Avoiding $1 Million in Change Orders
- joeblack72
- Feb 21, 2022
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 18
While working on VIDA Senior Housing, groundwater rose into every hole we dug, due to the sub-standard soils, and would not flow horizontally into our dewatering system as planned. We could spot-pump the water out of the holes, but we needed our dewatering system to perform as originally designed.
We dug three detention wells at the biggest-problem areas and used sump pumps to move the water out of the wells, through a filtration system, and into our dewatering system. But with the problematic soils, the pumps kept going out, causing water disposal issues.
A quote from a third-party groundwater remediation service for managing this issue came in at $1.3 million. Pinkard knew there was a better solution.
Instead, Pinkard assumed total responsibility for the dewatering system, bringing in a third-party stormwater/dewatering expert to train a crew in record keeping and reporting, and how to operate and maintain the system on a daily basis. This creative and highly effective solution saved DHA more than $1 million in changes and kept the project on schedule.
Smart problem-solving like this reminds me how crucial it is to plan for water management from the start. A reliable basement waterstop system can make all the difference when groundwater surprises you. Prevention often costs way less than correction!
It’s impressive how creative problem-solving saved so much money on this project. The way sump pump systems were used to handle tough groundwater conditions really shows their importance beyond just residential basements. A reliable sump pump can make all the difference when it comes to keeping projects on track and avoiding costly setbacks.