Any concrete reinforcement that will degrade and split concrete should be forbidden in all building codes. Look at pictures of Alcatraz Prison if you wonder why.
Posted on 07/22/2021 9:23:51 AM PDT by Red Badger
It’s time to go. Everyone who lives at the Regent Palace condominium saw the destruction at Champlain Towers, less than six blocks away, and they don’t need to be forced out. They’re leaving or they’ve already left, voluntarily.
“Honestly, you know, the building was analyzed and deemed unsafe, so we’re not gonna take any risk, you know a couple of blocks down, a building actually collapsed so we don’t want anything tragic to happen,” said Theo Magnat, a Regent Palace resident, as he was moving out Tuesday.
The building was constructed 70 years ago on the beach at 93rd and Collins. The residents hired their own engineering firm to inspect the property, before the Champlain Towers collapse, and the report came back a couple of weeks ago showing severe issues.
The Town of Surfside’s building department sent the Regent Palace condominium association a letter saying immediate action was needed. In boldface font, the email said in part, “Place shoring around all damaged columns, do not wait for building permits to do so, it is imperative that you act immediately without delay.”
“I believe we are doing what is necessary to protect people and property,” said Joerg Dokondke, the condominium association’s president.
He says they started installing the extra shoring supports even before the town ordered them, and said it was a direct result of the Champlain Towers calamity. A wake-up call to action.
“Or to consider warnings that at one point people would not recognize as warnings, consider them more serious, that’s what we do here,” Dokondke said.
The head building official for the Town of Surfside told me what they’re doing at Regent Palace is exactly what every condominium should be doing, and that is, being proactive.
“So as you can imagine, with an older building there’s always something, cracks and this and that,” Dokondke said.
“There were probably half a dozen places where I saw cracks that I’d want to look at a little bit more,” said Allyn Kilsheimer, a structural engineer who’s been hired by the town to investigate the Champlain Towers failure.
Kilsheimer took a quick look at Regent Palace but says he did not see enough to determine if it’s safe or not. He did praise the residents there for doing what he says everyone should do.
“You know, if you see something that worries you in a building you ought to say something,” Kilsheimer said.
Dokondke said it’s likely the property will be sold to a developer who will demolish Regent Palace and build something new in its place.
My single story 1952 ranch house made from 2x4s on a concrete foundation over a crawl space looks better all the time. I just have to keep the termites at bay, caulk things up to keep out water, watch for plumbing leaks, and put a new roof on every 25 - 30 years. It’s solid as a rock and holds up well in earthquakes.
One thing is certain, it is clearing a lot of space for new and modern condos.
Tornados?
Built on sand.
Built by SALT WATER.
Salt seeps into the porous concrete over time and the rebar is destroyed....................
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 7:26-27
Any concrete reinforcement that will degrade and split concrete should be forbidden in all building codes. Look at pictures of Alcatraz Prison if you wonder why.
What did county and/or municipal public officials know and when did they know it...
So, it’s a condo. That means it belongs to residents. How are they going to pay for repairs, or, if it can’t be repaired, does their insurance pay for the building being a total loss?
I remember, in Charleston, SC, repair costs for hurricane damage to a club building was levied against the residents in the development.
Think of it like a car. They may need to “total” the building.
Given the limited number of stories, I wonder whether the lot alone is worth close to the current value of all the condos.
A new form of urban renewal.
Let’s say the condos are worth $10 million and the land is worth $6 million. The insurance company would only pay $4 million to fix, less the deductible. If the repairs needed would cost $7 million, the insurance company would pay the condo owners $10 million, less the deductible, tear down the condos, sell the land for $6 million and have a loss of $4 million which is less than the cost of repairs of $7 million.
Thank you!
Not many of those in California or Idaho. Earthquakes and termites in CA. Fortunately, stick-built framed wood houses are very resilient. Of course, there are forest fires all over the place in the west.
There are no sure things in life but beachfront property is one of the least sure.
My parents had a good run renting a gulf view condo in Indian Rocks Beach area west of Tampa. It was an older building built about the same time as the one that collapsed. There was no underground parking and the pool was built into the ground. Bigger condos nearby have the same layout. Reflecting back on the yearly stays, there is nothing I would consider alarming.
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