« June 2007 | Main | August 2007 »
July 20, 2007
Hot Pace
It was 102 degrees the other day at the 2008 HGTV Dream Home construction site in the Florida Keys. And you'd think the local construction crew would be working in shorts.
Nope. Instead, these veterans on builder Juan Dellanos' crew pretty much all wear long pants and long-sleeve white tee shirts. And they all have bandanas hanging down from the back of their hats (hard or soft) to keep the sun off their necks.
HGTV Dream Home House Planner Jack Thomasson says the crews know how many breaks they need to take and how often to drink water: very often. Even with sea breezes coming in from Florida Bay, it's still pretty steamy.
Taking precautions against the heat may make a tight deadline a little tighter. But shaving time on safety is not an option, whether taking a breather or double tethering your guys working on the 12-pitch roof -- made of hot metal, of course.
Sometimes the crew is a little ahead of schedule, sometimes a little behind. But the pace has heated up.
Jack and Construction Supervisor Mike Uhre tell me they're on target for the projected completion. "The deadline for the HGTV Dream Home isn't tighter than normal," says Jack, "but normal is tight."
Staying on schedule is tough for a lot of builders. Tell us: what works for you to keep things moving along.
Posted by at 1:13 PM | Comments (83) | TrackBack
July 16, 2007
Three Wheels Turning
It's a crowded construction site at the 2008 HGTV Dream Home in Islamorada, Florida, with a lot going on. Window installation's under way, the interior mechanical work's going in, miscellaneous framing is being done inside, they're working on the standing seam metal roof, and they're getting a jump on the cement-board siding, with enough corner boards in to get the stucco going as well.
Basically, four parties make decisions about all things regarding the building of the HGTV Dream Home. There's HGTV Dream Home House Planner Jack Thomasson, the liaison between the builders and the HGTV design team; there's Mike Uhre, the construction supervisor; builder Juan Dellanos, and architect Rick Wissmach. The engineer is very familiar with the site; his office happens to be right across the street from the project.
Mike tells me that they are continually discussing things -- often little things they didn't see on paper until they started building them. For example, they've recently made some modifications to the kitchen to add more counter space.
"We're working through some things as we go along -- to make the Dream Home even better than we originally envisioned it," says Mike.
Adding some counter space is relatively easy, but not all changes are.
Comment below and tell us about some creative additions you’ve made to your house plans during construction.
Posted by Richard Wall, HGTVPro.com Staff at 1:10 PM | Comments (46) | TrackBack
