Ocean House Condominium

Ocean House Condominium
Ormond By The Sea

A 16 year old post tension structure situated on the ocean, with privacy walls constructed from metal studs, lathe and plaster. Through reasons of roof leakage and inadequate protection, salt water intrusion caused weakening and metal corrosion in the vertical members. It became necessary to remove the decorative walls and replace them, after fortification of the footers with a poured concrete mix wall. Several areas of insufficiently covered post tension cable and rebar presented additional problems. On engineering reviews, we were advised to adopt cautionary methods of repair. This required repairs to be done in segments of 18" in length by the width of the repair, utilizing epoxy grouts for additional strength and waterproofing ability.

Consequent tasks involved the exposure of the post tension anchor plates at selected sheer walls. Access was gained by swing stage equipment which allowed us to conduct the necessary testing and repair. A very interesting condition was encountered on the north wall of the south building. The first floor unit was experiencing heavy water leakage during rain events and the outside wall displayed signs of dropping (first floor only). The engineer requested that we check the footers beneath the wall - we did - there were none! The remainder of the floors were all correctly supported on columns but the first floor walls were floating. Engineering called for jacking the walls and casting footers in three locations. An additional insurance was gained by pumping specialized urethane grouts into the soil to stabilize the loose sand.

Further projects completed in 2007/2008 involved the parking garage and the parking deck. A major crack had appeared on the parking deck. A local engineer drew plans for the repair, which involved new columns and beams in the garage, plus post tension repair and waterproofing installations.

We are very proud of Ocean House, the crew's dedication to quality, and the board of this condominium who have displayed incredible resolve in not shying from the inevitable and finding ways of getting the job done.