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Contractor tears down home under construction
By THOMAS MICHALSKI
| Article published on Friday, Aug. 4, 2006 |
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| Photo by THOMAS MICHALSKI |
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| Contractor Jason E. Stross points to the new house that was razed and now is being rebuilt. |
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| Photo by THOMAS MICHALSKI |
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| From the rubble of the old house, workers begin construction of a replacement. |
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PINELLAS PARK – A local contractor tore down an unfinished house he was building because using reclaimed water to mix with mortar might cause future structural and other damage.
The walls of the home, dubbed “The Newport,” were virtually complete when Jason E. Stross of The Broderick-Stross Group, a Pinellas Park construction company, learned that reclaimed water includes ingredients such as chlorine that can cause mold and structural problems.
The home, the first of 20 in the Heritage Reserve gated community at 58th Street and 94th Avenue, was razed and is being rebuilt.
Stross estimated the loss at about $25,000. The homes sell for $400,000 to a high of $700,000. Some are up to 3,700 square feet with vaulted ceilings and three-car garages.
“We didn’t legally have to raze the building because there is no law that actually bans the use of reclaimed water,” Stross said, “but we didn’t want future problems, either.”
Stross said Roger Broderick has been building local homes for 35 years. Stross’s father teamed up with Broderick on the Heritage Reserve project.
“We were not aware of the issues with reclaimed water,” Stross said.
The structure, about one-quarter rebuilt, is being built with regular city water that does not contain chlorine and other problematic chemicals.
Stross said a local cement vendor helped absorb the additional costs of tearing down and rebuilding the house.
The problem developed when a city building inspector discovered that reclaimed water was used to make the masonry. He suggested that future mold and structural problems could develop.
“We researched the issue by contacting universities, cement manufacturers and others,” Stross said. “We then determined that, yes, a future problem could exist and we decided to do the right thing.”
Stross said his company will have less profit from the new development, “but we can sleep better at night knowing that we went the safe route.”
Contractors say they don’t make the profit they once enjoyed because of higher lumber, concrete and other supply costs created partly by higher fuel prices.
Heritage Reserve will be only the second gated community in Pinellas Park. The original is Bayou Club off Belcher Road.
Heritage will be environmentally friendly.
“We recently planted about 100 trees,” Stross said. “That is in addition to other live landscaping.”
Stross said his company also is building more affordable housing in another area of the city. Called Parkside Villas, the units will cost about $210,000 each.
“We are focusing on creating housing for middle income families,” Stross said. “It’s needed in a city that has grown considerably in recent years.”
It was not immediately known how many homes in Pinellas County have been built by others using reclaimed water.
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Article published on Friday, Aug. 4, 2006
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