These pages document the Lawrence History Center Urgent Structural Repairs Project. This project involves emergency work on the buildings of the LHC compound - the Warehouse, Stable, Forge, and Carpenter's Shop - in order to repair damage that renders them at risk of collapse and unsafe to enter. Rotted and failing beams and decking must be replaced, and water infiltration must be stopped. This project has been funded in part by an emergency grant from the Massachusetts Historical Commission's Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) and a grant from the Lawrence Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. We are greatly appreciative of their generosity and support.
This website will serve as a focal point for this project, and provide a current source of documentation, addenda, schedule, photographs, and other important information so that all interested participants in the project have current information.
The following documents comprise the bid specification package for this project:
Bidders must download and review these documents carefully. The bid form is included in the first document.
Important: All bidders must send an email to director@lawrencehistory.org indicating their intention to bid so that we can put you on an email list to notify you of addenda or other project changes.
The following is an Addendum to the Bid Specifications, and is a binding part of the contracting agreement. Please review carefully.
General: Where the Bid Specification requires submittals to, or coordination with, the Engineer, Architect, or Owner, these shall be made to/with the Clerk of the Works as named on the front of the Bid Specification.
Changes to specific sections:
Section 00300, under the section "Base Bid" the following section shall be added:
Unit Prices: For work in excess of the specific quantities enumerated in Section 01010-3 Part 3.1C, the following Unit Prices shall be used to calculate additional payments, as per that Section:
Decking replacement: ___________ $/sq ft
Roofing replacement: ___________ $/sq ft
Ledger beam replacement: ___________ $/sq ft
Section 01010-4 Item 6-6: Change the area of warehouse roof decking to be repaired from 64sf to 128sf. This makes it consistent with SKS-3, which specifies 128sf.
Section 01010-4 Item 6-10: Replace "Beam must be supported from the sides and jacked to level or a slight crown prior to gluing." with "Beam must be supported from the sides and jacked to level or a slight crown for at least 2 days prior to gluing to allow inspection of the levelled beam by the clerk of the works before the gluing operation is attempted." This is in addition to the attendence of the clerk of the works at the time of the gluing.
Section 01010-5 Item 7-6: The forge cupola roofing material shall be EPDM rubber, not asphalt.
Section 06100-2 Part 2.02B: Replace "Boards shall be of similar width, length and joint and species type to the existing boards." with "Boards shall be of a similar assortment of widths and lengths as the existing boards, such that the new decking is matched as closely as possible in appearance as the existing decking. This will require a range of widths, from 6" to 12", and an irregular pattern of use of each widths. No adjacent boards shall have the same width." Note that the species is specified earlier in this part as southern yellow pine.
Section 07300-2 Part 1.06B: Replace entire clause to read: "Contractor shall warrant the warehouse, stable and forge cupola roofs from leaking for a period of five (5) years on a non-prorated basis, including both labor and materials. "
Answers to Questions asked during the site walk-through:
Q1: Please forward Prevailing Wages/Davis-Bacon rates if required.
A: These are required, and will be attached on the website by Wednesday 4/8/09.
Q2: Should the replacement floor decking have a splined edge joint or is a tongue and groove joint acceptable (as shown on engineer's drawings)?
A: Tongue and groove is acceptable. Edges adjacent to the existing boards must be joined with a spline or tongue.
Q3: What should be the presumed thickness of the roof decking? Should the roof decking have a splined edge joint?
A: The roof decking can have a tongue and groove joint, and should match the thickness of the existing roof decking. Since there is no decking currently exposed it is not possible to measure this reliably now, but a loose (and rotten) piece of decking looks like it is about 2-1/4". It is the responsibility of the bidder to determine the correct thickness to match the current roof and floor decking.
Q4: The existing roof sheathing on the cupola would likely not survive removal of the existing roofing. Should replacement of sheathing be included in base bid? Will the new roofing be installed over the existing? include ice/water shield under shingles? are new flashings required?
A5: The addenda shows a change to EPDM rubber membrane roofing for the cupola. Replacement of sheathing should be included. New flashings are not required as the existing flashing can be reused.
Q6: Replacement of stove pipe is to begin at roof deck or below?
A: The stovepipe extends a short distance, less than 12 inches, below roof deck and so the entire stovepipe should be replaced and re-sealed at the roof as needed.
