Building and Land Technology’s Gristmill Village C,
Norwalk Connecticut

Phase I of the Grist Mill Village development consists of three five-story residential buildings with two floors of parking below each structure.

In March of 2020, Building C of the Gristmill Village was underway. A 5-story wood frame above 2-story cast-in-place concrete parking structure consisting of 245 apartment units ranging in size from 476 to 1,467 SF. AIOCG worked closely during the bidding phase with BLT to identify waterproofing materials that would not only save money but allow installation during winter conditions to ensure the project could be kept moving forward towards the scheduled completion date.

Happy to say AIOCG was awarded the project!

SCOPE

1. Roofing
   Install 620 squares of a tapered fully adhered Carlisle 60mil TPO system.
   Install .32 GA Metal Coping.
   Install 120 pitch-pockets.
2. Balcony Waterpoofing of 230 Balconies.
   Install T-bar, dripedge.
   Install Tamko TW-60 Balcony Waterproofing system.
   Install door pans and wall flashings.
3. Canopy Install.
   Install 12 Rusco SuperDeck Custom Metal Canopies.
4. Courtyard pavers and stonework.
   Install 5000sf of Kronos IPE pavers on pedestals.
   Install 7000sf of Kronos Ocean Stone porcelain pavers on pedestals.
   Install 35 tons of Golden Pebble stone with Gravel Lok bonding material.

CHALLENGES

• The first hurdle happened early or in this case late because roofing was slated for September, but it did not start until two weeks before Christmas. This created a challenge due to temperature and work conditions that are not common in the month of September. As snow began to fall and impact BLT’s progress, AIOCG absorbed the cost time and time again to send laborers to the roof for snow removal. This combated continued snow fall while still being able to lay down TPO section by section.
• These cold conditions created many extra steps to perform the installation. AIOCG looked at their cost-benefit analysis and was left with another dilemma. Material was only brought to the site when ready to be installed in order to keep it at the right temperature per manufacturers recommendations. Although more thought/money was put into the logistical side than anticipated it proved to be the right decision for a more fully adhered system.
• Balcony water proofing also had the same issue since it was recommended to maintain at least 40 degrees, yet it was only 10 degrees out. AIOCG overcame this obstacle by bringing up two rolls of membrane at a time from a heated truck in order to install the membrane properly. The same applies for the primer tanks, where they were wrapped with heated blankets and brought back and forth to the warehouse to keep them warm as opposed to leaving them in the storage room on the project site.
• Construction relies heavily on communication. With other trades falling behind due to weather conditions, it was more apparent how each trades scope of work overlapped with one another. This occurred with the EIFS contractor and AIOCG when it came to the balconies’ waterproofing feature. Waterproofing needed to be complete, so the patio doors could be installed, and the building would be deemed “watertight”. Thus, allowing interior contractors to start. The EIFS contractor was well behind schedule and to offset this lag period, AIOCG built a template and affixed it to the balconies so that we were able to waterproof all balconies without the EIFS contractor. This saved numerous days as the EIFS contractor and interior contractors were extremely grateful by our act since it was not in our scope of work at the time.

SUCCESSFUL JOB COMPLETION

BLT is committed to the highest standards of quality, safety and expertise and AIOCG is proud to have worked on a project of this nature with such a successful company. Their professionalism and management made obstacles easier to handle. Weekly zoom meetings which were absolutely mandatory in order to be paid included every subcontractor, as well as building owners, project managers and supers. This ensured that things were clearly communicated amongst the trades. Weekly toolbox talk forms and daily logs were also required of each subcontractor in order to be paid. Probably the best company we have ever worked for.

AIOCG was able to complete each scope on time and to the client’s satisfaction. BLT was pleased with the finished project and has now invited us to bid two other projects they have coming up.