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Scope of Work

  • Replace deteriorated pre-cast decorative lintels and sills on 75 windows.
  • Apply new sealant to all window perimeters.
  • Complete carpentry repairs to mullions on all double and triple windows.
  • Repoint all joints from top floor windows to the roofline.
  • Paint decorative bands, precast lintels and sills with Conpro Lastic elastomeric coating.

Challenges
Work had to be completed while residents were working from home during the pandemic. Staff had to follow COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. Access to the courtyard was very restricted, making it difficult to set up staging and move materials.

Fixing a Building

On a beautiful spring day, a window provides a connection to the world outside. Open it and you can feel the fresh air and sunshine while enjoying nature’s beauty. But during a New England winter, the same window may bring in cold and dampness.

At The Warwick, 1450-1454 Beacon St., Brookline, there are 110 windows overlooking a courtyard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the famous landscape architect who designed Central Park.

But The Warwick is more than a century old and the windows were letting in far more than fresh air and sunshine. Many of the pre-cast sills and lintels were also in need of repair, and the windows were not properly installed.

Dannin Management of Brookline, which manages the property, has a long-term relationship with Statewide RM and contracted with the company to restore the original beauty of the exterior façade overlooking the courtyard.

“He’s always been extremely good to work with,” Property Manager Kathleen Carlo said of Statewide co-owner Kieran Fitzgibbon. “He definitely knows his stuff.”

The $385,000 project included replacing much of the decorative pre-cast stones in the courtyard area, including window sills, lintels and pre-cast bands.

Statewide also applied new sealant to all window perimeters, and repaired the mullions on all double and triple windows. Statewide also re-pointed the brick façade from the top of the eighth floor windows to the roofline.

Upon completion of the repairs to all pre-cast concrete and masonry, the entire façade was washed with Sure Klean 600 detergent, then the pre-cast concrete was painted with Conpro Lastic in a color to match the original paint and protect the ornamental concrete.

Concrete Progress
Over more than a century of exposure to New England weather, even concrete and stone wear down. Starting the project in the summer of 2019, Bob Keenan of Building Envelope Consulting, Inc. in Somerville conducted a drone survey of the courtyard to determine where concrete or reinforcing rod had deteriorated and needed to be replaced.

Next, Statewide assembled staging throughout the courtyard to provide access to all of the windows. Molds were made to produce new concrete pieces, then the replacement pieces were produced and delivered.

By the time the new sills, lintels and water tables were delivered, the pandemic had begun. Most of the residents of the 68 condominiums at The Warwick are young professionals who were working from home, so it was especially important for Statewide to keep noise to a minimum and be considerate of residents.

“Imagine doing Zoom calls while some guy is outside your window with a jackhammer,” Carlo said. “They did what they could and Kieran’s supervision was key.”

Wearing masks, workers arrived early and entered the building to hook up their equipment. Construction work took place between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“Our policy was, come in and be quiet when you set up and clean up,” Carlo said. “They followed that policy. Kieran took care of it. He read his crew very well. If there was a problem, he was all over it. Any little ripple he was there. He always answered my phone when I called or he always called back.”

After the ornamental concrete was replaced, Statewide retained Arch Painting of Woburn to coat all the pre-cast with an elastomeric coating that is waterproof and breathable.

Next, Statewide provided spot repointing and resealed the windows to make them water-tight again. Workers also added support behind the windows, which was needed because the trim used for the windows was flimsy, according to Carlo.

After the windows were repaired, the walls and windows were cleaned, the courtyard looked new again, according to Carlo, who added, “They fixed my building.”

Like Carlo, Keenan has worked with Statewide for many years.

“They’re a very good company,” he said. “They’re family owned and operated. Kieran and John learned from their dad. It’s something they grew up with. As a result, they’re very detail oriented. They always try to be a couple of steps ahead to foresee possible issues. And the quality of their work is very good.”

The next step for Carlo will be to restore the building’s concrete entry ways, a project planned for 2022. She hopes to have the remaining areas of the building envelope restored by 2023.

“If I had a brick house that needed work,” Carlo added, “I would want Kieran to do it.”