Project Avaleen, our 17-unit, four-storey multi-family building in Halifax, has hit the milestone we've been working toward since the frame went up. The roof is on, the windows are in, and the building is closed to the weather. In construction, we call this being weather-tight. It's not the most exciting thing to look at, but it decides what the next six months of the job look like. On our current schedule, that's enough time to have Avaleen finished and leased up.
What weather-tight means
A building is weather-tight when its outer shell keeps water and wind out. The roof membrane is down, the windows and exterior doors are set and sealed, and the remaining openings are closed up.
Until that point, the weather sets the pace. A wet week is a lost week, and this summer gave us plenty of those. Once the building is closed in, the inside becomes a workplace that doesn't care what's happening outside.
Why it matters in October in Nova Scotia
Interior work needs a dry building. Insulation, drywall, and the electrical and plumbing rough-ins all wait on the envelope being closed.
In Nova Scotia, that puts a hard deadline on the calendar. A project that closes in before winter keeps its trades working straight through the cold months. A project that misses it can lose most of a season standing still, and still paying for it.
That's why we see weather-tight as a scheduling milestone as much as a construction one. It's the point where the schedule stops being a negotiation with the sky.
What's happening now, inside and out
Until now, if you drove past Avaleen, you could see exactly where we were: excavation, then the concrete base, then the steel frame, then the roof.
Next up on the outside is the facade and curtain wall. That's when you'll start to see the texture, colour and finished look of the building. Inside, electricians are pulling wire and setting boxes, HVAC is running ductwork, and insulation is going up ahead of our pre-drywall inspections. This is the busiest the site will be.
And if you look closely, you might spot one vinyl window installed backwards. That's not a mistake. We've been waiting weeks, now months, for Nova Scotia Power to take down the primary line beside the building and install our new pole. Primary power lines are serious and dangerous, and there are strict rules on how close you can work to them. Until Nova Scotia Power takes care of their end, our only option was to install that window from the inside.
What comes next
- Insulation and drywall, our next major milestone
- Finishing the facade and curtain wall
- Interior fit-up and kitchens
- Final inspections and leasing
Building more homes in Halifax
Every milestone on Avaleen brings 17 new homes closer for Halifax. With rents and affordability where they are in Nova Scotia, adding new housing is the most direct way we know to help, and keeping projects on schedule is a big part of that.
We share the major milestones here and post progress photos in between on Instagram. Follow the project at Project Avaleen.
Neyaz Saberi, President of People Properties Limited, has written about learning to let go of the day-to-day. It's a big part of how a build like this keeps hitting its milestones.
People Properties Limited (PPL) is a Halifax, Nova Scotia developer, general contractor and landlord, led by President Neyaz Saberi.
