Work is well underway with the Bohemia Acres project. This project consists of two double unit townhouses in New Prague. We are building them for the Scott County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA).

We have completed the foundation on the first unit and the carpenters are now framing the building. It has a full walk-out on the lower level, creating nice living space on that level.

The floor joists are installed and the plywood floor decking is being glued and fastened into place. The workers have had warm, dry weather which is good for materials but can be difficult for the workers.

We are just finishing the foundation work on the second building. The water control subcontractor has sprayed a heavy mastic on the exterior of the concrete block foundation walls.

Once the water barrier coating is in place we install rigid polystyrene insulation on the exterior of the foundation wall. This creates an insulation plane at the outside of the foundation walls, keeping the foundation much warmer. I also believe it promotes a drier foundation wall.

The Bohemia Acre townhomes will provide very nice, reasonably priced living for families. We are pleased to be involved in this project.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:11 AM | Link

 
Work continues on the Amerman Soccer Pavilion. This is a pavilion shelter that is being constructed adjacent to the Northfield soccer fields. Much of the labor for the structure is being donated by area construction firms.

Two weeks ago American Exavating did the site work, followed by Healey Construction installing the pier foundations. The Northfield Construction Company crew is in charge of erecting the structural steel for the roof as part of our donation to the project.

While the beams are on the ground we bolt on the nailers for the wood roof decking.

Once the beams and columns are set into place Jim Vold welds everything together.

The frames go up fairly quickly. The next task will be installing the wood decking and asphalt shingles.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:17 AM | Link

 
I was in Belle Plaine today attending to some legislative business so I stopped by to check on the Faith Resident Apartments. Work is moving along very well with that project. The exterior building construction work is pretty much completed.

The entry area looks great with the stone facing, including stone on the lower portion of the support columns.

While I was there the folks from Jirik Sod Farms dropped off pallets of sod. The ‘donkey’ forklift they carry on the back of their truck certainly makes short work of placing sod on the site.

Interior trim work is being completed. The cabinets have been installed in all the living units. The kitchen areas are very bright and have plenty of counter space.

The fully accessible shower units provide good access to everyone, regardless of handicap or mobility problems.

As usual, the mechanical rooms end up absolutely full of equipment. Between the boilers, air handlers and water treatment equipment there is not much room for anything else. It takes some work by the tradespeople to get things on site at the proper time---you don’t want to discover you don’t have a piece of equipment that needs to be installed at the back of the room once the rest of the equipment is in place!

In a few weeks we will have the projected completed and ready for occupants. I know the residents will enjoy living in this nice, new facility.

Posted by Ray Cox at 9:52 AM | Link

 
A couple of weeks ago we started construction on a new lake home in the area. It is in a beautiful setting and is replacing an existing lake home, so the lawn is already there. This is quite different from most construction sites that are full of mud at this time of year.

This is a fun site to build on for the workers. Most of them enjoy outdoor activities. It is fun for them to be close to a lake and see what goes on during the day....although I'm sure many would rather be fishing on the lake than working nearby!

Posted by Ray Cox at 3:58 AM | Link

 
Last week we had a ground breaking ceremony for the new Oak Trust Credit Union we are building in Eagan.

There was a nice crowd of folks from Oak Trust Credit Union, the city and other organizations on had to wish everyone well as they broke ground with our 'golden shovels'.

This is a nice financial facility. It will be about 2,500 square feet of finished office area, with a roofed drive-up facility attached. The good, well drained site has made installing the foundation move along as planned in spite of some heavy rains.

Oak Trust Credit Union has been designed by Lucachick Architects from Bemidji.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:06 AM | Link

 
We have started construction on a project called Bohemia Acres. It is located in New Prague and consists of four townhomes. We are building them for the Scott County HRA. The HRA is working to provide some lower cost housing alternatives throughout Scott County.

The townhomes are just under 1,200 square feet. Each has a full walk-out on the lower level which will allow another 1,000 square feet of finished living area to be finished. With sliding patio doors and plenty of windows in the lower level, this area can be completed as family needs change.

Stay tuned for additional pictures as we complete the foundations and move on with the carpentry work.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:58 AM | Link

 
Work continues to move along well with the Clinton Heights retail center.

The roof is mainly finished and the carpenters are working on the perimeter parapet walls.

Inside of the project trades are beginning to work on underground utilities in building.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:44 AM | Link

 
Last week we started a nice deck project for a home in Northfield. The home overlooks a large storm pond and had a large screen porch attached at the rear of the home. The owners wanted to expand their outdoor living opportunity.

Peter Schmelzer with Vivus Architecture and Design came up with this nice concept. We created a trellis using cedar beams and cross-ties. This filters the sun to create a 'soft' light situation where the south facing deck can be enjoyed in warm weather.

The ends of the trellis beams are cut with a nice detail.

Included in the work is a new stairway to the ground with excellent baluster protections to protect against falls.

Northfield Construction Company does all sorts of projects....from large to small. Do not hesitate to call us for any project you are thinking about. Our small projects get staffed by excellent, well-trained workers that can attend to all aspects of required work in a safe and cost-efficient manner.

Posted by Ray Cox at 8:40 AM | Link

 
Work has moved along very well in Belle Plaine with the Faith Resident Apartments.

The exterior stone work is being finished up and the siding is just about completed. The mild winter was good to us on this project and we managed to stay slightly ahead of schedule.

The entrance area is especially inviting. Once we get the building painted and site work finished it will really stand out.

I was in Belle Plaine on Sunday as part of some legislative duties and chatted with Mike Klatt, the CEO of The Lutheran Home Association. Everyone is pleased to see how well things have progressed on this project.

Posted by Ray Cox at 4:22 AM | Link