Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Dan Gross/The Gazette

John Lamir of Lamir Landscaping in Darnestown takes a picture of the partial wall collapse along Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg. Lamir said he will use the picture as an example for clients of how to not build a retaining wall.

This story was updated at 12:30 p.m., April 1, 2014.

Two homeowners had to evacuate their homes after a retaining wall just steps from their properties gave way along Quince Orchard Road Sunday.

No one was injured when the retaining wall collapsed about 4:20 p.m., but two homes have been evacuated and the northbound lanes between Hillstone Road and Pawnee Drive were closed. Montgomery County police spokeswoman Cpl. Rebecca Innocenti said Monday the road could be closed for a few days.

The road was still shut down as of Tuesday morning, police spokeswoman Angela Cruz said.

A State Highway Administration surveyor Monday morning was assessing the damage to the wall. Gaithersburg City manager Tony Tomasello said the wall is owned by the Kentlands Community Association and is made of hundreds of concrete blocks, each weighing 200 pounds. Two townhouses at the end of the 100 block of Ridgepoint Place in the Kentlands community have been condemned by the city, according to a notice posted on the homes.

Tomasello said its unclear when residents will be able to move back into the homes.

Its still early in the process, Tomasello said Tuesday.

Carmela and Lyndon Thurner, who live at 112 Ridgepoint Place, were forced from their home and are now living in a nearby hotel with their two dogs.

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Retaining wall collapse in Gaithersburg forces evacuation of two homes -- Gazette.Net

Haverhill, MA (PRWEB) March 31, 2014

Construction on the Opportunity Works satellite facility took a big step with the completion of its 5,300 square foot ReCon retaining wall system. Shea Concrete Products provided the blocks and structural engineering necessary for a project that began just a few months ago.

The property is divided into three separate walls with varying heights and widths. The largest of the three stands just under 14 feet tall and over 200 feet in length. The other two walls are both nearly 13 feet in height.

Opportunity Works is a notable nonprofit that helps a lot of people in the Merrimack Valley community, so it was a good opportunity for us to showcase our ReCon wall system in a place with a lot of foot traffic, said Shea Manager Greg Stratis. Unit Construction did a great job installing the walls and were very happy with the outcome.

The facility sits on a sloped piece of property, which led to the retaining wall installations. Engineer Phil Christiansen of Christiansen & Sergi, Inc. said the retaining walls were required due to the buildings parking area. Christiansen directly specified Sheas ReCon wall systems.

Ideally, for a big structure with a lot of parking, you want a flat piece of property but that wasnt the case here, he said. The only way to deal with that, considering the size of the building and the parking area requirement, was to put up a wall."

When you have a property like this one, the walls are in close proximity to where the people are, so it needs to look good and the Shea walls do look good. If you had a wall that wasnt attractive, it just takes away from the setting of the whole project.

Their product is nice to work with and their service is great, you cant beat their service as far as were concerned, said Jim Bowles of Unit Construction. The contracting company was responsible for installing the ReCon wall system and has worked with Shea for a number of years on a variety of projects. They also laid the walls for Sheas Amesbury, MA production plant.

Shea is quite helpful in that they do provide structural engineering for the walls and also provide a lot of advice, said Christiansen. Shea comes back to us with recommendations once we give them some parameters on length, height, and other specifications.

Opportunity Works is a nonprofit corporation that works to improve the quality of life for adults with developmental disabilities over the age of 22. Many have severe multiple disabilities and require complex program plans and individualized services. Their notable programs include community-based employment and day habilitation. They are coming up on 40 years of service in May.

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Shea Concrete ReCon Retaining Wall Completed for Massachusetts Nonprofit

Quince Orchard Road between Darnestown Road and Pawnee Drive could be closed for several days. (WTOP/Kathy Stewart)

WASHINGTON -- A retaining wall collapsed near Gaithersburg on Sunday, forcing evacuations and a road closure.

Three people have been evacuated from two town homes along Ridgepoint Place in the Kentlands area, says Pete Piringer, spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.

