Joshua Seemungal
Senior Multimedia Reporter
joshua.seemungal@guardian.co.tt
There is no clear timeline for remedial work to finish on the 110 apartment units at the HDC Trestrail Land Development where structural defects have been identified.
It is likely to cost between $100 million to $150 million to undertake repairs to the units, experts estimated. The independent experts said most, if not all, of the apartments would have to be demolished.
While the HDC has not paid for the work done by Ricky Raghunanan Limited, Guardian Media understands that mortgage agreements for most, if not all, apartment units are closed/have been completed.
But people seeking housing have been left waiting more than three years, unsure when their dream homes will be delivered.
In 2019, former housing Minister Randall Mitchell said the HDC was well behind schedule on the Trestrail Development. HDC falls under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
As confirmed by a member of the Trestrail family, around $77 million was spent in 2011 to acquire Trestrail Farms in D’Abadie.
Guardian Media understands that Zones D and E-1 of the development, which is under construction by Ricky Raghunanan Limited, is a design, build and finance FIDIC contract believed to be valued at around $150 million. Raghunanan’s company has provided financing for the project.
With the projected high cost of repair work, due to initial construction work described by multiple HDC and industry sources as poor, there is no guarantee of a completed project in the short or medium term.
Contractor Ricky Raghunanan has denied claims that his work at the site was poor, saying to Guardian Media that there was no issue but could not give an estimated completion date for the project.
“You should drive on the project and see it, then talk. It’s just some little repairs. That’s all we have to do. The work was never shoddy or anything like that. We have plenty finished already, but you have to finish everything before you hand it over. It’s about two or three buildings that have to be handed over before we finish everything. When you doing a big project like that, you will have little repairs to do,” Raghunanan told Guardian Media.
So we did just that.
Touring Trestrail
Guardian Media visited the site with an independent industry expert (whose identity is protected). The site was guarded by security guards and we were able to gain entry.
From a distance, the 110 units appeared to be completed and ready for occupation. However, upon closer inspection, grass and weeds were growing in the driveways. Many of the streets connecting the apartment buildings were slanted and uneven, and several defects on the buildings were evident. For any layperson, it was easy to identify cracks in the inside and outside of many of the units.
The independent industry expert who accompanied us identified several issues.
The expert said there were symmetrical cracks inside and outside of many units, the floor was separating inside some of the units, many of the units were showing differential settlement (which occurs when part of the foundation settles more or faster than the other), some of the units were slanting, there were markings on exterior walls showing the likely presence of water and hollowness and there was paint bulging.
The expert described the work as ‘seemingly poor’.
There was no sign that the required remedial work started.
Guardian Media was able to get a rough estimate of what remedial works may cost by referencing a leaked CEP Limited report presented to the HDC in October 2022. In CEP Limited’s report, which Guardian Media was reliably informed cost the HDC between $100,000 to $200,000, the repairs required on ten examined units were identified. We then cross-referenced the report’s findings with independent industry experts to determine if the repairs suggested were needed in all 110 units, and we also received estimates on the approximate costs associated with repairs/remedial work.
The industry expert who visited the site and reviewed CEP Limited’s report estimated that repairs on zones D and E-1 of the project could cost between $100 million to $150 million. The expert said that the repair involves a lot of specialised work that few local companies do and the material required is difficult and expensive to source.
Guardian Media understands that the amount paid to construct the 110 units is around the cost it will take to repair. Each unit cost between $1 million to $1.5 million to construct, while repair works would be estimated to be around $3 to $3.5 million per duplex. The industry expert said from what was proposed in the report and what he/she was able to examine, the foundation of all units will have to be repaired, while most of, if not all, the apartments will have to be condemned/demolished.
Works that need to be done
Specialist Grouting for Foundation
According to ‘Retrofit/Remedial Measures’ under CEP Limited’s report, analyses revealed that the fill below the townhouse blocks was unable to support the applied loads of the proposed and designed two-storey structure.
“The geotechnical engineering consultant has thus recommended improving the existing soil conditions to increase the soil’s bearing capacity and also to reduce expected building settlements.
“Based on our discussions with various technical professionals in the construction industry, pressure grouting is considered to be the preferred soil improvement technique to implement for this project, considering that the townhouse blocks are already built and to minimise destruction to the built elements,” the report stated.
According to industry experts, pressure grouting involves injecting grout material into spaces or voids in a foundation. They said it is a specialist job that is costly.
