Giving Back to the Community
Erickson Foundation Solutions Team Community Day
Located on Derry Road in Hudson, NH, the Hills House is a historical centerpiece to the community.
A community with safe, stable homes.
As a local, family-owned business since 1979, we understand the importance of not only providing our team with a sense of purpose and opportunities for growth, but also the importance of what it means to be a leader in the community. Each year at Erickson Foundation Solutions, our team looks for ways to make an impact in the community beyond the workplace. This year, our team took on our biggest project to date, in helping the Hudson Historical Society make some much needed repairs throughout the Hills House.
Built in 1890 as a summer home for Albert and Virginia Hills, the Hills House and it's property have since been donated to the town of Hudson, and is now the site of the towns annual Old Home Days fair. It also hosts a number of events throughout the year, from cross country running meets to antique car shows. The house is a well known site and museum to all the residents of Hudson, and it's unique history is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.
After connecting with the local historical society, our team learned how the Hills House was in need of some repairs.
- The fieldstone foundation wall was bowing in and at risk of collapsing.
- The old wooden floor supports in the basement were not properly supporting the beams and structure above.
- Water flooded the basement during heavy rain storms.
- Two exterior, brick walkways had fallen into disrepair.
- One of the main concrete stair entrance ways was cracked and unsafe for visitors.
Repairs in the Basement
For the bowing fieldstone foundation wall, we installed a 13' auxiliary wall. This system combines our PowerBrace wall stabilization supports with a poured concrete wall and base in order to anchor the existing wall into place and provide permanent stabilization.
The existing floor supports in the basement were a mixture of old wooden columns and temporary metal columns that were installed throughout the years. Our team replaced these with our SmartJack steel supports. These SmartJacks have large steel bases installed over engineered fill and crushed stone. With this additional support, the floor system will no longer bow under the weight of the structure.
Along the perimeter of the foundation walls, our team installed a perimeter drainage system that connected to two sump pumps. A TripleSafe sump pump system was added that included a battery back-up. With an upgraded waterproofing system, the property caretakers will no longer have to worry about a flooded basement.
A Safe Place for Visitors
On the exterior of the house, there were two brick walkways that had fallen into disrepair. Both had settled over the years, and the bricks were also covered with mildew and moss. While some of our team brushed the bricks cleaned, others prepared a solid base for the walkway and laid the bricks back in place. It was a true team effort, and the repaired walkways are not only brightened up, but safer for visitors to the property.
Lastly, the concrete steps leading up to one of the entrances was cracked and broken. It had become an unsafe trip hazard for visitors, and the historical society was looking replace or repair them somehow. Our team of masonry experts removed the brittle and cracked sections, formed new steps, and finished it off with new concrete. The new look steps were safe once again, and were a beautiful facelift for the exterior of the house.
Our company vision is to help our community have safe, stable homes. In striving to do so, it was a privilege to help make some much needed repairs at the historic Hills House. It was a wonderful company project that helped instilled purpose in each of our team members, and reminded us that being a leader in the construction industry goes beyond the job site and the office. We're lucky to be a part of such a great community, and it was an amazing day of giving back and making a positive impact.
Thank you to the Hudson Historical Society for their constant upkeep of this beautiful property, and for partnering with us to make these repairs and help preserve the Hills House.
