Community HousingWorks’ Fast-Track, Sustainable Rehab in Fallbrook
Residents’ units turned around in just four-and-a-half days
Sun Country Builders has been making good progress on Turnagain Arms Apartments, a nine-building, 80-unit affordable housing complex currently undergoing a major rehabilitation in Fallbrook, CA. The past thirty-five years had been hard on Turnagain, which was recently acquired by Community HousingWorks, the San Diego non-profit affordable housing developer. Working with The Fallbrook Planning Group, Union Bank of California and RED Capital, CHW made a commitment to an extensive renovation, and to update the entire property with a major facelift.
Mary Jane Jagodzinski, senior project manager with CHW, has managed the project from inception. Dan Levine, an architect with the John Stewart Company, re-designed the building exteriors to both update them, and to allow cost-effective preservation work to take place. Stucco exteriors have been removed or renovated over the great majority of the buildings, fiber cement siding has been used as a complementary exterior texture, and windows and sliding glass doors have been replaced.
CHW is firmly committed to “green” construction, as evidenced by its’ award winning Solara Apartments in Poway, CA., and sustainable elements are being incorporated throughout. These include formaldehyde-free cabinetry, linoleum flooring in baths and kitchens, carpet manufactured from recycled materials, energy-efficient light fixtures and appliances, insulating windows, high-efficiency water heaters, low-flow plumbing fixtures, low VOC paints, and new HVAC systems. Most important of all is CHW’s simple commitment to preserve valuable existing buildings, thereby drastically extending their service life.
Exterior walks were reconfigured for improved access, and major improvements were made to the public and private fire service. Harry Mestyanek of Ivy Landscape Architects has planned landscaping and site improvements which will include a new playground, common areas, and a community garden.
Typical of mid 1970’s construction, some materials contained asbestos. Consequently, the owner and SCB have approached the interior and exterior renovation processes very conservatively. The residents and all furniture and household goods are temporarily moved out while the unit interiors are renovated.
Most dramatically, in order to reduce costs and tenant inconvenience, unit interiors are being demolished, abated, and completely renovated in groups of four in just 4 ½ days. The units are being largely gutted, including removal of tubs and showers, re-routing of underground hot water piping, and installation of hardwired smoke detectors. Demolition is completed on Mondays, interior reconstruction begins Tuesday mornings, and finished units are turned over to management, completely refreshed, each Friday before noon. The movers arrive with the residents’ furnishings on Friday afternoon, and residents are back in their remodeled units early Friday evening. The process is almost magical, unless one sees the incredible effort involved.
Sun Country Builders’ rehab-savvy team and subs make the fast-track schedule possible. The eighty units, landscaping, site work, and fire improvements will be completed in only six months. A project of this magnitude requires a phenomenally well-coordinated project team. SCB superintendent, Zion Patton, project manager Jim Schroeder, and our in-house carpentry, concrete, drywall, and masonry crews, have been indispensable in keeping Turnagain on schedule. As always, SCB thanks Community HousingWorks for the opportunity to serve them, and to demonstrate our fast-track capabilities. We also have to thank the on-site management staff at Turnagain Arms for their valuable support and assistance.
