THE START OF THE FINISH

The last two weeks of completing a showhome would be stressful if it was not slightly comical! The whirlwind of finishing details would make your head spin, but with a plan and a calm production team it will all come together. The next few blogs will cover a huge variety of details as every day another feature of the home is completed – we will be blogging every couple of days for the next couple of weeks so stay in touch.

This original ceiling treatment guides the visitor from the entry foyer into the kitchen. We will either paint it or stain it – we will decide on the finish once the hardwood stair treads and the bamboo flooring is in. These were fabricated in-house by the Phoenix crew Unique.

The color goes on the Hardiplank siding. After the first coat we will fill any pockets, sand, and add two top coats to enrich the color and fully weatherproof the area. You can also see the the sod has begun to be installed in the front yard – watered daily for the next two weeks we will have a beautiful front lawn with no apparent seams!

Tami and Keith Miller discuss the installation of the main kitchen faucet – these often have a couple of mounting options to the countertop. Note the plastic protection applied to the granite counters during the final kitchen installation.

IMPRESSIVE HARDWARE

The kitchen alone is going to be reason enough to visit the showhome when it opens the first weekend of December. The kitchen hardware, supplied and installed professionally by the polished team at Bon Vivant will be a professional chef’s dream! Bon Vivant carries some of the greatest names in kitchen gear, including Viking, Bosch, Gaggeneau, Best, Franke, Liebherr and Smeg. They can also supply a fill line of Thermador, which is what the Watts family specified for its dream kitchen.

Proprietor, Cynthia Hew at Bon Vivant, now at Governor’s Square but relocating to Camana Bay in time for Christmas

Cynthia supervises the installation of the Thermador products being installed at the showhome.

The luxury of a 48”Thermadore fridge! We will come back and take a closer look at these products once they are fully installed. We will also have a look at the new Bon Vivant at that time – stay tuned!

AN EYE FOR DETAIL

“Commitment to Quality" has become such a generic phrase that it has been literally rendered meaningless! How often do you find a firm that is COMMITTED to quality? A firm that will refuse to leave the jobsite until you are 100% happy and ready to tell everyone that you know all about the experience? Well that is what Paint Pros is all about and that is why Phoenix uses Paint Pros. When you visit the showhome next month look at the quality of the paintwork and stain work! You really will see the difference.

Jonathan DaCosta shows me the level of detail that Paint Pros go to identify the smallest imperfections in every corner of the home, fill them (the light yellow areas) prime and sand them prior to applying the two top coats! Remember that we are using top quality lumber for all the millwork in this home and you get the picture – Jon is a detail guy’s detail guy!

“We are about developing completely devoted customers” he tells me as we walk around the home and he shows me the level of preparation that he insists on as ‘standard’. “The key is the preparation” he says “It is hard work – every one of your staff has to understand that it is not ‘finished’ until it is ‘perfect’”.  It has taken time to develop the team of “Painting Professionals” that he has grown to a group of over 30. Every member of the paint team brings with them years of professional experience and that has allowed Paint Pros to establish a reputation well beyond Cayman’s borders, as they have worked Caribbean-wide on a variety of specialty projects. The crew is adept at Venetian plastering, gold leaf ceiling and wall coverings, staining, high-traffic floor coatings and other specialties – applications that take training and precision teamwork. “It sounds corny, but we really do treat each customer like they are the only one we have” adds DaCosta.

 We believe him!

Paint Pros is also handling the staining of the interior doors for the showhome. It is a process that involves seven steps of sanding staining and sealing to make the doors glow. “Not too many people understand how to do this correctly” said Jonathan, “Again, it takes patience and commitment...these doors will be fantastic, this poplar is a beautiful wood to work with and these doors well be treated so that they last forever”.

Works for me!

COOL POOL

Now doesn’t that look inviting! We finished the Diamondbrite finish on the pool over the weekend and filled it yesterday. All it needs now is the chemicals and it will be ready to use. Nice job Oasis Pools – on time, on budget, and it looks great! We are looking forward to the waterfall, which will be installed in the aluminum pergola and will cascade into the cutout on the left hand side of the pool.

The little water jets are programmable, as is everything in this pool, and the water volume can be preset so that you get just as much arc as you desire.

It’s so straightforward that you can program it with your eyes shut says James from Oasis! This is the gear that runs the pool – it is housed underneath the planter below the Master Bedroom (and yes, it is very quiet!)

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

It is always exciting when the kitchen starts to take shape, and this week we see the start of that process with the arrival of the beautiful cabinetry components from Kitchen and Bath Solutions.

