Share a little bit about your company – its background, location, etc.
Charter Construction, based in Seattle, has been building, renovating, remodeling, and providing disaster response in the Pacific Northwest for over 40 years. Their service offerings include remediation, disaster solutions, commercial, custom homes, and senior living. Charter Construction has been a part of the Georgetown neighborhood for nearly 20 years.
Charter Construction recently partnered with NeighborCare Health to restore the Old Georgetown City Hall building, a historic landmark that has served the community for 114 years.
When did you first get the call about the loss? How did you land this job? Did you have a prior relationship, referral, online search, etc?
Charter was contacted by Miller Hayashi Architects to bid on the project, as they have a strong relationship and have completed several projects together. The project was awarded via lump sum hard bid, with three other general contractors also bidding.
Walk us through the project:
- What type of loss was it? How did it happen?
The project was not due to a loss event but rather the end of the building components’ life cycles. The scope included renovating the roof, HVAC units, exterior doors, and windows.
- How much of the structure was affected?
Renovations included reroofing, brick and masonry repair, HVAC modifications, refurbishing the exterior wood doors and the repair of the building’s clock tower (including the clock’s movement assembly) that has been a prominent fixture in Georgetown for over a century.
- How big was the crew working on the project, especially in the days immediately after?
The crew size varied by subcontractor, with Charter’s onsite employees ranging from 1 to 5 depending on the phase of the work. The first phase took approximately 7 months to complete, while the window replacement phase is ongoing and expected to take about 6 months.
What was the biggest challenge on this project? What was the biggest win?
The biggest challenge on this project was coordinating the restoration work while ensuring minimal disruption to NeighborCare Health’s operations. Given the historical significance of the building, Charter needed to ensure that the restoration work preserved its integrity while meeting modern building standards. One of the key aspects of this preservation was the restoration of the clock tower, a crucial and historical part of the building. The clock tower’s refurbishment was a significant win for the project, highlighting Charter’s commitment to maintaining the building’s historical integrity while completing the first phase of the project, which also included reroofing, installing new HVAC units, and renovating exterior doors, all accomplished in just 7 months.
What is the biggest lesson your team learned, good or bad, on this loss?
One of the biggest lessons Charter Construction likely learned from this project is the importance of thorough planning and communication. When working on historical buildings, it’s crucial to anticipate potential challenges and plan accordingly to ensure the project stays on schedule and within budget.
How long did the restoration process take?
The first phase of the project (reroof, new RTUs, clock tower refurbishment, exterior doors) was completed in roughly 7 months.
The second phase of window replacement is in progress now, and the total duration is roughly 6 months.
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