Q7: Specification items in section 07500, 1.02, A, B, and C are not noted on the drawings. Where are these repairs to be done (copper repairs, new copper components, downspout repairs, lead reglets, flashing and counter flashing)?
A: These items are not required. (They are vestiges of an earlier use of this spec that weren't removed, sorry.) There is no copper work, other than sealing of the coping on the warehouse, but there is nothing specific to copper about that work.
Q8: None of the manufacturers listed in section 07300 provide warranties for portions of a roof, only for a complete roof system. Performance of the work described in the specifications will replace roofing that is above the damaged areas, but will not necessarily address the roof's problems (e.g. none of the roofs are properly pitched to the roof drains). The water may be penetrating the roof anywhere.
A: We have shortened the warranty to 5 years from 14 in the addendum. Since one of the major objectives of this stabilization project is to make these buildings watertight, we need the roofer to assure that all possible sources of water infiltration have been identified and stopped, and then to guarantee this against leaks for a period of 5 years.
Q9: Item 7-4 in the Description of Work states "re-caulk parapet coping at warehouse". What sealant material is to be used at these joints? Which joints are to be sealed: soldered joints, locked joint at coping, or only the termination bar joint?
A: The sealant should be GE Silicone II, unless a better alternative is approved in advance. Both the termination bar and the coping joints must be re-sealed.
Q10: Is the Fire Alarm system a supervised system? Will there be any fees for the shut-down/re-installation of fire alarm devices mounted on structural members that are to be replaced/supported?
A: The fire-alarm system is a supervised system, and will require shut-down and re-starting several times so that it is active through the project. All appropriate fire and electrical codes must be complied with. An licensed electrician will be needed to perform minor adjustments to the conduit to allow a drop for the thickness of the LVL installed under the roof rafter in the carpenter's shop. These costs should be included in the bid.
The Lawrence History Center, Lawrence, Massachusetts (LHC), the Awarding Authority, request bids for the following project: 1) Repair damaged timber beams and decking, and selectively reinforce timber beams; 2) patch and repair roofing and flashing; 3) perform other accessory work where necessary to make this project complete and watertight. The LHC, constructed in 1883/1884,is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The project is partially funded by the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund through the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
All work must be performed in accordance with the documents, titled LHC Urgent Building Repairs, 03/18/2009 prepared by Lawrence History Center, 6 Essex St., Lawrence, MA 01840 (978/686-9230) and meet the Secretary of the Interior’s "Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties". State law prohibits discrimination.
Awarding of this contract is subject to Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity guidelines. Bids are subject to federal Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements. Bidder to furnish certification documents for all employees to be employed in the project subject to this bid showing that they have successfully completed a course in construction safety and health approved by the US Occupation Safety and Health Administration that is at least ten(10) hours in duration. All bids must be accompanied by OSHA certificates. Bids that do not include these certificates will be rejected and considered non-responsive.
Bids shall be evaluated on the basis of price, previous experience with similar types of construction on historic building projects, ability to perform the work in a timely manner, and references. Bids are due at the LHC's office on or before 4:00 PM Friday, 10 April, 2009. The Lawrence History Center reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
Summary of Work
Here is a brief summary of the required work. The item numbers refer to the itemized details which follow:
1. Repair cracked beam in Carpenter's shop by gluing and bolting a 12' LVL to the bottom face. (Item 6-10)
2. Replace approx. 813sf of rotted 3" thick floor and roof decking in the warehouse and stable. Re-roof as needed over replaced roof decking (approx 368sf). (Items 6-2, 6-3, 6-5, 6-6, 6-7, 6-9, 7-1)
3. Replace rotted roof ledger beam over S wall of warehouse and stable, approx 23'. (Items 6-2, 6-9)
4. Provide support to the ends of 5 partially rotted beams in the SE corner of the warehouse (2 floors and roof) using vertical timber post bolted to wall. On SE 2nd floor joist, scarf new beam end. (Items 6-1, 6-4, 6-12)
5. Install concrete footing and steel column under rotted beam in basement of warehouse. Scarf new oak end to beam, approx 3' long. (Items 3-1, 5-1, 6-11)
6. Re-roof cupola on blacksmith's shop with rubber. Replace rusted stovepipe vent. (7-3, 7-6)
7. Miscellaneous recaulking and reflashing on warehouse and stable roofs to restore watertightness. (7-2, 7-4, 7-5)
Detailed Description of Work
The following excerpt, from Section 01010 of the building specifications, is the itemized list of work to be performed on this project. The numbers correspond to call-outs on the drawings.
