With little room for error, a project superintendent on each site coordinated the 120 subcontractors and kept things running smoothly. “We had a daily schedule, and the day wasn’t over until the work was finished. So some days, we did not end until 10 at night,” Heifner says.
RESIDENT RELATIONS
To manage the temporary relocation of hundreds of residents, Midwest hired the apartments’ property manager, The Wallick Cos. The coordinated relocation process was as streamlined as the renovation work. On Monday, the team met the family and videotaped the apartment for security purposes. The owner paid for the residents’ hotel stay and provided debit cards to cover meals and transportation. On Friday, residents returned to their units, and the project superintendent walked them through their updated homes. “One single mom started crying,” Lusk recalls. “We thought, ‘Oh no, what’s the problem?’ Turns out she never had anything new in her life.”Despite the project’s success, Midwest admits it wouldn’t attempt a renovation of this magnitude again. “[It] was a tall order,” Lusk says. “I used to have a whole head of hair.”
ACTION ITEMS
IN A HURRY? If you need—or want—to get your renovations done quickly,consider these pointers.
- Assemble the right team. Hire subcontractors who will adhere to your work ethic and stay as late as it takes to get the job done.
- Plan ahead. Large, on-site semi-trailers stored all the new appliances, from stoves to bathtubs, to ensure no crew was left waiting for parts.
- Stay on track. Missing renovation deadlines for one unit can throw off your timeline for completion.
- PROPERTY: 767-unit portfolio
- DEVELOPER: Midwest Real Estate Services
- CONTRACTOR: Renier Construction
- LOCATION: Ohio
- RENOVATION COST: $14 million
- LENGTH OF RENOVATION: 11 months
- SCOPE OF PROJECT: Portfolio-wide rehab of low-income apartments