Western Specialty Contractors Restores Cedar Valley Church Façade in Bloomington, Minnesota

Western crew finishing masonry archway and corner repairs

(St. Louis, MO) Western Specialty Contractors – Minneapolis Branch has completed a three-month project to restore the façade of Cedar Valley Church in Bloomington, MN.

Located at 8600 Bloomington Ave., the Assemblies of God church contracted with Western to perform ongoing façade maintenance to its pre-cast concrete addition and address water infiltration issues at its masonry building.

The original brick building was constructed as an elementary school in 1949, with three additions built-on, one in the 1960s and a second in 1983. A precast concrete addition was added on the north side of the church building in 2009 and is used for a school.

Western’s façade restoration specialists began work on the precast addition in August, which included full sealant replacement at the joints and around all window perimeters (approx. 8,000 lineal feet). Western then pressure washed the concrete and applied a penetrating sealer as preventative maintenance. The work was performed during the summer to avoid disruption to the students.

The church portion of the building was experiencing water infiltration from the roof down behind its brick façade which was causing freeze/thaw damage to the brick masonry. To resolve the issue, Western replaced 3,000 bricks and installed through wall flashing in the cavity to deter water penetration, plus performed tuckpointing. Crews also replaced all joint sealants and power washed and sealed the building (approx. 18,000 sq. ft.) before applying a protective sealer.

The original building had some old windows that were covered on the interior and boarded up on the exterior that the church wanted to re-purpose to let natural light into the basement. Western removed the boards and infilled the openings with new masonry and glass block windows.

Western was able to complete the project on budget and within the allotted three-month schedule.

About Western Specialty Contractors

Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors is the nation’s largest specialty contractor in masonry and concrete restoration, waterproofing and specialty roofing. Western offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects, and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO with 30 branch offices nationwide and employs more than 1,200 salaried and hourly professionals who offer the best, time-tested techniques and innovative technology. For more information about Western Specialty Contractors, visit www.westernspecialtycontractors.com.