waldorf Condominium in Ortley Beach sits on dunes along the Jersey Shore, and was left devastated following the hurricane. Every unit on the first floor had severe water damage and sand intrusion. Concrete walls were cracked throughout the complex and sand was scoured away from under the building. Other areas of the building had major failure of timber pilings and concrete walls. Some of the destruction was non-repairable while the little that was left had a chance to be saved and repaired. The condominium association was faced with the decision to knock down the entire structure or salvage and repair it.

Solution

The homeowner association at the Waldorf complex had decided to demolish the sections that were completely devastated and restore the areas with less significant damage. One area of the building along Second Avenue was undermined and left the footings of the foundation suspended in the air. Quality 1st Basement Systems installed 5 Foundation Supportworks Helical Piers to support the building. Four (4) of the piers were installed on the exterior of the building with small equipment and one (1) was installed in the interior using hand held equipment. The piers were advanced down to stable soils to support the weight of the building. On the opposite side of the building two walls were cracked due to crashing waves and high winds. Quality 1st Basement Systems installed ten (10) CarbonArmorTM Straps System to reinforce a wall that was in good shape, but suffered minor damage from the storm. In just 4 days the Quality 1st team was able to support the footing of one of the undermined buildings, allowing homeowners on the upper floors to safely enter their homes and begin the rebuilding process. The walls that were reinforced allowed other contractors to begin framing, electrical and HVAC work so homeowners on the ground floor could also begin their rebuilding.