Spring Hill, Tennessee
City of Spring Hill
Spring Hill had outgrown their old public library. A complete renovation allowed them to double their space and upgrade their technology. It also gave the community a very attractive place to meet, study and compute.
The City of Spring Hill decided they needed a bigger, better public library to meet the needs of their growing population. They had been utilizing a pre-fabricated, modular building that had once been a day-care center, but it had become just too cramped for books and computer stations and children’s reading groups.
Rather than start from scratch, however, they decided to expand and remodel – ultimately doubling their space. They were even able to keep parts of the library open during most of the construction process.
Jerome Dempsey, City Engineer for Spring Hill, described the renovation as basically tearing off one whole exterior wall and tying the new construction onto it. And Architect Wayne Oakley, of Whitehead+Oakley+Dunlap+Bumpas, mentioned a number of remodeling issues you might expect like working out the rooflines and matching exterior materials – even dealing with old termite damage.
But existing buildings can hide some serious flaws, and a larger challenge was unexpected and structural. As Oakley described it, some of the load-bearing supports had to be removed, relocated and redesigned.
When faced with the unforeseen difficulty, a contractor needs both expertise in problem-solving and flexibility in managing construction costs and schedules. City Engineer Dempsey recalls the structural issue as an unpleasant surprise that was dealt with effectively, “The situation with the structural column was unknown until we started tearing into the existing structure. Carden Company retained an on-site fabricator to resolve the problem – very timely and handled cost-effectively.”
Dempsey was also pleased with Carden Company’s attention to their client, “We’d have a weekly progress meeting and they’re proactive – they keep the paperwork flowing, and they keep the job going. I just think they did an excellent job. I’d highly recommend them to anyone.”
“The situation [with a structural column] was unknown until we started tearing into the existing structure. Carden Company retained an on-site fabricator resolve the problem – very timely and handled cost-effectively.”
– Wayne Oakley, Architect