Easterday Construction has been involved with multiple multi-family housing projects over the years. The Garden Court projects have figured prominently in our experience. Currently many of the economic indicators are reportedly pointing towards the need for more multi-family housing. Rental properties are projected to be in demand. A recent article here points to the Top Ten Reasons for owning multi-family housing. Check out the article and contact us if you’re interested in a foray into this type of investment.
This past Tuesday we had our PTO (Permission To Occupy) meeting with HUD for the Culver Garden Court. This released the building to the property management company (Bradley Residential Management, formerly Real Estate Management) and they started to move furniture in that day. There were a few minor cleaning issues and some general touch-up items to be completed and they are underway. We will be moving the equipment and trailers off the site this week. The first residents will be moving in on Monday of next week! We’ve had to kick one future resident out multiple times over the past month as he’s been impatient to move in! Ha!
Due to the timing for completion of this building, there were a few items escrowed including the landscaping. This is scheduled for installation later this Spring. If our Spring comes in as mild as the Winter has been, we should be able to get an early start on it. Since it includes seeding, we don’t want to push this too early though.
We think this has been a successful project and we have gone over and above since it’s in our home town. There will be an announcement for an Open House and Ribbon Cutting coming out soon which we’ll include as a post here. We look forward to seeing you there!
We’ve included a few additional pictures after the jump.
We previously discussed efforts to make Culver Garden Court “Greener” than previous Garden Court projects. Apparently our project architect, Brent Martin, took that a bit literally when selecting the color scheme as you can see as the siding installation progresses. The siding is Certainteed’s Cedar Impressions and the color is Cypress.
There is a flurry of activity at the site now that the drywall and painting has been completed. The vinyl tile has been installed. The cabinets are in place. This is allowing installation of door frames, plumbing fixtures, electrical devices and electrical fixtures. On the exterior the siding is nearly complete as well as the soffit. The gutters and downspouts are scheduled for completion this week as well.
It’s been a while since my last update on Culver Garden Court. Things are proceeding quickly.
Rough-in is complete on wiring for the electrical, security and fire alarm systems. Plumbing rough-in is complete. HVAC rough-in is nearly complete. This has allowed installation of the wall insulation. Exterior wall insulation is complete and sound batts have been installed where required between units. Drywall installation has begun. The first thing to be drywalled will be the ceilings. This will allow blown-in insulation to be installed in the attic.
On the exterior, the faux stone wainscot installation has begun. Most of the stone is in place. Next will be wall caps and the column bases. Once wall caps are in place, siding and soffit installation will begin.
Sidewalk Construction Underway
Installation of concrete walks and curbs is currently underway. This will allow us to proceed with paving preparations. We made some decisions on revised locations for the sign and flag pole, so the installation of those items can proceed as well.
Wednesday and Thursday at Culver Garden Court were spent preparing for the arrival of the roof trusses. The walls were braced and squared. Beams and columns were installed. All the little things need to be prepared such as setting anchors at the columns and connecting anchor bolts at the exterior walls. The beam shown in the picture to the right is pre-engineered laminated wood designed for the load at this location. It is heavier and stronger than a dimension lumber beam of the same dimensions would be. The column shown below is dimension lumber. It is anchored to the pier below with a Simpson fastener designed to not only stabilize it, but to prevent uplift when high winds pull at the porch roof structure. Upon completion this column will be completely hidden under a decorative facade.
Column on Pier at Main Entrance
Bob Cooper, our site superintendent for this project, and I have been looking over the framing to determine where adjustments need to be made. We’re generally pleased with the changes that have been made to the panel design since LaPaz Garden Court, but we noted a few areas where we think additional improvements can be made. We noticed some areas where we think we can combine headers in the future and reduce the wall studs required for support. Wherever we can remove a stud, we not only save the cost of the stud, but also increase the space available for insulation. Bob was also the superintendent for LaPaz Garden Court so he is quite familar with how this project will come together.
First Load of Trusses Ready for installation
The balance of the trusses arrived on Friday. There are two semi loads like the one in the picture to the right. Trusses will be set using a combination of extend-a-lift forklifts and a crane. This installation is planned for Monday. Weather permitting, we are still on schedule for the main framing to be complete Tuesday. This should include not only the trusses but also the roof sheathing. Some minor interior framing will come after the roof is in place, i.e. soffits, blocking and adjustments to non-bearing walls.
Once the roof sheathing is in place, we will be installing shingles on the roof. This will allow us to be 90% weather tight. Windows will follow, further closing the building envelope. Completion of roofing will also allow installation of secondary electrical wiring rough-in. Installation of plumbing rough-in for all supply lines will begin as well.