The report recommended the use of AV-275 soil grout designed to bind together loose granular soils. The cost of each five-gallon pail of AV-275 soil grout is more than US$500 in the United States and is even more expensive to source locally.
Crack Repairs
It was recommended that any cracks observed should be cleaned and then sealed with a sealant.
New Concrete Mix for Masonry Sheer Walls
CEP Limited’s report found that the existing masonry sheer walls would likely require retrofit work. It said it would require an independent agency to conduct field verification exercises to determine if reinforcing bars are in place for the walls and whether concrete exists in the cores of the walls as required. In the absence of those requirements, the report said it would require removing the wall render, preparing the block wall surface to receive approved cement mortar mix, anchoring to both faces of the block walls, and applying, smoothing and curing a concrete mortar mix.
Main Reinforced Concrete Beams to be Installed
The report recommended that the wall render must be removed and inspected to determine whether concrete beams exist as required. If it is determined that the beams do not exist, then the masonry block walls would have to be broken along the line and depth where the beams should be; An adequate reinforcement cage would have to be inserted; install concrete spacer blocks; fill the cavity with approved concrete, remove formwork; and then render walls and apply primer and coating.
Concrete Repairs
The report said that if the ‘as-built’ condition is not in accordance with the structural drawings, then the Engineer of Record should evaluate and decide if the ‘as-built’ condition meets the applicable strength and code requirements for acceptance. If the evaluation proves that the requirements are not satisfied, then the RC first-floor beams (including the RC ring beam) will have to be demolished and reconstructed in accordance with the structural drawings.
Reinforced Concrete First Floor Slab May Have to be Demolished
The report found that based on a visual inspection of the cored concrete samples through the RC first floor slab of Townhouse Block in the areas where corrugated galvanised sheeting was used, no reinforcing bars were observed. In the absence of the reinforcing bars and the extremely weak concrete compressive cylinder strength, the report recommended that a load test be performed by an independent testing agency. It said that based on the results, a determination from the Engineer of Record can be made on whether to demolish and rebuild the RC first-floor slab.
Honeycombing Repairs
Honeycombing is a term used to describe areas of a concrete surface that are coarse and stony. It may be caused by insufficient fine material in a mix due to poor mixing/melding or incorrect aggregate grading. CEL Limited observed this on the structures and suggested that corroded steel reinforcing bars may need to be cleaned and have an anti-corrosive coating applied. It also recommended that a concrete bonding agent be used and the concrete cavities be filled with non-shrink grout and treated with a curing agent.
Questions for HDC
Based on Guardian Media’s findings, the following questions were sent to the HDC on November 15.
1. Guardian Media Limited understands that the structural and infrastructural issues affecting the ten units identified in CEP Limited’s report apply or likely apply to all 110 units of the Trestrail Development 1-R Project. Can the HDC confirm?
2. Can the HDC give a definitive timeline or time limit for the completion of repair work to be carried out by contractor Ricky Raghunanan Limited at the Trestrail Development 1-R Project?
3. Was a cease-and-desist letter or a suspension of works letter ever issued by the HDC to contractor Ricky Raghunanan in relation to works done at the Trestrail Development project?
4. Guardian Media understands that mortgages have been approved for all 110 units of the Trestrail Development 1-R project and that the sale of 110 units has been pre-approved or approved. Can the HDC confirm?
5. What was the HDC’s procurement process in hiring Ricky Raghunanan Limited to construct units as part of the Trestrail Project
6. Has Ricky Raghunanan Limited previously constructed apartments/homes for the HDC? If so, for which projects?
7. Given the time that has elapsed since Ricky Raghunanan Limited began construction work at Trestrail Development–and the possibility of agreements being statute-barred–does the HDC maintain the ability to terminate the contract with Ricky Raghunanan Limited?
8. Does the HDC maintain the ability to take legal action against the contractor for failure to deliver within a stipulated timeline?
9. What is the approximate cost–estimated by engineering professionals or by the HDC or the contractor–to repair the 110 units of the Trestrail Project 1-R?
HDC responds
This was the response from the HDC:
“Given that this matter has already been ventilated in the media, the Housing Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (HDC) refers to its earlier response dated Thursday, October 19, 2023 (a copy is attached). The HDC is currently working with the contractor to bring this matter to a successful conclusion.”
HDC had said in an earlier response that its board of management raised concerns about certain structural issues on the project and commissioned CEP Limited to conduct a study in relation to defective works.
HDC had said it will not take possession of these townhouses or pay the contractor until these defects are remedied.