Millions or demolition for Chocolats Favoris du Vieux-Lévis

The future of the Vieux-Lévis house of Chocolats Favoris is bleak.

Ten months after ordering it, the elected officials of the Demolition Committee of the City of Lévis finally received the counter-analysis on the state of 32, avenue Bégin, which Chocolats Favoris wishes to demolish in order to rebuild.

And contrary to what heritage defenders hoped, the report from the Part 5 firm, paid at a record price by Lévis residents, draws an even worse assessment than expected of the building located in the heart of Old Lévis.

Over the 400 pages of the document, including The Sun got a copy, nine experts detail the poor health of the building built in 1909, before recommending its demolition.

In addition to confirming the advanced deterioration of the massive brick walls of the building reported by Chocolats Favoris, the masons, architects and professionals who participated in the second expertise noticed that “several other components are also in poor condition”.

They therefore conclude in turn that the “structural integrity” of 32, avenue Bégin is called into question, and recommend its demolition.

The experts commissioned by Lévis, however, emphasize that the heritage building is not a lost cause. According to them, the heritage value of 32, avenue Bégin, could be saved by political will… and big investments.

According to estimates, some three million would be needed to preserve the past by bringing the building up to date. The second opinion therefore supports the option of demolition, although “the loss of a heritage building is deplorable”.

“Rehabilitation is feasible if the heritage value takes precedence and the budget allows it. However, we recommend demolition as a more reasonable option.”

— Extract from the second opinion on 32, avenue Bégin, carried out by Part 5

The members of the Demolition Committee will meet soon to make a decision regarding the request for 32 Avenue Bégin. His decision will almost inevitably be contested later, which will bring the matter back to the municipal council.

It will then be all the elected officials who will decide for good on the fate of the building during a vote. The mayor and his team, who hold a strong majority, will therefore make the final decision.

If Lévis authorizes demolition, Chocolats Favoris proposes to rebuild a new branch that resembles “as faithfully as possible” the historic building.

Degraded walls and more

As part of the demolition request, the experts hired by Chocolats Favoris made much of the condition of the foundation walls at 32, avenue Bégin.

Before the Demolition Committee, they claimed to have observed walls “in a lamentable state”, even “dangerous”. “Cancer is really taken,” summed up one of them.

The second opinion carried out for Lévis confirms these findings. Outside, “many mortar joints are cracked, loose and disintegrated,” she says. Same thing inside, where “the visible mortar joints are stained with humidity and bear traces of efflorescence”.

“They could be more deteriorated than they appear,” the report even notes.

But that’s not all. The critical condition of the building’s walls was the tree hiding the forest, the firm explains.

“The deterioration of the massive walls has probably relegated the evaluation of the other components to second place,” write the independent experts, who were invited to take the analysis further.

With the help of some 397 photos taken during the inspections, they concluded that the two doors and 12 windows of the building must be changed, since they were “deteriorated or rotten”.

The paint is peeling almost systematically from one end of the building to the other and the majority of the horizontal wooden elements are also rotten, as are several elements of the balustrade which overhangs the terrace.

The experts also highlight more or less serious problems in the rest of the components of the heritage building, from the frame to the floors, from the covering of the walls to the roof.

“Insufficient maintenance”

Without directly blaming the company, the counter-expertise of the firm Part 5 addresses some criticisms of the “insufficient maintenance” of Chocolats Favoris, which has occupied 32, avenue Bégin, for a little less than thirty years.

In general, the building suffers from “less sustained maintenance than it could have been” given “its intensive use”, they note.

The changes made to transform the residence into a business also worsened the condition of the heritage building and accelerated its deterioration, according to the counter-analysis.

“Compared to previous uses (residential, offices), the significant increase in humidity levels inside the building due to food preparation activities […] increased the humidity level in solid brick walls,” the report gives as an example.

Temporary repairs, such as the installation of a self-adhesive membrane “which also trapped humidity inside the walls” and the installation of poorly suited heating, are also singled out.

In summary, “modifications made over time, combined with insufficient maintenance, have accelerated the degradation of walls and other critical components.”

Possible to save it, but at a high price

Despite the findings on its condition, 32, avenue Bégin, is not a lost cause.

The commissioned second opinion states that the building could still be saved from the demolition peak, but at a high price.

“We believe that it is possible, in terms of feasibility, to rehabilitate or repair it,” note the experts, affirming that “the shoring and temporary bracing of the frame are similar to the precautions that are commonly taken when moving a building.

But “this feasibility does not take into account the cost and other risks associated with such work,” they specify.

The estimator who participated in the analysis calculates that it would take at least 2.6 million plus taxes and specialized labor to restore the building.

“This type of project requires resources that usually only government authorities have,” he underlines, highlighting the scale of the bill associated with the necessary work.

On this basis, despite the technical possibility of preserving 32, avenue Bégin, the counter-expertise report recommends the demolition of the building.