Existing Buildings

Our diverse team of experienced professionals will collaborate with you and your owner group on your project, whether it involves renewing specific building components or conducting a complete building enclosure rehabilitation. Our knowledgeable staff have the building science and project management expertise to lead you each step of the way, from the initial planning stages through design, budgeting, construction documents, and working with a contractor to implement the work.

Our field review work involves visiting the building during construction to monitor progress, ensure that the contractor has a clear understanding of all requirements, and confirm that the work is being implemented correctly.

In addition to visual field review, we undertake field testing to confirm that the specified materials are being used and the components are correctly installed. We can conduct a range of tests, including water penetration tests, airtightness tests, and membrane and coating adherence tests, to ensure that your project meets the appropriate industry standards.

On any rehabilitation project, our Construction Project Management (CPM) team undertakes the basic contract administration (CA) functions required by the contract. In addition to CA, our team can provide project management (PM) services, an elevated level of service and oversight where our experienced project managers work with general contractors on your behalf. We also routinely provide construction management (CM) services, working as your agent to handle all aspects of construction and acting as the prime contractor. With CM services, we arrange contracts directly between you and subcontractors, and we manage the work on your behalf. Our team of experienced project managers, project coordinators, and superintendents work closely with our technical team to ensure a smooth transition between the design and construction phases.

With our CM services, your site will be supervised full time by a professional RDH superintendent, who acts as your advocate to ensure that the project is running smoothly. With our CPM team taking care of all the administrative matters and foreseeing problems before they arise, you will have peace of mind that your project will be successful.

Buildings constantly go through renewals as materials and components reach the end of their service lives. Instead of replacing components like-for-like, a building retrofit can present you with a good opportunity to reduce your building’s energy consumption and associated costs and the building’s carbon footprint of operations. RDH retrofit projects use a Passive House design approach to create energy-efficient buildings. A well-insulated, airtight enclosure reduces the need for heating and cooling in addition to improving thermal comfort.

On any building energy retrofit project, our team compares the building’s performance with a database of other similar buildings to determine if it has poor, average, or superior energy performance. Next, we complete a high-level assessment of potential energy conservation measures associated with the retrofitting work, including energy cost savings, capital costs, and payback period. Next steps may include applying for incentive funding to complete a more detailed energy study, including whole-building energy modeling, and then working with a contractor to implement energy improvements.

Planning and developing strategies for the long- and short-term needs of your building is essential to protecting your building assets and investments. Our team will work with you to establish maintenance and renewal plans that address the lifelong needs of key components in your building.

These services include reserve studies, façade inspection reports, depreciation reports, maintenance plans, facility condition assessments, and more. With over 20 years in the industry, we’ve put together over 2,000 reports for owner groups across North America. To help our clients identify funding requirements for significant future projects, we’ve developed customized systems that include dynamic modeling of anticipated costs, planning options, and funding approaches to help you prepare for future needs.

Warranty Reviews

Different components of your new building may be required to have a warranty. Prior to the expiration of each warranty’s coverage period, you should have a warranty review conducted to identify any concerns or deficiencies that may be covered by the warranty. Our team creates warranty review reports by reviewing drawings and related construction documents, conducting a visual review onsite, and meeting with your representatives to understand their concerns. In addition to warranty items, our reviews will also identify items that are not covered by the warranty but which should be corrected.

Warranty Claims & Litigation Support

Our comprehensive support services for warranty claims include identification of items of concern, assistance with warranty claims, and mediation or litigation support.