Anticipating Complex Details Eases Stress
Cost consulting leads to Johns Creek neighborhood amenities project
Johns Creek, Georgia
Before he retired, architect Tony Paladino’s neighborhood of Cameron Forest in the metro Atlanta community of Johns Creek asked him to design a new community center and pool. The association of more than 350 homes had an increasingly active swim team and wanted to build a 75x38-foot junior Olympic pool while expanding its small community center.
“This project had to come out well because I live with these people,” says Tony, who founded Paladino Architects.
He first turned to Samir Doshi of SamT Construction to help refined estimates of the project’s cost before putting the project out to bid. “I knew Samir had design experience as well as architectural training and was well-tuned into costs,” Tony says. “I trusted his ability to make sure the numbers were right.”
Eventually SamT Construction was low bidder, and awarded the project. Then the fun began. Normally on a suburban job site there’s lots of room to store materials and maneuver equipment. Not on this site.
“We had to work around the tennis courts and an existing parking lot. The pool required numerous pipes for utilities,” says Tony, who credits Samir’s ability to anticipate the complex details of a project for making the work go so well. “It was almost like putting in the infrastructure for a hospital.”
When work began on the community center, it was discovered that fill dirt on the location made the soil too weak to support the structure, so pilings had to be installed. “Samir really dedicated himself to this project,” Tony says. “He was on the site overseeing the work every day, resolving conflicts quickly and efficiently so he could shelter the community from added costs.”
That dedication was tested again after the “finished” pool developed cracks in the plaster coating, which meant there were cracks in the underlying concrete. Samir undertook the repairs at his own expense even though the problem was not his fault. Tony describes Samir as “honest to a fault.”
The new clubhouse presented another set of problems. The restricted dimensions of the site made building the interior’s 36x36 clear span a challenge of construction choreography. The various unforeseen problems delayed the opening a few weeks, but the budget was never breached.
“He was on the site overseeing the work every day, resolving conflicts quickly and efficiently so he could shelter the community from added costs.”
The SamT Perspective
Contractors learn to deal with surprises. The Cameron Forest project was no exception.
First, the SamT Construction team had to deal with soil that had been filled in years before and would not support a structure. The solution was pilings, which added time and costs. Then, the plaster coating on the swimming pool developed cracks revealed the underlying concrete was not stable. The fix required removing the plaster, sealing the concrete and replastering.
SamT took responsibility and absorbed the cost of the pool repairs even though they were the fault of others. That cost money but earned SamT respect from the client and the architect, Tony Paladino, who brought SamT in on another job a few months later.
An important lesson of the project was the value of being onsite most of the time. There’s no substitute for diligent and daily supervision by the general contractor, especially when surprises pop up.
“Tony gave us a great design to bring to life and we were proud to be a part of it,” says Samir Doshi, owner and president of SamT.
Samir Notes: Managing nervous neighbors through the ups and downs of the project was challenging but my confidence of delivering a superior project.