Historic Building: Who you going to call?

We all know that you probably won’t get the best medical diagnosis by your dentist for an ache in your back.   The same can be said for talking to a construction contractor who builds new buildings compared to one who specializes in historic structures. Historic buildings, be it a commercial office, old warehouse, or governmental office building, all have original construction methods and details that can vary greatly from contemporary construction.   

Building construction materials and methods change over time. A structure constructed in the 1880’s will likely have masonry bearing walls or wood timber supporting the structure. Move 30 years later and iron structures were introduced. Steel and reinforced concrete would follow. How the windows are installed could change with each new structural system. Mortars used for masonry changed over time. Failure to understand these changes in buildings can create short and long-term maintenance issues, spend hard earned monies inappropriately, and cause schedules not to be achieved.  

The challenges and expertise brought by a historic preservation construction expert can help building owners and developers addressing multiple factors.  These include:

• Technical – Providing construction experience in materials that are safe to incorporate into repairs of the structure.   Using inappropriate cleaning methods, coatings, or mortar can actually cause the building to deteriorate faster and even cause irreplaceable damage.
• Tax Credits – Historic preservation tax credits, grants or tax abatements at the Federal, State and local levels (these vary) require strict compliance with preservation regulations.   Failure to comply with a cleaning process for example could “cost” the project and owner millions in lost funding or credits.   
• Resources –  Knowing where to find the fabricators and specialty contractors who can preserve or replicate period construction takes years of networking in the industry.   It is common to believe the trades no longer exist; however, in reality there is no such thing as a “lost trade” or “lost skill,” you just have to know where and how to find them.
• Budget Accuracy – Developing a budget for any project can be a challenge. Using past experience and specialty suppliers, an experienced historic preservation contractor can be a resource to project accurate cost and risk (contingency) assessment.     
• Schedule – Historic preservation work can have more weather limitations for exterior restoration or getting wood to dry completely to paint. Resource limitations, for example only 4 masons available to do the work, can stretch out the schedule. Understanding the unique aspects of historic preservation construction will help develop an accurate and realistic achievable schedule.  
• Trade Management – Historic preservation work can be more like working with artisans at times given their unique skill sets and capabilities. Having the knowledge and relationships, sharing the same “language” of work needed is required to ensure work is performed in the proper sequence to achieve the desired outcome.   

The Christman Company founded our Historic Preservation Group of Experts, Leaders and Partners over 30 years ago. Our skilled and experienced estimators, managers and field supervision staff have planned and implemented projects from state capitols in Virginia, Maryland, Nebraska and Michigan; to work at our country’s capitol in Washington, DC. Monumental landmarks such as President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, DC to Ernest Hemingway’s residence in Havana, Cuba have also received our team’s construction care.   Many private developer adaptive reuse commercial projects where historic tax credits were required to be successful required full attention to achieve the developer’s financial objectives. Many of our university and even K-12 clients have historic buildings where our team has added value from planning thru completion.   

If you have a historic property in need of a planning and construction services in the commercial, institutional, governmental sector, please contact us.  We are happy to talk historic preservation at any time!