1. The Complete Overhaul: Crafting Excellence Through Vision and Collaboration
The most ambitious renovation involves utilizing nothing but the building’s skeleton—removing walls, modifying electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, and essentially reimagining the entire living space. We’ve had the privilege of working with a company that has built a winning formula for tackling buildings in great locations, with solid structures but problematic layouts.
These projects typically begin with a detailed drawing of the building as-is, providing a clear roadmap for the transformation ahead. The primary objectives are to create a minimal number of standardized, well-laid-out unit plans and to leverage this standardization by employing economies of scale in both purchases and production flow. The owner’s vision is always bold, aiming to include features in the units and amenity areas that are unique to the area, setting a new standard for what renters can expect.
The key to the success of their projects is the formation of an excellent team that spans design, architecture, construction, marketing, finance, and purchasing. The owner is not only a visionary but also an adept decision-maker, ensuring that every choice is made with the project’s long-term goals in mind. All potential vendors are engaged early in the process, considering not only current options but also future trends across all product categories.
Additionally, the owner acquired storage space to stage materials, a move that optimized the flow of the project and helped prevent delays. The result of this collaborative effort with key vendors is optimized unit layouts, proportional kitchens with clear zones, highly functional closets, and several “wow” features that are extremely attractive to prospective residents, such as beautiful mobile islands, handleless kitchens, wall-hung vanities, glass doors, and unique plumbing and lighting fixtures.
Ultimately, this in-depth research, collaborative approach, bold vision, great team, and drive to create the best possible unit layouts and resident experience have led to their continued success in full renovations.
2. Large-Scale Renovation: Precision in Planning and Execution
In another instance, a customer approached a large-scale renovation with a focus on precision and pre-planning. The project involved renovating 200 units within a complex of over 500, most of which were occupied. Given the scope, there was no room for error.
The first step was to measure every unit at the front end of the renovation. Too often, this step is skipped due to the urgency of achieving an ROI on the project as soon as possible. However, measuring every unit upfront provides so many benefits. In this case, numerous discoveries were made. Units thought to be the same had meaningful differences. Units thought to be different had opportunities within them to standardize. Obstacles, like venting and random columns, were dealt with in advance instead of turning into rushed change orders.
The second step was to establish design standards that would be applied to all layouts. The customer required full-depth cabinets over the refrigerator, and pantries wherever possible, and ADA-compliant cabinets in the bathroom. Additionally, they specified the general dimensions of all cabinetry, depths of all counters, and maximum allowable sizes of fillers. With these instructions, all units were standardized as much as possible to create the least amount of variation while still enhancing the current layouts.
The third step was to create a collaborative website for all trades and stakeholders. The site we created had details of each standard and each unit. Everyone participating in the project had access to measurements and specifications for everything. Comments could be made and images taken. When problems occurred they were quickly communicated and acted on. This kind of collaboration was extremely effective but is rare. It isn’t always easy for employees of different organizations to get on the same page by using one company’s collaborative tool, but in this case, it was a central part of the success of this project.
Thanks to the meticulous pre-planning, standardization, and collaboration among all stakeholders, the project went extremely well, meeting both the customer’s and residents’ needs. In my estimation, each unit renovation was completed in about 30% less time mainly due to the project flow and lack of surprises. The project started later than it could have, but finished sooner and with a lot more satisfaction (and profitability) from everyone involved.
3. Sporadic Renovations Across a Portfolio: Flexibility Meets Structure
A different approach was taken by a customer who needed to renovate units across three properties. Their plan was based on an allotted dollar amount per month instead of a targeted number of units. This renovation scope spanned properties where only select units required updates. Many units had been renovated by the previous owner. The continuation of the project was going to be measured by the ability to rent units at higher prices.
Given the nature of this project, pre-measuring all units was impractical. The customer, who had limited administrative help, needed a streamlined process that minimized paperwork and simplified approvals. Together, we established a process that allowed for a fixed PO dollar amount per month. Before starting we agreed upon a full itemized price list of all items that would be used on the project. Standard layouts were created for budgeting purposes and to establish design standards.
An online collaboration tool was utilized to track which units would be renovated, keeping a running total against the PO. Invoices, layouts, general data, comments, and pictures were uploaded to this platform, allowing for real-time updates and easy communication. As the PO amount approached its limit, units were either included in the current month’s PO or moved to the next. Any differences in the monthly PO amount were handled as either positive or negative change orders. If any unit’s pricing appeared out of line, the price list and published layouts were referenced. Any discrepancy was easily resolved.
This flexible yet structured approach solved the problem of managing a significant project with a less defined scope, ensuring that the renovation could continue as long as it delivered positive results.
4. Standardization Across a Portfolio: Consistency is Key
Lastly, I want to highlight a strategy focused on creating a single design standard across an entire portfolio of properties. This customer was clear in their vision, selecting a desired door style, cabinet and door color, hardware, and so forth, across all properties. They included unique touches like one glass door in each kitchen and an open cabinet finished to match the exterior color. The design standards extended to specifics such as cabinet height and layout over sink bases, ranges, and refrigerators. The standards were communicated to all staff and site personnel and stored within our design process, ensuring consistency across the board.
This comprehensive list of design standards not only streamlined the design and approval process but also created a unique and consistent living experience for residents across the portfolio.
Conclusion: Planning and Collaboration are Key
Feel free to connect with me to discuss more about these strategies or if you need advice on your upcoming projects.
– Matt
