From The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA), Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Construction: 1917 Wilsonian building undergoes renovation to be YWCA's new domestic shelter

By Kathleen Cooper

Yes, it's a shrink-wrapped building.

Rushforth Construction is leading the work on The Wilsonian at 401 St. Helens, which is being renovated by the YWCA as its new domestic violence shelter.

Built in 1917, the apartment building has lead paint on the outside and inside. And renovating a building with lead paint means following some strict environmental rules, Rod Robertson, Rushforth's project manager, said on Monday.

What's happening: Robertson said his company is giving the building a face-lift, including the addition of a few exits to the building and the replacement of balconies with a covered porch.

Why wrap the building?  "The stucco on the outside was starting to crack and get weathered," Robertson said. "That's where the shrink wrap comes in. You could let the lead get on the soil but you'd have to clean that up. So there's scaffolding there, then we shrink-wrapped the whole building. So when they scrape it, they can collect it all and it doesn't get in the atmosphere."

Is it really shrink wrap? "It's literally shrink wrap," Robertson said. Workers take heavy plastic and drape it over the scaffolding, then use heat guns to tighten up the plastic.

Other advantages: Robertson said the wrap also keeps construction dust in—perfect for work in an urban area.