Ask construction manager Brian Peulicke, the construction manager, what he thinks is most remarkable about 218-unit multifamily project Wolff Waters Place, and he’ll describe how it blends into its country club community where it is located. “I think as a whole it is beautiful. You would never think of it as affordable.” The units are one to four bedrooms, rent from about $400–$1,000, serving lower income families.
The project features a large community center, a child care center, a swimming pool and cooling fountains, sports courts, tot lots, and a variety of open spaces, including barbeque and picnic areas. The buildings were constructed with environmentally-friendly features throughout and obtained LEED certificates on all of the buildings. In fact, out of the 24 buildings, nine received Gold and 15 Silver.
According to Peulicke, you have to be careful when selecting green products. “The field is evolving so rapidly plus you have to analyze how the products will be used.” For example, the team originally wanted dual-flush toilets but when they did some research, realized that people were wasting money by flushing multiple times. Because they couldn’t educate future project managers, they decided new technology on the single-flush front made more sense and went with a 1.2 gallon single flush toilet.
Peulicke’s advice for green builders, whether they build single or multi family, is simply to do things properly. “Spend the time to do the insulation right in every nook and cranny even if it means retraining yourself and your subs,” he says. But even more important is to plan and to know what you are doing ahead of time and have your budget reflect those choices. “My Dad was in construction, and I still hear his voice, ‘The only time to save money is in the planning phase. After that money can only be spent.’”
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