Division 3 – Cast-in-Place Concrete
3-1. Provide new 16” x 2’-6” square concrete footing in basement of warehouse to support new pipe column above, as per SKS-5.
Division 5 - Metals
5-1. Install new 3.5” dia. steel pipe column to support south-eastern beam end at first-floor, as per SKS-5..
Division 6 - Wood
6-1. Install permanent vertical timber pilasters in the warehouse for the two south-east most roof beam ends, running from underside of roof beam to top of second floor beam. Bolt to the masonry wall using a screen tube epoxy system as per SKS-6.
6-2. Replace rotted warehouse roof decking along the east wall approx 32' x 3', 96 sf with like rough-cut 3" timber. Replace an additional section on the south wall, approx 12' x 8', 96 sf. Replace 18' ledger on S wall where rotted. When decking is removed, treat top of exposed beams with Boracare wood preservative.
6-3. Replace rotted warehouse second floor decking in the south-east corner, approx 16' x 14', 224 sf, with like rough-cut 3" timber.
6-4. Install permanent vertical timber pilasters in the warehouse for the two south-east most 2nd floor joist ends, running from underside of 2nd floor joist to top of first floor beam. Bolt to the masonry wall using a screen tube epoxy system as per SKS-6.
6-5. Replace rotted warehouse first floor decking in the south-east corner, with like rough-cut 3" timber, approximately 1’-4” x 24’-0”, 32 sf.
6-6. Replace rotted warehouse roof decking in the center of the north wall, approx 8' square, 64 sf.
6-7. Replace rotted stable second floor decking along southern bay, approx 8' x 24', 192 sf.
6-8. Repair end of rotted beam joist at the second floor south east corner of the warehouse using a scarf joint and 4 through bolts.
6-9. Replace rotted stable roof decking along southern wall, approx 6' x 8', 48 sf. Replace 8' of rotted ledger beam as needed.
6-10. Repair cracked roof beam in carpentry shop with 12' - 4” length of LVL glued and bolted to bottom of the beam as per detail SKS-7. Beam must be supported from the sides and jacked to level or a slight crown prior to gluing. Clerk of works to be on-site for inspection at the time of gluing.
6-11. Repair end of rotted beam joist at the first floor south east corner of the warehouse using a scarf joint and 4 through bolts. Joint is to be over the steel column, as per SKS-5.
6-12. Move post presently under southeast beam in basement of warehouse next beam-end (which has been replaced with steel column, see 5-1) to the north. Shim tightly over granite footing and spike to beam at top.
Division 7 - Thermal and Moisture Protection
7-1. Re-roof small sections in warehouse and stable roofs which were required to be removed in order to access the decking replacements described above. (See items 6-2, 6-6, and 6-9; approx 368 sf total)
7-2. Restore roof termination bars and galvanized flashing on warehouse roof. Re-secure termination bar. Cut and reseal top of termination bar sealant, approx 120'
7-3. Replace rusted stovepipe in blacksmith shop with equivalent pipe and vent system. Comply with building code requirements for height.
7-4. Re-caulk parapet coping on warehouse.
7-5. Cut out joint above flashing at the east wall of the warehouse over stable roof. Replace with backer rod and sealant.
7-6. Re-roof blacksmith shop cupola using rubber.
This project is governed by both federal and state prevailing wage laws, and contractors must use published prevailing wage rates. Information about this requirement can be found here and here.
The wage rates to be used are given here and here.
Please download these pages. The wage rate sheets will be attached to the contract documents.
The following is the schedule planned for this project:
PHASE I SCHEDULE - Beam, decking, and roof work
20 March 2009 - Place advertisements
25 March 2009 - 10:00AM Pre-bid meeting
3 April 2009 - Last day for questions
10 April 2009 - Bids due at LHC
1 May 2009 - Work must start by this date
30 June 2009 - Work must be completed by this date.