Residential Coring

The Challenge

The Forest Hill project was a complete interior and exterior overhaul. Our task? Core-drill precise holes through 12-inch-thick concrete walls, some clad in beautiful stone, without leaving any trace of our work behind. These weren’t just walls—they were sheer walls carrying structural loads, foundation walls, and more.

But the job had its challenges:

• Tight Quarters: Some of the interior drilling spots were high up and behind the HVAC system and ductwork.
   
• Pristine Finishes: The stone cladding on the exterior walls couldn’t show any damage or evidence of drilling.
   
• Accuracy: Every hole had to be drilled precisely in the right spot—there’s no fixing a misplaced hole in concrete.

Our Approach

From start to finish, this project demanded careful planning and execution.

1. Drilling Techniques That Protect Finishes
Stone cladding is beautiful, but it’s also fragile and susceptible to damage from slurry (a caustic residue created during drilling). To protect it:

• We mounted our drill stands through the mortar lines instead of the stone itself. This allowed for clean drilling that could be easily patched without trace.
• Before drilling, we soaked the area around the hole with water to prevent the slurry from staining the stone.
• Vacuum rings and poly tarps were used to capture the slurry and keep the job site spotless.
• As Nate Rogers, the project coordinator, explained, “Our goal is to leave every job site clean and unblemished, and that’s what we did here. If it weren’t for the fresh cuts and coring, no one would even know that our team was there."

2. Safety as a Priority
Working in tight spaces, like the ones in this job, may tempt some companies to cut corners, compromising safety. With our size and years of practice, we’ve got the equipment and techniques to handle irregular situations like this. In fact, it’s part of our standard operator training. In this case, we quickly erected a platform ladder so that our operator, Tito, would have a solid foundation from which to navigate around the HVAC pipes and mount the drill. Once the holes were drilled, Tito removed the cores piece by piece, carefully disconnecting water lines and extracting the core and equipment without disturbing the surrounding area.

3. Efficiency Without Compromise
Residential projects like this one are typically billed based on time and materials, so efficiency while maintaining quality is critical to having happy clients. We train our team to assess each site quickly, collaborate with the contractor, and make adjustments on the fly:

• Before starting, we asked the contractor to finalize the layout and confirm placements.
• Setup and drilling followed our protocol to avoid mess and damage.
• Cleanup was meticulous—all cores were disposed of properly and we clean our sites before leaving.

The Results

Over three and a half days, our team drilled 12 holes ranging from 2 to 6 inches in diameter. Despite the tight spaces and the pristine finishes, every task was completed on time and with exceptional care. The contractor, a repeat client of ours, was happy with the work, as always.

Nate summed it up best: "Residential projects like this one are small in scale compared to the work we often showcase, but the attention to detail and delivering a quality job are just as critical. We treat every job like it’s the most important one we’ll ever do."

Why It Matters

This Forest Hill project is a perfect example of what sets Ontario Cutting & Coring apart. Whether we’re working on a high-profile commercial site or a private residence, we bring the same level of professionalism, precision, and care to every job. It’s really important to us that our clients feel they can depend on us—that working with Ontario gives them peace of mind.

It’s not just about cutting concrete, it’s about delivering results that exceed expectations.