East St. Louis Action Research Project
cost estimates
phase I: streetscape improvements
phase II: relocating houses to washington place
phase III: new construction
light poles including:
cost (contractors price):
cost:
ginkgo biloba - male: 'Princeton Sentry'
$161.00 /1 1/2 inch dia. (approx. 6'-0" in height)
concrete source:
Imperial Concrete Company Inc.
4101 Colleen Drive
Champaign, Illinois
(217) 352-1692
costs:
brick pattern 4'-0" width both sides of street reduced from 5'-0" width to give additional room for trees
18 bricks / linear foot of sidewalk (may vary depending on pattern)
1250 linear feet on each side of Washington Place = a total of 2500 linear feet of sidewalk = 45,000 bricks (By planning community work weekends using volunteer labor, Olivette Park Organization could reduce amount of paid labor.)
3'-0" wide concrete sidewalk = 10,000 sq. ft X $0.20 / sq. ft. / inch
$1500.00 X 5" thick (4" across yard, 6" across driveways) = $7500.00 (this does not include gravel--perhaps the gravel salvaged from the allies could be used here)
6 bricks / linear foot of sidewalk (may vary depending on pattern)
1250 linear feet on each side of Washington Place = a total of 2500 linear feet of sidewalk =15,000 bricks
(By planning community work weekends using volunteer labor, Olivette Park Organization could reduce amount of paid labor.)
width - maximum allowable depends on width of street along path chosen
length -maximum allowable depends on turning radius at corners, and how close existing houses and trees are to street along path chosen
height - maximum allowable depends on height of utility wires along path chosen
Lowering utility lines is very expensive, it is better to move house in sections than have lines lowered. One common practice is to remove the roof of brick structures; many of the houses chosen for the move need a new roof anyway.
How much bracing is required to stabilize sufficiently for moving?
What is the condition of the house?
intact, partial disassembly or total disassembly? cost varies with each
Method and machinery needed varies with house materials.
Check costs of acquiring required permits and approvals.
It is less expensive to go a longer distance to avoid narrow streets, trees, utility wires, RR tracks, overpasses, etc., than the costs involved in altering conditions listed.
digging basement and grading soil
new foundation walls
sewer and utility connections
grading soil (could fill in basement with soil removed from basement area at new site)
general clean up
plywood, paint, plastic, etc. for boarding up houses during move
Below are addresses meeting the initial criteria in choosing houses to be relocated. (see bibliography - Austin - Ch. 3 for case study of similar project in Detroit, MI - Corktown Neighborhood)
Who owns it?
Can property be acquired by neighborhood organization?
Are there existing liens or back taxes due?
What is the zoning of the property?
Is the house within certain dimensions to meet setback and code requirements of site?
Condition of structural system?
How difficult to relocate considering structural system?
Estimate of renovation costs?
Cost to bring up to code?
Potential market value?
Does site have same orientation to sun as original? (There can be detrimental effects on house materials, because of changes in temperature and heat gain from sun, when the orientation changes.)
Are utilities available?
Costs to clear lot / remove old foundation?
Impact on vegetation (existing trees)?
Accessible to necessary equipment? (crane)
Vacant Lots, ed. Carol Willis and Rosalie Genevro, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 1989.
Means Cost Data, 1995.
"Most simply put in economic terms, the housing problem derives from the gap between the income and ability to pay of people who need housing and the actual cost of providing it. There are two basic ways to try to bridge this gap:" (p. 23)
The close lot layouts keep yard maintenance to a reasonable size task as well as keep neighbors in contact with one another which may strengthen community ties. The brick bungalow style houses are within a size to easily maintain without high investments or loans, and the brick reduces risk of total loss from fire or damage to neighboring houses and is low maintenance. By having the yards slightly raised gives residents better views of their street from their porches and can also give privacy. This adds to the desire to gather on the porches which in turn provides more eyes on the street making it feel safer and therefore, a more enjoyable place to be. This influenced our decision in designing the infill housing from the overall siting of the houses to the selection of materials.
Because the area around Washington Place consists of larger lots and houses than those on Alexander and Gray, we felt it was important to maintain the character of the neighborhood by matching the quality and scale of this street with the new designs. Therefore, in order to accomplish this the houses are structured as either duplex or single family housing to make their size large enough to work aesthetically along the street yet maintainable financially.
form:
The designs are structured so the houses are affordable to median income households of the neighborhood. Also to increase stability in the block, residents are allowed to buy or rent the units in the duplex arrangement.
Simple construction methods allow for the duplication of similar building parts and for repetitive unit types. (Simple masonry forms with minimal corners and few full floor to ceiling interior walls.)
The project also lends itself to prefabricated components, which contribute to cost savings. The system is flexible enough, however, so that the building can be designed with an individual identity which will make a contribution to the neighborhood. (All of the porches, which may vary in location, are of wood which can be prefabricated off-site as well as the precast concrete steps.)
Building services, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, are grouped at the party wall between units. For ease of construction, the plan is repetitive, and stacked vertically.
materials:
Typically architects maintain cost control by using inferior materials and workmanship. With these designs, short-term economy comes from scale production and prefabrication. Long-term economy comes from low maintenance requirements of materials and energy efficient design.
Each unit proposed is sized and developed to take advantage of materials that can be handled by one or two laborers at a time. No heavy machinery is required for the building process; therefore, both labor and handling costs are reduced.
A straight forward construction method allows for the use of semi-skilled workers to provide job opportunities for unemployed residents of the area.
Use of labor of the future tenants or owners of the housing to help in construction and thereby reduce costs (similar to how Habitat for Humanity is structured).
Brick paver walk from porch to the brick sidewalk ties the house to the neighborhood aesthetically.
Pre-cast concrete porch steps and copings of site walls.
Pre-cast concrete sills.
Structural system - Exterior masonry bearing walls, interior structural steel stud bearing wall with steel joists and concrete foundation walls.
Exterior wall - brick veneer, 1" air space, moisture barrier, 6" concrete block bearing wall, 1 1/2" rigid insulation, metal furring, 1/2" gypsum wall board.
Interior partitions and ceilings - non-load bearing metal stud partitions with 1/2" gypsum wallboard walls and ceiling.
Wood strip flooring on plywood subfloors.
Vinyl tile flooring in kitchen and bathrooms.
glazing:
Operable and fixed windows with clear insulating glass.
mechanical system:
Hot air system with gas furnace
electrical system: Individually metered 110/220V single phase grounded three-wire system.
The following criteria were used in the cost estimation:
The following criteria was used in the cost estimation:
East St. Louis Action Research Project
