Adaptive reuse converts vacant motels, offices, and other underused buildings into housing and community spaces. The method costs 15 to 30 percent less and cuts global warming potential (GWP) by up to 82 percent compared to new construction. Every conversion, however, involves a property with a long and often forgotten “history,” including worn framing, obsolete systems, or undocumented soil conditions.
Read on as we share more common structural issues found in adaptive-reuse buildings and how we resolve each.
Why Do Adaptive Reuse Buildings Have Structural Issues?
Most conversion candidates were built 30 to 70 years ago, under dated building codes, and for different uses. For example, most motels from the 1970s were designed for guests staying a night or two, not for multiple people living under the same roof full-time. Once the use changes to permanent housing, the current codes apply, and the structure must support loads that the original design never accounted for.
Lacking proper documentation is an additional wrinkle. As-built drawings often go missing over the decades, and surviving plans can differ from field conditions after years of piecemeal repairs.
What Structural Issues Do Contractors Find in Older Buildings?
The most common adaptive reuse challenges include:
1. Foundation and Soil Problems
Poor soil conditions can undermine a conversion. The footing or foundation may be shallow or undersized for the new design, and fill soils can settle, shift, or conceal buried debris.
Imperial Contracting experienced this firsthand at Crescent, a former motel in Long Beach that we converted into 40 units of permanent supportive housing for Linc Housing. The property was on top of an old landfill, which was backfilled with artificial fill before the motel went up. During excavation, we found contaminated soil, which could rot concrete foundations and cause uneven sinking. Pivoting and acting quickly, our team installed deeper structural footings and relocated the manager’s units to a more suitable spot on the site. Despite the sudden change in plans, construction took only a little over a year to complete.
2. Deteriorated Framing and Hidden Damage
Water finds its way into older buildings through failed roofing, cracked stucco, and worn window seals. Over time, moisture rots wood framing, corrodes steel connectors, and invites mold and termites. Most of this damage stays hidden until the walls come down.
At Crescent, we gutted the entire building down to the wood framing and rebuilt everything new. The full gut gave our engineers a complete view of every stud, plate, and connection, exposing everything the moisture had damaged. Our team applied the same scrutiny at Zephyr, an extensive renovation that turned a former Holiday Inn into 137 supportive housing units for the same nonprofit client.
3. Load Capacity and Seismic Shortfalls
Repurposing an old building adds weight and stress outside the original design limits. Modern HVAC systems, sprinkler piping, added partitions, and heavier floor assemblies, for instance, all increase demand on beams, columns, and connections. At the same time, structures throughout California and other western states must meet current seismic building codes.
To support the added weight and brace against earthquakes, engineers install new shear walls, strengthen the existing framing, and reinforce the connections between them, among other seismic retrofit measures, as needed.
4. Fire Protection, Utility, and Accessibility Concerns
Residential conversion projects must comply with modern fire and life safety codes, which cover sprinklers, alarms, rated assemblies, egress routes, and ADA accessibility.
At Crescent, one of the tougher jobs was adding a new fire sprinkler line from the street into the main building. While the pipework itself was easy, getting the necessary permits and approval from multiple government agencies required months of planning, documentation, and follow-through. That experience forever changed how we start each project. Since then, we coordinate with agencies in advance, document conversations, confirm what each office needs for final approval, and then execute everything on the list.
5. Presence of Hazardous Substances
Several buildings constructed before 1980 contain asbestos in the insulation, flooring, and roofing, as well as lead-based paint on walls and trim. Contaminated soil, which our team encountered and remediated at Crescent, is also common on former industrial sites and landfills.
Licensed specialists remove these hazards under containment protocols before construction resumes. Our team can refer trusted abatement subcontractors when a project needs them.
How Does Preconstruction Planning Prevent Problems?
Experienced general contractors reduce the risk of early- and mid-project surprises through the following practices:
- Pre-construction assessments: Geotechnical borings, exploratory demolition, and other exhaustive assessment methods confirm the soil’s bearing capacity and the framing’s structural integrity.
- Early agency coordination: Setting appointments with building inspectors, fire marshals, health officials, and utility providers, among others, will identify safety concerns before construction begins.
Owners of older buildings should reserve 10 to 20 percent of hard costs for contingencies.
Regardless, Imperial Contracting has delivered property conversions, occupied renovations, and ground-up construction across the western United States. Even when we come across hiccups, we get the job done on time and within budget. Aside from Crescent and Zephyr, our team is redeveloping the former Knights Inn in Palmdale into Antelope Hills, a hybrid project with 100 converted supportive housing units and a new community building. These back-to-back projects have refined our approach to structural surprises, agency approvals, and aggressive schedules under California’s Homekey program.
Review our project gallery for more examples, or read our guide to the Best Types of Buildings for Adaptive Reuse if you’re still evaluating properties. Once you’re ready, tell us about your project. Old buildings might come with surprises, but we’re equipped with solutions.
FAQs About Structural Issues in Adaptive Reuse Candidates
Do structural problems stop an adaptive reuse project?
Very few issues are grave enough to cancel an entire project. Most setbacks have solutions, from deeper footings to reinforced framing. Crescent is a prime example, which we were able to finish in a little over a year despite its landfill conditions.
How much should owners budget for unknown structural conditions?
Developers reserve 10 to 20 percent of hard costs as contingency. Buildings older than 40 years, sites with landfill or industrial histories, and properties missing their original drawings may warrant the higher end of that range.
Can crews repair a failing foundation while the building is in place?
Yes, in most cases. The standard method, underpinning, extends the foundation’s support down to deeper, more stable soil while the building stays put. As for tight spaces, such as on cramped urban lots, crews can install micropiles or helical piles instead, since these slim supports require only compact equipment.