Kitchen and Bath Solutions was a fledgling firm in the summer of 2004, just waiting for a big break, and while Hurricane Ivan was no picnic, there is no doubt that the timing was pretty fortuitous for a company that had just geared up with a great product line and was raring to go.

“We compressed about ten years of experience into 18 months” laughs Matthew Adams, the K&BS owner who was at the front line during that 2005 initiation by fire. “We learned a lot about quality control, lessons which we apply regularly today” he added.

One of the areas where Matthew and K&BS have addressed quality is the acquisition of the rights to distribute the Executive Cabinetry product line out of South Carolina. (www.executivecabinetry.com)

It’s eco-friendly cabinet line is right in tune with today’s custom home buyers, who expects not only top quality products but products by companies that are sensitive to the use of renewable resources and energy conservation. Improvement of indoor air quality, through avoidance of formaldehyde producing chemicals in the home is one of the major sales features of the Executive line, as there is growing concern about the harmful effects of vapors, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), and Heavy Metals. These harmful irritants are found in traditional solvent based finishing materials whereas this whole line uses water-based solvents. For more info on the green features of these products and the potential LEEDS points to be earned click on the link below.

http://www.ecofriendlycabinets.com/#

   

Leon Connolly (left), the Installations Manager, and Matthew Adams (right) as they review the installation processes of the show home’s many cabinetry features.

The quality of this product is apparent immediately. With all ¾” Maple ply construction, dovetail connections, and the soft-closing hinges, it is a pleasure to contemplate using this product everyday. “We even stain-finish the insides of the open face drawers for that fully finished custom look” said Matthew.

The cabinetry scope extends throughout the home, from the kitchen and laundry room to the wet bar and entry millwork, through all the bathroom cabinetry – a comprehensive design that is consistent throughout the home.

 

You can look forward to seeing Matthew and Leon’s work by visiting the showhome, or you can visit them in mid-November at their new showroom on Kingbird Drive #39. They are on the left hand side just before you reach the Corporate Electric Building.

Look also for the new contemporary European “Bellini Cabinet Line” from K&BS and Executive, arriving soon.

 This is just one of the multiple organizing drawers in the kitchen. Beautiful Maple craftsmanship.

THE “A” TEAM

For those of us who have been working closely with Ian Haughton and Troy Rankin over the years it comes as no surprise when visitors again and again comment on the quality of the Showhome work, the cleanliness of the site, the extraordinary schedule and the general feel good atmosphere of the workplace.

                            Troy Rankin (left) and Ian Haughton – a great homebuilding team!

 

Ian, the Project Coordinator, has been building the “Phoenix Way” for over thirteen years and has been responsible for most of the guys on the payroll at one time or another. “We definitely have our own way of doing things here” he said of working for Phoenix. “It is the right way every time, not the easy way” he laughed when asked about keeping up the quality, the schedule and the precise project paperwork required by Phoenix management. “The real benefit is to the client at the end of the day. We do not cut corners and it really starts to show as the project comes out of the ground” he added. Ian acts as the project’s liaison with the office, coordinating the schedule, the AR and AP, billing, procurement, budget adherence and fabrication.

 

Troy, the Project Foreman is one who buys into the Phoenix philosophy in a major way. “I have worked for other companies who let little things slide here and there and it is just not the way I do things” he said. “It makes sense to have standards and maintain them – after a while everyone starts thinking the same way, right through the subcontractor team. Even the inexperienced client can feel the difference – I love it when they walk through the jobsite” he added. “Where it really pays off is a satisfied customer and when that customer tells their friends about the experience!”

Troy is the main man day to day in the field, coordinating subcontractors and the large team from Phoenix that is on the job. “We self-perform more aspects of the home buildout than most residential general contractors” he said. “We have an experienced in-house team of carpenters, masons, and metal fabricators – it gives us better control over the quality, the price, jobsite safety and the schedule” he explained. “When you have a Quality Assurance Program in place like we do there really is no room for error – that is why I have a full-time presence on the jobsite

THIS AND THAT (OH, AND HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!)

Well it has been exactly four months to the day since we broke ground on (10 June, 2011)  and we are very pleased with what we have been able to accomplish in this period of time.  As you will see below we are now getting to the interesting stuff!

The boys from IE Caribbean are here installing the HardiePlank fiber-cement lap siding to the front of the home. Note the green board waterproofing between the product and the wall behind – we also use the stainless steel fasteners – two quality steps that many other contractors simply do not take.

