Western Waterproofing, a member company of Western Construction Group, recently completed the monumental task of restoring the deteriorated facade and exterior concrete of the historic Litho Press building in Indianapolis, Ind. A project that was originally projected to last just 3 to 4 months turned into a 6-month project requiring 8,800 man hours, 3,500 bags of cement bag mix material and thousands of pounds of steel and lumber when demolition uncovered more severe deterioration than originally anticipated.

The building, located at 800 North Capitol, had been abandoned until a redevelopment project allowed for its complete restoration to feature 111 apartment units. The building is owned by The Whitsett Group and Ambrose Property Group.

"The engineer called out for approximately 1,500 linear feet of shallow depth concrete repairs not exceeding 4 inches in depth. Once demolition began, we discovered severed columns 20 inches in diameter and beam deterioration ranging from 6 to 24 inches in depth," said Western Waterproofing Project Manager Travis DeJohn. "We knew then that the number of hours and amount of materials needed to complete the job was going to escalate quickly."

Western used a combination of scissor lifts and articulating booms to complete the exterior building repairs. The entire exterior was first sounded and marked to help budget the escalating quantities. After sounding, Western removed the deteriorated concrete, replaced the steel reinforcements as needed, formed individual patches, and poured back cementitious bag mix material using 5-gal. (19 L) buckets.

With the scope of work drastically increasing, Western had to work overtime to try to stay within the tight timeline and budget constraints, and every detail had to be meticulously coordinated to allow several trades to complete their work simultaneously alongside one another. Western worked closely with the general contractor on the project, Indianapolis-based TWG Construction LLC, to coordinate the schedule and budget adjustments necessary to complete the project and maintain work quality.

About Western

Construction Group

Family-owned and operated for nearly 100 years, Western Construction Group is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry, concrete and facade restoration, waterproofing and specialty roofing. Offering a nationwide network of expertise, building owners, engineers, architects and property managers can count on Western Construction Group to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures and sports stadiums. Western Construction Group is headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., with more than 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology.

For more information, visit www.westerngroup.com.

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