The Construction Budget Was Just One of Many Challenges on this Housing Project
During the Fall of 2017, the Friede Team agreed to partner with Cohen-Esrey Development Group and ASK Studio architects to build this three-story, 33-unit housing project in downtown Reedsburg, Wisconsin.
Constructing a two-building, three-story housing project with a new client and architect, who were both located out-of-state and had never worked together, proved nearly as challenging as the tight, half-block jobsite that would become the home of the Walnut Street Flats in downtown Reedsburg, Wisconsin.
When Executive Vice President & Partner Scott Truehl first heard about the project, he saw it as an opportunity for Friede to grow as a firm by working on a complicated and challenging project that was right in our own backyard—literally blocks away from our headquarters. It was also an opportunity to redevelop and revitalize a site that is within short walking distance to Reedsburg’s historic downtown restaurants, shops, entertainment and professional services.
Creating a strong project team, regardless of the discipline, typically requires a great deal of time and trust that only previous working experiences can bring. So, it’s not surprising that the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority’s (WHEDA) Walnut Street Flats housing project would be challenged on many fronts from the start: unfamiliar team members; funding challenges; extensive value engineering necessary to bring the project within budget; significant material price increases; subcontractor issues; record rains; freak snowstorms and ultimately, the 2020 pandemic.
During the Fall of 2017, the Friede Team agreed to partner with Cohen-Esrey Development Group and ASK Studio architects to build the three-story, 33-unit housing project. The firms spent the next few months sharing information about each other and about the proposed project scope, likely demolition of the old commercial building and two residences that occupied the site, and the civil engineering work that would be required before the project could be started. By January of 2018, the project team began reviewing the preliminary architectural plans. By March, it was apparent that the project was significantly over budget and would require extensive value engineering to proceed. The project had initially been estimated in late 2015 and, in large part, utilized the average unit cost that Cohen-Esrey had been investing in their projects in the Kansas City marketplace. This would be their first project this far north.
Additionally, it became obvious that Cohen-Esrey’s previous projects typically were very simple multi-storied rectangular buildings, while the Reedsburg project was going to require an “L-shaped” complex that would also need an opening on the ground floor to allow for access to the internal parking area and courtyard. As a result, two separate building foundations would need to be installed and the first floors of each would appear as if two separate buildings were being constructed. The planned second and third floors of the buildings would be joined as one building. This multi-building construction would add significantly to the costs. To add to the complexity, the project also would need to meet the Wisconsin Green Build Homes criteria.
A groundbreaking for the new housing complex was held on October 4, 2018.
For the better part of the next five months, plans and specifications were created and amended and subsequently estimated and re-estimated to finally get to the point where the project was close enough to budget to allow a groundbreaking on October 4, 2018, a full year after the Friede Team first formally became involved in the project. Along the way, the project team considered and priced dozens of exterior options (brick, Exterior Insulation and Finishing System [EIFS], metal and composite siding) and ultimately decided that, because the 33,000-square-foot complex covered nearly two-thirds of the entire jobsite, the panelized walls would need to be fabricated off-site and most of the material deliveries and staging of supplies would have to go to the former Friede & Associates office, shop and yard, located just two a stone’s throw away.
Because the jobsite was too tight to store materials and work efficiently, panelized walls were fabricated off-site and most of the material deliveries were stored at Friede & Associates’ former office, shop and yard.
Another key to minimizing problems and enhancing communication between Friede, the owner, architect, subcontractors and suppliers was the use of Procore construction software, which provided a streamlined approach to submittals, RFIs, change orders, pay requests, and photo sharing. This proved vital since the owner and the architect were not local to the site. Virtual meetings were also routinely held to increase the participation of key players.
Following the site excavation, the project team utilized a GPS-based layout system for the concrete footings and frost walls saving valuable time and minimizing winter conditions and costs as concrete installation continued well into December.
Following the site excavation, the project team utilized a GPS-based layout system for the concrete footings and frost walls saving valuable time and minimizing winter conditions and costs as concrete installation continued well into December. Wall and roof construction continued throughout the winter and the two buildings took shape by early spring. As summer arrived, the full attention of the project team was on the interior buildout and finishes. Meanwhile, in an effort to minimize the threat of project delays, the Friede Team took over the installation of the brick and EIFS exterior siding which had to be changed due to increased prices and a shortage of potential siding contractors.
Summer in Reedsburg also brought with it near record rains each month which resulted in flooding. Several area roads and bridges were washed out, making material deliveries and access to the site even more of a challenge. If the rains weren’t enough, a freak Halloween snowstorm also caused delays to paving and final landscaping efforts. Ultimately, the 16-month project was completed just before Christmas 2019, and an official—although virtual, due to COVID-19—ribbon-cutting was held March 31, 2020.
The new, modern one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes feature free parking, restricted entry, on-site management, 24-hour maintenance, and a shared community room. Each unit has its own internet, washer and dryer, dishwasher, ceiling fans, luxury vinyl tile flooring throughout, individual storage units, and some units even have Juliet balconies. Walnut Street Flats brings essential workforce housing to the heart of Reedsburg and helped The Friede Team live up to it’s motto, “We Do Weird Well!®”