 

 

 

This product, from the James Hardie Company is a great product for a lot of reasons other than just a great look.

 

Hurricane resistance: The property damage from hurricanes can be staggering. Due to its impact resistance against hail and windblown debris, fiber-cement siding has been specified by hurricane-zone building codes for building homes in hurricane-, tornado-, and wildfire-prone areas.

 

Fire resistance: James Hardie fiber-cement exteriors have been tested by various IAS Certified Laboratories to ASTM International standards for exceptional fire resistance, smoke index and fire spread ratings.

 

Moisture and Rot resistance: James Hardie Siding is warranted not to rot, warp or delaminate. What else would you use in Caymans incredibly corrosive, sun-baked environment.

Painting perils: Since James Hardie Siding is made of fiber cement; it does not undergo the same degree of expansion and contraction that hinders wood-based and vinyl sidings. Therefore, James Hardie Siding will hold onto paint three to four times longer than wood siding, reducing your overall maintenance costs, without compromising aesthetics.

Make sure that the product is installed on the right substrate with the right fasteners, then make sure you get yourself a qualified installer like IE Caribbean Ltd and get this great product professionally installed!

What a great contemporary hardwood door! Wait, it is not wood – it is a hurricane-impact--rated aluminum CGI product! No maintenance, with sleek satin-nickel Hager hinges, and Baldwin leversets. Nice.

While we are on the subject of doors, these 8 foot stain-grade poplar doors have just arrived and are going to look amazing with the chocolate colored Italian flooring. They are pre-stained with a wood conditioner for longer life before the finish stain is applied. The hardware is a contemporary Hercules square rosette by Emtek – we will get a good picture of the finished product later when it all comes together. Heck it looks good now! Let’s scoot outside for a minute and see what Phoenix is doing in the outdoor kitchen.

 

This is going to be great. Phoenix has built a concrete housing for all the outdoor cooking elements! You can see an undermount stainless sink at the far end, the cutout is for the big gas-fired grill that Home Gas is plumbing in from the mega tank in the front yard, and the circular hole is for “da smoker”! This is going to get a Big Green Egg ceramic smoker! We will come back to this later!

 

Makes you want to build a house doesn’t it?

A MOZAIC OF SKILLS

Since 2000, Paula Range has been building her reputation with her firm Mozaic Creations and Builders one happy client at time. One of the few companies on-island that specializes in the installation of all forms of stone, masonry, granite, marble and tile, she thrives in an industry that has been traditionally male dominated. Learning that she started Mozaic after a stint in New York City, where she worked on Wall Street as a senior executive with Prudential Securities, we can easily see that her ability to thrive in the construction industry is as much a testament to her Management degree background as to her tenacity. Throw in a real eye for quality and a keen ability to motivate your people and you get the picture! This is not only an artisan rather than a tradesman but also a professional on the administrative side. Just our kind of partner.

Paula checks the stone for the showhome planters and deck surround as it unpacked.

Paula says “We strive to add elegance to any space, whether it is a pool, vanity, shower, kitchen, back splash or any other living area of either your house or office – inside or out!  Mozaic believes that an ordinary space can undergo an elegant and stylish transformation with the kind of products we work with and the craftsmen we employ.  Our work can be seen throughout the Cayman in both commercial and residential properties and our professional installers are committed to completing every project in a timely manner. We love what we do and I know that it shows in the final product”

Linsberth Hoy of Mozaic lines up and levels the stone to be applied to the pool columns while Troy Rankin of Phoenix looks on. The stone will be applied on the deck, planters and columns – this is going to look great!

TEAMWORK IS THE KEY

The whole home building team, including the homeowner Brad Watts, assembled for refreshments and an update to the schedule on Friday, September 30^th, as we moved into the highly detailed interior finishes phase. Having everyone present, from the cabinetry guys to the landscape team (20 companies represented), enables us to have the various firms that will be working side by side during this busy finishing push review the schedule, and to talk to each other about scope overlaps and timing. They can also communicate with the entire Phoenix management team about any concerns they have; product arrival and storage, tool security, schedule issues and subcontractor billing.  Tami from Icon was also available for any questions relating to design and product issues, and to schedule work reviews with those that required them. From the General Contractor perspective it gives Phoenix another chance to make sure that all products and materials that are being procured by the subcontractors and vendors are either already on-island or due to arrive in the coming weeks. Keeping the schedule tight and all the participants happy is all about open lines of communication, respect and, where required, flexibility. We may be twenty companies, but at the end of the day we are simply the Client’s Team – and we intend to have the best roster, the best coaching and the best results.

