FRIDAY HARBOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Prepared by John Gresseth Architects, Friday Harbor, WA September 22, 2011

Transcription

1 RECOMMENDATIONS OF CORRECTIVE MEASURES TO THE BUILDING OF FRIDAY HARBOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Prepared by John Gresseth Architects, Friday Harbor, WA September 22, 2011 Dear Superintendent Thompson and Members of the School Board: At the request of the Superintendent of Schools, Rick Thompson, this writer has prepared this report addressing facility problems at the Friday Harbor Elementary School. Recommendations are based on site inspections carried out by myself with assistance from Bob Carroll, Lead Custodian and on the recommendations of the following consultant reports: * Jim Merfeld, PE, United Energy Engineers. "HVAC System Report and Options" dated * Larry Covey, WSU Extension Energy Program. "Review of United Energy Engineers Report", dated * Rich Prill, WSU Extension Energy Program. "School Indoor Environmental Walk-through Assessment..." dated (error, should be dated ). * Shane Heston, Canfield and Associates. "Loss Prevention Report" dated * Michael Caniglia, Field Engineer, Weatherholt and Associates, Inc.. "Roof Evaluation" dated Paul Iovan, Island Custom Builders, Inc. provided cost estimating services and obtained supplier pricing used in preparing cost estimates. The two major problem areas that were repeatedly identified in the consultant reports are water intrusion into the building and poor indoor air quality (high CO2 levels). At Friday Harbor Elementary School these two issues have reached serious proportions with teachers having to place buckets in their classrooms to catch rainwater and ventilating fans and heat pumps that don't work. Additionally,

2 there are a number of maintenance and appearance items that need attention and are identified in this report. The following recommended work items are listed in order of priority and cost figures include 7.8% WA State Sales Tax. 1. Roof: Includes new roof at main building and play shed, skylight repair, improved ridge venting, gutters, new siding at gable ends above roof and assumes 25% sheathing replacement... $314,474 The roof is the primary source of water intrusion. The low pitch of the existing roof requires special materials and methods to achieve an acceptable level of performance (30 year life). The last reroofing (about 9 years ago) did not use the right materials or installation methods. This was addressed in plans and specifications put to bid the Spring of 2011 but, due to it's high cost, work was postponed. Although not a result of poor roofing choices, the ventilation to the underside of the roof sheathing is inadequate. The current best case vent area is about 1/2 that required by code. This contributes to sheathing deterioration and mold and mildew. Presently, some sheathing is so 'soft' that one feel his foot may go thru the roof. The replacement of sheathing and providing increased ridge vent area is addressed in the cost estimate for re-roofing. Improving eave venting is in the siding price. Skylights: The skylights provide much natural light to interior spaces, such as the library, music room, corridors and 2 classrooms. Some glazing is broken, shades don't work, but almost all leak. They were improperly flashed during the re-roof 9 years ago. If properly flashed they should not leak. This issue is accounted for in the cost estimate for re-roofing. 2. Window and blind replacement: Vinyl frame windows, new wood liners, HVAC grilles and blinds...$148,130 the are The existing windows allow water into the sidewalls because of window design (non-nail flange, in-swing casement), installation method (set inside the framing) and poor flashing details. There other problems with the windows as well: the hardware is worn

3 and difficult to use, some of the exterior cladding is loose or missing, many blinds are failing and need replacement, all the screens need replacing and because of the removable storm sash design, require excessive custodial labor to clean. Also, the windows do not meet current energy standards. A new window would provide for a 'nail flange' design that would be superior to the existing units for keeping water out of the building. New windows will be 25% more energy efficient, more convenient to operate and reduce custodial labor. New window blinds are included. far Replacing the windows goes hand-in-hand with siding replacement to bring under control water intrusion at the building's sidewalls. Some investigation would be necessary to determine what modification is required where window vents are tied into the ventilation system. 3. Siding, trim and exterior paint: Replace existing siding and trim with pre-finished Hardi Plank siding, trim and building wrap at main building only and correcting blocked eave vents. Includes a $14,000 painting and a $15,000 sheathing and framing allowance... $175,024 The 'tight-knot cedar channel' siding as installed is a lowgrade, poor performing siding with a short useful life. Due to the configuration of a vertical, non-water shedding joint, water easily gets around the siding to reach the face of the sheathing. The siding on walls that are subject to extreme wetting-drying cycles is severely deteriorated, exhibiting extreme cracking, twisting and missing pieces. Included in the siding work is removal of soffits in order to free eave vents for required roof ventilation. blocked Re-siding the entire building with a pre-finished, durable siding material, like Hardi Plank over a high quality building wrap, properly installed, would perform and offer low maintenance cost. As stated in the commentary on windows, siding and window replacement work together in order to control water intrusion through the sidewalls. In conjunction with siding replacement, there is at least one area

