Precast Solutions - November/December 2008 - (Page 6) construction manager, Keystone Construction Co., handled the task. “We told them what we wanted, and they determined for us who would be supplying the product,” says Fleck. “It wasn’t an easy position to be in, as we’d like to be able to buy something from every one of our customers.” HAPPY ENDING Rob Loughery, principal with Keystone Companies in Doylestown, Pa., says his firm handled all of the land development work, financing arrangements and construction management for A.L. Patterson. In looking back on the successful project, Loughery says precast was clearly the correct choice for the new facility. “It took the construction schedule and compressed it manufactured by Garden State Precast. The steps that would lead up to the warehouse office door gave A.L. Patterson another opportunity to specify precast concrete. Where the cast-in-place option would have taken longer to install and resulted in a “rough look,” the firm hurdled those challenges by purchasing an 11foot-wide by 4-foot-high precast step system from Reading Precast. “The steps arrived ready to install, which saved time,” says Fleck. “They also included a safety rail, and looked better than anything we could do with poured-in-place.” Fleck says the decision to build with such a high volume of precast was an easy one that yielded excellent results and very few challenges – aside from the tough decision to determine which of its customers the firm would procure the products from. The company’s significantly by having off-site construction ready to go at the job site,” says Loughery, who couldn’t pinpoint any significant challenges with the job. “We have had zero punch list items; it was one of the smoothest projects we’ve ever done.” Making precast especially attractive for this project, says Fleck, is its predictability when it comes to timing. “Once the schedule is established, it pretty much flows as expected,” he says, adding that Pennsylvania’s harsh winters can adversely impact progress. “With poured-in-place, weather can really hold up a project while everyone waits for the material to dry out,” says Fleck. “Our building went up quickly – in just 10 days – and we were moved in by April. Because we went with precast, we were able to get the shell up and the roof on quickly. The rest was easy.” 6 PRECAST SOLUTIONS | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008
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