In the rapidly developing neighborhood of Munjoy Hill, on the Eastern Peninsula of Portland, Maine, vacant building lots are in short supply. Builders and developers are making the best of what they have in the area's active real estate market, and multifamily condo projects are popping up all over the area.
New Footings on a Tight Site
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JLC follows the action as a concrete crew places new footings for an infill project in Portland, Maine, with local general contractor Great Falls Construction and trade contractor JB Concrete Foundations.
Play slideshowJLC has been following the action on some of those jobs. This week, we take a look at the footing pour for a new four-unit building near the top of Munjoy Hill, just around the corner from the neighborhood's landmark observation tower. Project manager Jeff Barker is supervising the job for general contractor Great Falls Construction, based in Gorham, Maine. Here, Barker oversees the work as a crew for the concrete contractor, JB Concrete Foundations of Bridgton, Maine, places concrete footings with the help of a concrete pump and boom.
Aside from the pump, not much about these footings is different from the foundation for a typical single-family house. But as the job progresses, Barker says, the urban infill project will involve quite a few wrinkles that you wouldn't run into on a typical suburban job — including stacked balconies supported by steel and Parallam beams, an elevator shaft, horizontal as well as vertical fire separation assemblies, fire sprinklers, and a low-slope roof topped with a walkable patio. JLC will be keeping tabs and bringing you updates as the work continues.
