With this year’s mild winter drawing to a close, construction is ramping up in the busy East End of Portland, Maine. This spring, JLC is tracking the progress on a job that’s becoming more and more typical in the city’s popular Munjoy Hill neighborhood. A walkable community with good public transportation, trendy restaurants, easy access to shopping, and nearby parks with beautiful waterfront views, Munjoy Hill has become a hot spot for remodels, teardowns, and multifamily infill projects. This project, a four-unit apartment building on a tight lot between an existing wood-frame house and a new four-story condominium building, is a classic example of the phenomenon. For a look at this tight lot foundation pour, view the slideshow below.
Jeff Barker/Great Falls
Rebar and forms in place as the JB Concrete Foundations crew sta…
Later in the project, we’ll report on aspects of the job that are typical in multifamily construction, but unusual in detached single-family work — such as fire-rated assemblies, an elevator, balconies, and a walkable rooftop deck. But this week, we’re looking at the foundation wall pour (see slideshow) — a part of the project that’s not much different from any other residential foundation.
Work on the whole project is overseen by project manager Jeff Barker of Great Falls Construction, based in Gorham, Maine. Given the urban location, the small lot is fenced off with temporary chain-link fencing, and parking is scarce. Barker’s jobsite office is a small wooden box he calls his “ice fishing shanty.” The footings and wall were formed and placed by a crew from JB Concrete Foundations, based in Bridgton, Maine. To get the concrete to the back of the narrow lot, Great Falls brought in a pump truck provided by Northeast Concrete Pumping and Crane Service, based in Scarborough, Maine.