"The homes were very close to this particular wall," Piringer says. "We did evacuate the homes as a precaution and have since called for the utilities to be shut off."

No one was injured in the collapse.

Piringer says that the ground under the wall is "very saturated" and "may still be shifting a bit." There have been problems with the retaining wall in the past, officials say.

The northbound lanes of Quince Orchard Road between Darnestown Road and Pawnee Drive could be closed for several days.

"It may be several days as engineers and inspectors need to check it," Gaithersburg Police Department spokesman Dan Lane said in an email.

Below is a map in the area of the road closure.

See a report from NBC Washington:

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Wall collapse leads to Montgomery County road closure (Photos)

Epic DN Duels : 60 Card Mermail vs Geargia (37 card decks are overrated)
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Epic DN Duels : 60 Card Mermail vs Geargia (37 card decks are overrated) - Video

Balance vs. Balance: 1st age decks in the 2nd age (Wizard101 PvP)
See how my old 1st age Balance deck is holding up in the 2nd age; includes full match, plus my record at the end. And find full PvP guides at http://www.duel...

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Balance vs. Balance: 1st age decks in the 2nd age (Wizard101 PvP) - Video

ABC This deck collapsed in October 2013, injuring 24 people.

Up to 12,000 balconies and decks across Australia could be at risk of potentially deadly collapse, architects say.

The Australian Institute of Architects has released its most recent estimates of at-risk decks.

It comes after a baby died on the Central Coast of New South Wales last month when a balustrade gave way.

Archicentre, which is a not-for-profit subsidiary of the institute, generated the figure of 12,000 based on its nationwide inspections.

An ABC investigation has found there is no system for mandatory inspections of decks across Australia and rules vary from state to state.

The ACT is the only place where homeowners must have a building inspection before putting their house up for sale and must give a copy to the buyer.

Some states have mandatory disclosure laws so that if an inspection is done, it must be handed over, while others have no regulations at all.

In Queensland, 13 coronial recommendations from 2012 to improve deck safety have yet to be acted on.

The recommendations followed the death of seven-week-old Isabella Diefenbach in Yeppoon in 2010.

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Architects call for tighter rules after estimates up to 12,000 decks at risk of collapse

Gainesville, GA (PRWEB) March 31, 2014

Wahoo Decks, a leading manufacturer of award winning outdoor decking products announced today that Whitcher Builders will be using DryJoistEZ (US Pat No. 8,276,344), a structural deck drainage system that provides the structure of the deck, a waterproof solution and a finished ceiling with a traditional beadboard appearance, as well as Wahoo Rail, for its second phase of multi-level Oceanside condos in Hampton, New Hampshire.

When it came to building Sea Spray Condos it was important that Stuart Mitchell, operation manager of Whitcher Builders, find an application that was economical and easy to install. Mitchell stated, We looked at a lot of different options and DryJoistEZ worked out to be the most economical for the application. The main reason we found it to be economical is the ease of installation.

In addition to the ease of installation, Whitcher Buliders also chose DryJoistEZ for its watertight beadboard appearance for the Sea Sprays multi-level condo balconies.

Both the decks and walkway required that they not allow for water to drip through as the space below each deck and walkway was another deck and walkway. Because of the design we found that the DryJoistEZ system was the most economical way to accomplish this design criteria, said Mitchell. Since DryJoistEZ serves triple duty as the structure of the deck, a finished ceiling and a waterproofing solution, Whitcher Builders was able to accomplish the design criteria of the balconies on the project in one step.

For railing on the Sea Spray Project, Whitcher Builders decided to go with Wahoos aluminum railing, Wahoo Rail. The reasoning behind the Wahoo Rail was simply because it is designed to work with DryJoistEZ . . . it is architecturally pleasing and very easy to install, said Mitchell.

Wahoo Rail powder-coated, aluminum railing will not rot, splinter or warp over time. The Wahoo Rail on the Sea Spray project was pre-assembled at the Wahoo factory and shipped directly to the job site in complete panel sections. The factory, pre-assembly option for the rail is just another example of Wahoo Decks' determination to reduce cost on the install side for decks and balconies in multi-family applications.

