Brighton Park residents getting a surprise renovation

Some residents at Brighton Park apartment homes aren’t too happy about a surprise renovation that is scheduled to start today at 6254 Warm Springs Road.

Concerns grew stronger over the weekend after notices appeared on doors of some residents in a rear apartment building. The notices appeared three days after residents were briefed Wednesday by representatives from SageWater, a leading pipe replacement company.

The biggest questions from residents centered on why an upscale apartment complex built in 2007 and valued at $11.4 million needs new piping throughout its kitchens and bathrooms. The work will require water to be shut off, plastic covering the floors and walls protected from dust.

Calls to the rental office for comment were directed to Hall Housing in Dothan, Ala., but still no one had any idea about the work scheduled for the location.

According to John Hudgison, the Columbus director of Inspections and Code, the work is a bit more than a representative presented for a plumbing permit.

“The contractor came up here this morning and wanted to pull a plumbing permit but due to the extent of the work they are doing with the plumbing system, with stacks between the units and that kind of stuff, we determined that they needed a general contractor’s license,” Hudgison said Friday. “They are in the process of bringing somebody in that has a general contractor’s license that’s going to perform the work.”

The work will include more than plumbing. The work will go into the walls and possibly the structure. Pipes have failed in some apartments creating problems with leaks. To get each apartment completed, new water pipes are installed, new drywall is hung and walls are repainted.

“Once they explained what they were doing we were like, that is not just a little plumbing,” Hudgison said. “That is big.”

Residents were told the work could range from 3 to 5 days to 5 to 7 business days if a crew works from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. It wasn’t disclosed what type of plumbing pipes will be removed from the property but the replacement pipe is called CPVC, a chlorinated poly vinyl chloride pipe that’s corrosion resistant and very durable. The pipe also is suitable for residential and industrial plumbing systems.

Workers are expected to complete the complex by Halloween. The entire complex of buildings covers about 856,825 square feet.

As a resident of a new house built from the ground up 14 years ago, I haven’t seen any problems with leaks in the plumbing. Just like at the grocery store when the bagger asks if you want paper or plastic, I chose copper pipes when the plumber offered copper or plastic. For the entire house, he said it would cost an extra $450 to $600 for copper pipes.

Budgets may get tighter on bigger apartment projects.

Hudgison doesn’t believe work will start today because there is no general contractor yet. “We are just waiting on them to provide us,” he said. “They are going to pull a permit to do the work but they need a general contractor.”

If you have seen something that needs attention, give me a call.

This story was originally published July 16, 2017 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Brighton Park residents getting a surprise renovation."