Wallingford Court Apartments
Wallingford Court Apartments in Seattle had sustained substantial damage from water intrusion and dry rot when Charter Construction was hired to repair the building’s structural damage and completely replace the building’s envelope components. All of the buildings’ exterior components - roofing, siding, railings, awnings, and decks, had to be replaced. In addition to these extensive repairs, the owner was also interested in having Charter update the 1980s buildings’ facades. The outdated buildings’ exteriors could not compete with the newly constructed condominiums and apartments found up and down Stone Way, where the Wallingford Court Apartments are located.
Charter staff began by assessing and repairing the framing and structural damage and then they installed a state of the art cladding system. First, DensElement, which is a Weather Resistant Barrier (WRB) combined with gypsum sheathing for an all-in-one product, went up. Metal hat channel furring strips were added over the DensElement to form a rainscreen. Three different siding systems - Hardie Lap Siding, Hardie Artisan Siding, and Trespa Phenolic Siding were used in a unique combination to provide a fresh, updated exterior. Trespa siding requires almost no maintenance, including painting. Hardie Plank siding, a fiber cement siding, is made specifically to resist moisture, which will help to eliminate water intrusion issues in the future. All of the sliding glass doors and windows were replaced with Milgard vinyl windows, which have an excellent performance profile in the rainy PNW. Various building elements at the Wallingford Court Apartments were brought up to current code standards during the construction process. For example, new railings were built and additional railing supports were attached to the wall to strengthen the railings. The roofing was past its lifespan and was completely replaced. New decks were installed and metal awnings were added to the building. The building’s new striking facade will make the Wallingford Court Apartments more competitive in Wallingford’s upscale real estate market.
There was no room for materials on the site. Scaffolding was wrapped around both buildings. A parking garage is located underneath the buildings and there is a driveway between the buildings. A large scaffolding stage that spanned across the front of both buildings allowed Charter to store materials safely and for people to go in and out of the building and parking garage at all times. A materials lift was used to transport materials down to ground level. As the project progressed, the owner targeted additional improvements and Charter expanded the scope and the timeline. Both the timeline and the budget were met for this project.
Architect: Evolution Architecture
Location: Seattle, WA
