Abbot Building Restoration restores facades of two buildings

Boston, MA Abbot Building Restoration recently restored the facades of two adjacent brick and pre-cast concrete buildings used for subsidized housing at 414-418 and 422 Columbia Rd. in the city’s Dorchester neighborhood.

414-418 Columbia Road - Boston, MA

422 Columbia Road - Boston, MA

Back in early 2015, the building owner hired architectural engineering firm Building Envelope Technologies, Inc. (Easton, Mass.) to evaluate the facades of both buildings to determine the extent of deterioration that had taken place over time. Based on the firm’s findings, the owner decided to be pro-active and make the necessary repairs to maintain and improve the condition of the masonry. Following an extensive bidding process, Abbot was awarded the masonry repair contract due to its experience, reputation, and competitive bid.

Abbot performed the following repairs on the front elevations of both buildings: • Chemically cleaned all of the brick to remove atmospheric dirt. • Cut and repointed all of the brick and replace the deteriorated pre-cast concrete headers, sills, bands, keys, and quoins between the brick headers. • Removed any deteriorated steel above the windows, installed new galvanized steel where appropriate, and then re-installed the existing brick that could be salvaged and installed new brick to match the original color. • Replaced deteriorated pre-cast concrete, to match existing shapes and sizes where necessary, including the building foundation.

To complete the repair, Abbot applied a pigmented elastomeric coating that matched the original color to protect the pre-cast concrete.

Additionally, at 422 Columbia Rd., the pre-cast concrete at bottom of building was severely deteriorated. Instead of patching the deterioration as had been done in past but constantly failed, it was decided to remove and replace approximately 25% of the 3’ x 4’ stone blocks to provide a more permanent solution. 

In its rich history as a successful masonry contractor, Abbot has come “full circle” on many occasions to work on the same buildings years later either for the same owner or new owners. In this case, Abbot repaired the top of the building at 422 Columbia Road in October 2004 for the same owner. That repair involved the following steps: • Removal of all of the masonry above the top floor window including the two precast bands – one flat and one with dentals – and all the associated brick. • Replacement of the steel lintels with new galvanized steel. • Installation of new self-adhesive, rubberized asphalt/polyethylene flashing. • Fabrication of new precast concrete bands to match the original bands. • Replacement of the bricks using a combination of original brick and new brick to match the original color.

Abbot provides a broad range of masonry construction services to public, institutional, and commercial clients, including condominiums, property management entities, and private residences. The firm also acts as a general contractor for a variety of masonry building construction projects. Specific areas of expertise include: Brick and stone restoration; repointing and recaulking; and concrete repair and protection.