News

September 17, 2009

Michael Roberts Construction Inc. Takes on Half-Finished Walnut Creek Apartment Community and Completes Project

Campbell, CA; September 17, 2009 – Robert Putnam, vice president and principal of Michael Roberts Construction, Inc. (MRC Inc.) in Campbell announced that his firm has completed construction of The Windsor Apartment Community in Walnut Creek, CA on behalf of owner Windsor Capital Group, Inc. Completion occurred within ten months of MRC Inc.'s takeover after the project's previous general contractor had abandoned the job. 

Comprised of 125, one and two-bedroom units at 2383 North Main Street, the apartment homes are ready to occupy and leasing is being managed by FPI Management Inc. The structure features four levels of apartment homes above two levels of gated, secured garage parking – the upper level parking is at street level and the lower level parking is below grade.

MRC Inc. was assigned completion of the project in September last year and completed its $10 million, guaranteed maximum contract earlier this summer. The apartment homes come in four different plan types that range from 742-1088 square feet, with one to two bathrooms. All homes exist within one, four-story building that are serviced by two elevators and surround a central courtyard with lush landscaping. Additional community features include two rooftop terraces, a swimming pool and spa access at the adjacent Marriott Hotel, a fitness center and business center. 

The Windsor residents will have access to all Marriott Hotel amenities because both properties are owned by the same parent company.

Apartment home features include 9-foot interior ceiling heights, in-unit washers and dryers, private balconies or patios, generous walk-in wardrobes, private storage lockers in a secured area, Internet/Cable access and Whirlpool appliances among many details. For more visit: www.windsoronmain.com.

MRC Inc. was referred to this project based on its previous experience in taking over and successfully completing other multifamily projects. This project was delayed before MRC Inc. took on the job as the owner finalized terminating his relationship with the previous contractor. The original project should not have taken so long to build, according to MRC Inc.'s Putnam.

"We were reluctant to take on a half-finished job as a guaranteed-maximum contract (versus a cost plus contract)," he said. "When you start a construction project from scratch, you understand what is involved, from a historical perspective, and you set certain contingencies based on anecdotal data. The difficulty in establishing a baseline on projects like these depends on two variables: the volume of the changes to the original design and the status of the subcontracts. From the start, we worked closely with the owner's representative and architect to extract the essence from the volumes of documentation (i.e. RFI's, ASI's, VE, etc.) that were issued to construct the building and its systems. This, in turn, aided us at subcontract renegotiation to establish a cost to complete and clarify scope. The volume of change directives to design and subcontracts was extremely substantial and required very careful planning as a cost to complete," Putnam said. 

In the end, Putnam was pleased with the results, "The arrangement was an excellent fit for both parties: we needed the work and the owner needed a GC who could figure out how to finish the project in a hurry. Ultimately, this is what we did and the project was a success."

About Michael Roberts Construction Inc.
Michael Roberts Construction Inc. (MRC Inc.) is one of Northern California's preeminent commercial contractors with expertise in private and public general construction projects from new, ground-up buildings to commercial building tenant improvements and renovating existing facilities in all building categories. Through the years, MRC Inc.'s management, staff and subcontractors have created value for customers by perfecting the disciplines of design, engineering, project management and construction. For more information please visit: michaelrobertsconstruction.com.