On July 8, 2013, the GTA was hit was with a torrential rainstorm. Flood damage was deemed the province’s most expensive natural disaster by the Insurance Bureau of Canada, and the region saw record-setting rainfall in a very short period of time.
Two weeks later, a contractor who had been completing renovations to an unoccupied six-storey, 35-unit condominium building, reached out to FirstOnSite Restoration. The condo building had suffered from the severe flood, and although water removal had already been handled by another service provider, the job was incomplete and resulted in mould growth. Due to the unoccupied state of the building, regular assessments had not been made, and the growth of mould was consequently left unidentified and untreated.
The large amount of water penetration into the building was due to an incorrectly installed elbow joint in the roof drain. Two condominium units on the main level and the entire basement level of the building were subsequently affected. These areas included two 700 square feet residential units and 5,600 square feet of common areas, amenity and mechanical space including a gym, party room and electrical room.
The challenges
Unique to this situation, the condominium complex was under receivership and was being managed by a Board of Trustees while they sought new ownership. Time was of the essence as the Trustees were intent on bringing potential investors through the complex as soon as possible.
Due to the nature of ownership, multiple parties were involved in the planning and decision making. This included FirstOnSite, an adjuster, a reviewer, a representative from the Board of Trustees and an environmental hygienist. With so many involved, regular communication and reporting became necessary to ensure all stakeholders were kept well informed.
Adding an additional level of difficulty, emergency resources were stretched to their limits, this being the most severe rainfall the GTA had experienced since 1954’s Hurricane Hazel.
The solution
The first order of business was to establish a restoration timeline and schedule. Almost immediately after FirstOnSite completed the initial inspection, the project manager coordinated an assessment from a hygienist through a third party environmental abatement company. Following the inspection, level 3 mould was confirmed and a three-week timeline for repairs was developed and approved within 24 hours.
Restoration initially began on the main level in the residential units and both units were stripped back to the existing concrete walls. Work then moved to the common areas and basement level. Because the basement contained condo-owned equipment and furniture, additional coordination and considerations had to be made. In this case, the equipment was authorized for immediate disposal.
Results
Coming in a day sooner than the repair timeline identified, FirstOnSite successfully completed all work within a 20 day period. The building was returned to its mould-free state, and new ownership was successfully sought.
For more information, visit www.firstonsite.ca