Tampa Port
Materials Lab Construction Sequence
This article is intended to provide you with perspective of
the process to build a new commercial office building from the ground up in
Tampa, FL. The project below was a
material testing lab at the Port of Tampa.
The smaller building made it easier to document the construction
sequencing, so it was a good choice for this article. The building size was roughly 625 SF and took
approximately 3 months to complete.
The site was fairly open with un-even gravel. Base materials were brought in and leveled
for the site location. (Fortunately, this was an active materials transport
property, so plenty of materials were readily available from the Owner). Note: It is very important to have an underground
line detection service (such as Sunshine 811) scheduled for all sites prior to
digging plumbing, electrical, or foundations. It is free and can help prevent costly mistakes.
Once the pad is ready, we began forming the slab and
foundation. This project was designed
with a thickened slab edge, which means the slab and foundation were integrated
and can be poured at the same time. The
wood forms were set and prepped for the plumber to start work. We roughed in all the underground plumbing
(right photo) per the project plans with coordination from the site dimensions
provided by the form work. A county
inspection occurred at this point for the underground plumbing.
Following inspection approval, the slab was further prepped
with plastic, welded wire mesh, and rebar.
Another inspection from the county was performed for the slab prep prior
to the concrete pour. Once approved, the
slab and footings were poured and finished (right photo).
After a concrete cure period of a few days, the CMU block
work for the exterior walls was brought in and installed on top of the floor
slab. Additional inspections were
performed prior to pouring the top beam and block cells. (You can see the knock
outs at the base on the interior walls to ensure concrete makes it all the way
down to the slab.)
Prefabricated roof trusses were built off site and delivered
with the plywood sheathing. Each truss
was installed and secured to the top wall beam using embedded straps. Once all trusses were secure, the roof
sheathing, fascia, and soffit were installed.
The exterior doors used on this project were welded metal
frames with primed metal doors. The hurricane
rated windows were also installed at this time.
Once the roof was dried in with felt paper (top right photo), we could
begin framing the interior walls and adding insulation around the perimeter of
the block walls. Inspections were scheduled
for the framing and insulation.
The final phase of the project is considered the trim-out of
all remaining scope items. The cabinetry
and countertops are delivered and installed.
All MEP items are trimmed out and tested including, bathroom plumbing
fixtures, electrical devices, lighting, and the HVAC system components. During this phase of the project all final
inspections are scheduled with the county including a plumbing final,
electrical final, mechanical final, and building final. Once approvals are obtained, the county
provided a certificate of occupancy to confirm the project is completed. The building was cleaned inside and out and turned
over to the Owner.
While residential and commercial projects can be very
different, many of the core principles and building techniques are similar for
many projects. Whether we are building a
house or an office building, the process and sequencing follows a familiar
path. From a concrete slab and CMU
blockwork to mechanical/electrical/plumbing rough-in and trim-out, even a small
project like the one presented above can provide a solid knowledge base of what
it takes to construct a new building.
Hybrid Construction LLC is a General Contractor located in
Tampa, FL. We specialize in residential
and commercial remodeling throughout Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco
Counties.
www.hybridgc.com