4 (classroom #20 along the southwest building face) where the wall below the windows has rotted. Framing, interior finish, sheathing, insulation and siding will have to be replaced. It is likely other areas of sheathing and framing deterioration will be found during the process of re-siding. A $15,000 lump sum allowance has been included for this likely work. Cleaning, caulking and painting existing siding at the play shed is included in this price. 4. Indoor air quality: Replace existing pneumatic HVAC controls with a direct digital control system, main circulating pump controls for ondemand rather than continuous running, replace 8 heat pumps and repair/replace non-working fan motors...$205,251 Both Jim Merfeld of United Energy Engineers and Rich Prill of WSU Extension Energy Program identified a lack of fresh air and consequently high CO2 levels as a significant problem. There is consensus that the current pneumatic control system is the culprit. It is proposed to replace the pneumatic control system with a digital system that would control temperature and CO2 levels individually in all rooms. Additionally, it would be able to be monitored remotely to assure that all parts of the system are working correctly. Currently not all heat pumps are working. The School is 35 years old and typical life expectancy for a heat pump is yrs. 21 of the original 34 heat pumps have been replaced, and 8 or 9 are not working. One teacher I spoke with keeps portable electric heaters handy for when 'her' heat pump is not working. These heat pumps need to be replaced for a fully functional HVAC system. There are a number of non-working fan motors and other HVAC maintenance items that need to be corrected. 5. Plant material against building and minor re-grading: $4,528

5 Along the northwest and northeast faces of the building, plant material has grown up against the sidewalls and overhangs the gutter. They contribute to building deterioration, an environment more conducive to mold and mildew and the spread of fire. away Some plantings need to be removed, some pruned and some, like the vine maples along the northeast building face, moved farther from the building. There are some areas of soil-to-siding contact that require minor regrading to correct. 6. Exterior entrance doors: Work includes replacement of one set of corroded entrance doors, new weather stripping at all exterior doors, replacing and sealing leaking sill at kitchen door, adjusting exterior double doors, new closer at gym exterior door...$6, Plugged downspout drains: Assumes digging up and replacing 2 plugged rain leaders located outside the main southeast entrance. $3, Ceiling tiles and 't' bar grid: Replacing water stained, damaged and poorly fitted ceiling tiles. They lend a dingy, worn appearance to the interiors. In 2 locations the 'T' bar grid needs replacement or repair. $6, Sun control shades at skylights: In classrooms #8 & #17 the inoperable sunshades allow direct sunlight onto student desk areas. These shades are in disrepair and require replacement...$7,762 The Gymnasium skylight shades are also inoperable. I was not able to determine if they are necessary and would be used if they were functional. No pricing is included for these shades. The skylight shades in the Library appear to be in good condition, but was not able to confirm their operation. I 10. Restrooms at playground entrance, wainscoting at a Custodian's service sink and toilet partitions: $64,939

6 The Girls' and Boys' restrooms adjacent to the playground building entrance are in a very deteriorated condition. The original wall tile installation uses gypsum wall board as a substrate. This is inappropriate in a public building and has contributed greatly to the poor condition of the wall tile. These restrooms need to be gutted to the wall framing and completely redone. The replacement of fixtures, accessories and toilet partitions is included in the cost. the The toilet partitions in the boy's and girl's bathrooms located off northeast corridor are in poor condition and need replacing. The wainscoting that surround the service sink at the Custodian's office is very deteriorated and replacement is included in this price. 11. Vinyl wall covering repairs, limited interior painting, carpet at corridors and hard surface flooring at the Commons and Kitchen: $41,488 There are a few areas where the vinyl wall covering needs repair or reattachment. One consultant recommends removal of vinyl wall covering because it traps moisture leading to mold and mildew. This was a problem at a number of areas below windows where water intrusion occurred. I believe this condition is limited to areas under some windows. I recommend keeping this wall covering where there is no evidence of moisture intrusion as this is a functional, durable product that generally is in good condition. There are only limited areas of interior painted surface, but repainting in the entrances and corridors would help to freshen up the general appearance. the New carpet in the corridors and new hard surface flooring at Commons and Kitchen is included in this price. 12. Asphalt patching and repair of filter fabric: $11,772 of be Cutting and patching of asphalt where it is causing deterioration siding and sheathing outside the kitchen entrance should coordinated with siding work.

7 Bob Carroll pointed out a areas in the parking lot where asphalt required. patching is Securing the top edge of filter fabric at the foundation wall drain mat with an aluminum extrusion will prevent further separation of fabric from the concrete wall, exposing the drainage mat. Surprisingly, no electrical problems have shown up in any previous reports or during site inspections with Bob Carroll. Also, classroom carpet is generally in good shape, not needing replacement. In a few classrooms carpet stains were apparent but not considered serious enough to require replacement of the carpet. Summary: The total of all costs for this program (items 1 through 12) is $989,473. Adequate fresh air ventilation and a dry building interior will make Friday Harbor Elementary a healthy environment for many years to come. Energy efficiency and low maintenance are additional benefits. Not correcting these problems quickly, particularly water intrusion, will result in substantially greater repair cost in the future. Rot, mold and mildew could mean removal of wall surfacing, insulation, framing repairs and mold and mildew control.