Whitcher Builders has selected DryJoistEZ and Wahoo Rail as its go to product for balcony applications. We are doing another project on the books where we will be using Wahoo Decks products as well, said Mitchell.

About Wahoo Decks

Headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia, Wahoo Decks is a leading manufacturer of award winning outdoor products. Wahoo products have been engineered to be uniquely low maintenance and more resistant to natural elements than traditional decking products. Wahoo Decks offers AridDek, a waterproof aluminum decking product and Fortis, a non-watertight aluminum deck board. In addition to DryJoist and DryJoistEZ, a revolutionary waterproof and structural aluminum joists, Wahoo Rail a complete line of aluminum railing kits, and Wahoo Complete, an all-in-one pre-fabricated aluminum balcony product. For more information about Wahoo Decks, visit http://www.WahooDecks.com.

Originally posted here:
DryJoistEZ and Wahoo Rail Selected by Whitcher Builders | Wahoo Decks

Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) March 31, 2014

Total Fence Inc. (http://www.TotalFenceInc.ca), the leader in residential, industrial, and commercial fence and deck installation in the Greater Toronto Area, is releasing an expert opinion on why customers need to have their decks installed professionally following a recent case in the United States that saw people injured after a faulty deck collapsed.

It may be tempting to cut corners and have a family member who is skilled in carpentry install your deck or simply do it yourself, but with the risks that having your deck improperly installed carry, its far safer to have a professional do it, says Tony Defeo, owner of Total Fence Inc.

Defeo cites a recent case in Indiana in the U.S., where several members of a family were injured after their deck collapsed during a Christmas gathering. Twenty-five people were hurt in the collapse with broken bones and neck and spine injuries after the deck fell into a concrete patio. The injured parties are now suing the homeowners association and builders for damages and lost wages. (Sources: Deck collapse victims sue homeowners group and builder, Courier-Journal.com, February 25 2014; http://archive.courier-journal.com/article/20140225/NEWS02/302250091/Deck-collapse-victims-sue-homeowners-group-builder; Bowdan, A., Video shows New Albany deck collapse at New Albany subdivision, WLKY.com, February 25, 2014; http://www.wlky.com/news/local-news/indiana-news/video-shows-new-albany-deck-collapse-at-new-albany-subdivision/24668140.)

This is a perfect example of why we recommend that our clients have their deck installed by trained professionals, he notes. At Total Fence Inc., we will take the time to ensure that your deck is carefully constructed, secured to the house, and 100% safe for use. If youre planning to have a lot of gatherings on your deck this summer, knowing that you can have many people on your deck is reassuring.

When installing a deck, Total Fence Inc. not only makes sure that it is properly secured to the home, but that it also has proper supports. Defeo notes that they employ only the best fence and deck professionals in the business and follow all industry rules and regulations for installing fences. Total Fence Inc. also uses the best and most durable material to construct decks and fences withthey make their decks to last.

When it comes to something like having your deck installed, its just far safer to hire professionals, Defeo concludes. We have years of experience installing decks and know what it takes to construct safe decks that last.

Total Fence Inc. is the leader in residential, industrial, and commercial fence and deck installation in the Greater Toronto Area. With the technical expertise and experience to handle jobs of any size, from small backyard decks to custom carpentry, pergolas, ornamental iron fences, acoustic sound barrier fencing, and industrial chain link enclosures, Total Fence Inc. provides residents of the GTA and surrounding areas a complete range of affordable fence installation and repair services to suit their personal tastes and needs.

For more information on Total Fence Inc., visit the companys web site at http://www.TotalFenceInc.ca or contact Total Fence Inc. by e-mail at info(at)totalfenceinc(dot)ca or by calling (416) 239 5362.

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Total Fence Inc., Torontos Premier Custom Fence and Deck Installer, Comments on Importance of Professional ...

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