Shayne Howe, of the Phoenix Group, addresses the assembled showhome team.

WHEN ‘QUALITY’ MEANS QUALITY!

“We are a small company that’s thinks big!” says Elsmer Rankin, the owner and hands-on manager of Quality Electric since founding it in 1998. When he says that he means that he sees the big picture with the general contractor AND the client, is on top of new technology and knows his building code cold. From Phoenix’s perspective, it is rare to find a small residential electrical contractor with the sophistication, scheduling and communication skills and just plain great demeanor that Elsmer has.

“Because of our approach to the schedule, which is the tightest in the market, Rankin’s team has had to work shoulder to shoulder with the AC, plumbing, and sheetrock subs right from the get-go. His guys are team players and all of them contribute to a clean, safe and coordinated worksite” said Ian Haughton, the Phoenix Showhome Project Coordinator.

Elsmer Rankin double checking works completed by his crew

Getting Quality Electric involved early in the design stage, working with the client, Icon and Jeffery Woods from MJW Services has been a real benefit, as he understands the rationale behind many of the decisions and also is keenly aware of the client’s requirements. With the homeowner making many of his own decorative selections the team from Quality has shown great flexibility in adjusting some of the small post-design changes required in the field without any of the “change-orders” that plague other residential projects. “Hey, everyone is working together here – there will always be adjustments to make, and with the planning that went into this, they are really no big deal” Elmer added.

Quality guy. Quality company.

Quality’s Sunny pulling wire to the main electrical panels in the garage. Everything runs back to the gas-fired backup generator that will fully service the home in an outage.

DESIGN TEAM CHECKUP

As we are now counting the opening in weeks rather than months it is time to see what Tami Scott from Icon and Sherrill Bushfield from Woods are doing as they eye the finish line.  After a thorough review of all the finishes they have selected, and a double check that everything has been ordered and is on the way, we sat down to talk about the collaboration: “It has been great to work with Sherrill”, said Tami, “she has such extensive international project experience, a keen eye and she strives for a consistent style line throughout the home, which has always been important to me. That professionalism has made the partnership really quite easy. Combined with a client that knows what they want and are ready to trust us in areas where they need guidance, we have had a smooth transition in making selections for the home” From Sherrill’s perspective, “The clean, functional and defined style of the house makes for a perfect interior design pallet. When there is nothing to “fix” and the architect is open minded and collaborative it is a joy to help to complete the design vision of a beautiful house. It really helps when the house is great to start with” she added.

Tami (left) and Sherrill walk through the home’s finishes with Brad Watts, the homeowner. The design team has even selected fabrics for the dining room chairs and other soft furnishings in the home.

The two talked at length about the process and their common vision for the right way to approach a residential project like this. “We both like to tour the client through homes with some different styles and color pallets to gauge reaction” said Tami. “When we have a feel for what the client likes then we tend to work from the floors up, building in the layers as we move through the home.” Many cues for the rest of the home are taken from the kitchen, its style, its coloring and its texturing – “there must be a consistency in the rest of the house that ties back to the key family spaces” added Sherrill. “It is critical to bring the client’s tastes to the project – even if the client has limited experience you must find a way to identify the hot buttons, the things that create excitement for the client. If it is done right it is magic and makes the work of the architect completely come to life!” she said.

Tami and Sherrill have combined their talents to select all the home’s, flooring, surfaces, wall colors and finishes, furnishings, fabrics and window treatments.



A FEW NOTES ON DRYWALL

For such a rich subject (to about ½ of 1% of the world!) we will contribute just a couple of notes. Phoenix is quite well known for the quality of its drywall work and a large reason for that is the work that goes into making sure that the studwork to which the sheetrock is attached is perfect before the hanging begins. We always make sure that we have a carpenter on hand to make small adjustments to the framing, to add additional bracing where required and to punch in any nail work that is likely to cause bumps.

The ceiling of the Master Bedroom is a five-panel shape that must be perfect! Note the protection to the windows – care and attention every step of the way.

Different types of drywall are also used in different applications within the home, with mould and moisture resistant board used in the wet areas and fire resistant board in others.

Note the transition from regular drywall above to the moisture resistant sheetrock in the wet areas of the Master Bathroom.

One of the final quality points that we insist on is the use of the No-Coat Structural Laminate Drywall Corner System on all outside drywall corners, the areas that otherwise take a beating from furniture moving, kid traffic and general wear and tear. It is the best system we have ever found and you can learn more by visiting a short and quite interesting video on the product which is linked by clicking this url: http://www.no-coat.com/.docs/pg/10389

BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS

The last two weeks have been inspection weeks as the various government inspectors have been through the home approving the plumbing, electrical, roof and pool rough-ins. You can see that Phoenix has also finished installing the windows and that the exterior elements of the home site are taking better shape. With approvals in place we can now move into the interior finishes phase of the home, with the drywall for the walls and ceilings already underway. Paul’s Metal Roofing is also installing soffit trims as we begin the roof finishes.

We have been using Paul’s Metal Roofing for the past few years because he is one of those hands-on owners – out to the site himself every day to monitor progress and quality.

Paul illustrates the various folds that are part of creating a quality section of standing seam roof.

The material, which locally will be either aluminum or galvalume, comes in various gauges (material thickness) from .26 ga to .40 ga with the .40 ga aluminum, which we are using here, being the highest quality. The paint type used is also very important to the life of the roof – we are using a Kynar 500, a fluoropolymer resin based paint product renowned for its durability and corrosion resistance, but be aware that other products are out there and the price and performance differences can be quite dramatic. Also be conscious that darker colors, while sometimes more dramatic, will attract more heat to the roof and will as a result break down and fade more quickly than reflective colors like white, cream or grey.

Another area where large quality differences can be apparent is in the spacing of the vertical ribs of the roof:

The local standard spacing is 16” between ribs, but if solar panels or other equipment are to be installed on the roof - who is not looking at this seriously these days - consider opting for 12” between ribs for greater structural strength. Also make sure that metals in affixed applications are compatible with the roofing material as corrosion can occur otherwise.

So you can see from this review that standing seam roofs can vary greatly in terms of quality, and therefore durability, and can not be judged upon price alone. It is important to know what specific product you are buying, exactly who is installing it and what warranties are available with the product and provider you have selected!

LOVIN’ THESE WINDOWS!

You will really enjoy talking to Christian Cartagena about windows and doors! You know by now that at Phoenix we love working with guys that are really passionate about what they do and you can feel that energy when you visit Chris’s Caribbean Impact Windows & Doors showroom at Caymanian Village. Firstly, he really knows his product. Secondly, he really sweats the details, really understands the project, and (actually) handles all the steps in the process personally. I stopped by the jobsite the other day as the first windows were being installed and he was walking Brad through all the details of the manufacturing process for the CGI windows, and the meticulous process that he insists on for the waterproofing of the window openings! You have to love that!

Christian walks the homeowner through the installation process, pointing out one of the many benefits of the CGI Estate Collection windows that we are using in the Phoenix showhome.

When it comes to Hurricane Impact Windows every component is important, no matter how small, as Christian demonstrates.

Click on the links below to visit Christian as he takes your blog editor on a tour of his showroom and then, in the second clip, tells you a bit about his vibrant and growing business. Check it out!

Video: Introduction to Caribbean Impact Windows and Doors

Video: CIWD and the Phoenix Group Show Home

 

 

Each window is individually hand wrapped before being wood-crated for shipment. Chris makes sure that he is in Miami to oversee this process and make sure that the shipment is complete and in perfect condition before it sails.

MEMBRANE TALK (no, seriously)

Let’s talk for a moment about two elements of a well-built house that do not often get a lot of attention. These two building steps are critical to the long life and water-tightness of a home – they are not inexpensive, but you will probably agree with us that there are better places to save money. Let’s start with the roof finish and Grace Ice and Water Shield:

Above you can see the crew applying Grace Ice and Water Shield to the roof decking. For more information about this product and why it is so much better in our Cayman climate than roofing felt, please click on the link to “Ask the Builder” below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVzF5wE3ptc

Strong and watertight, the assembly of wood decking and water shield really IS the critical element of your roof. Standing seam, shingles or any of a variety of roofing tile products, while adding protection to the roof, are largely decorative.

The second application we would like to feature is an acrylic basecoat which seals the exterior of the home’s walls

Here, the crew from IE Caribbean applies a Unibase acrylic basecoat into which they embed Corevnet reinforcement netting, forming a strong and flexible coating which weatherproofs the exterior walls of the home.  This treatment also provides a smooth and uniform base the for Dryvit, marmoran, stucco or lapboard application that usually follows

Note the color change as the IE Caribbean team work their way around the home with the basecoat. This combination of Ice and Water Shield and Acrylic Base coat will help this home to stand up to Cayman’s extreme coastal conditions.