Beating the Clock with Quality, Efficiency, and 10x Faster Installation
In Dallas, Texas, near the historic Katy Trail, Marek Brothers Construction was facing a big installation. The Kroenke Group developers were turning 78 two- and three-story apartments into a 214-unit luxury apartment complex with 4,900 linear feet of hallways and corridors and an ambitious timeline.
The crew needed a ceiling solution with fast, efficient installation, strength, and stability. They found it with CertainTeed Ceilings. See how the QuickSpan Locking Drywall Grid System—with the largest unsupported spans in the industry—helped them knock out a two-day install in just four hours.
Project: The Katy/Saltillo
Location: Dallas, Texas
Square Footage: (349,000SF) 155,000SF of gypsum ceilings
Developer: The Kroenke Group/ Provident Realty Advisors
Contractor: Marek Brothers
Products: CertainTeed Ceilings QuickSpan Drywall Grid System, CertainTeed Ceilings Drywall Grid System
The Vision
When The Kroenke Group developers had the opportunity to create beautiful new living spaces near the historic Katy Trail in the Dallas suburbs, their vision was to construct a stunning building that would complement the nearby shops and restaurants that bring visitors to the community and enhance the surrounding neighborhood. Like all construction projects, Kroenke knew the job would be disruptive to local residents and businesses and they made it a priority to get the job done quickly—but without sacrificing the quality.
Building the new residences was no small task. The work called for completely replacing an existing 78-unit two- and three-story apartment complex with a newly developed, luxury complex offering 214 one- and two- bedroom apartments with easy access to the Katy Trail and the other popular amenities in the area.
Project Implementation
To manage the project, the development team brought in Marek Brothers. The Marek family of companies has been in business for over 70 years. With over 200 employees, Marek has operations in multiple states and a history of success and safety on their jobs. At Marek, quality is the standard. They’re dedicated to seeking out advanced products and techniques to ensure the job is done right the first time, and surpassing client expectations.
From the outset, the goals were aggressive—complete an average of four apartments per day once drywall installation started—but Marek was confident they could bring the right people and products to the job and manage it efficiently.
One challenge was finishing out the hallways and corridors. In the new complex hallways and corridors make up over 4,900 linear feet of the overall structure—a significant portion of the space. So, when it came to identifying what products to use, the team had demanding criteria:
• Fast and efficient installation
• Strength and stability
• Longevity
Product Selection
Marek looked at a variety of different product offerings from a range of manufacturers and, after doing comparative testing on a variety of products, selected CertainTeed’s QuickSpan™ Locking Drywall Grid System. QuickSpan is an innovative ceiling grid system that provides the industry’s longest unsupported spans for flat drywall, and it’s specifically engineered to offer faster, easier installation in narrow room applications. It was the perfect product that not only met but also exceeded the requirements of the project.
“With the increased demand for fast turnaround on these kinds of projects, and taking into consideration that time is always money in the construction business, it’s important that everything, from the installers to the products used, are working at maximum efficiency,” said Jeff Reeves, Estimator and Project Manager, Marek Brothers. “Using QuickSpan, we were able to frame ceilings quicker and only use a fraction of the ceiling wires originally estimated, saving labor, time, and the cost of additional ceiling wires. QuickSpan exceeded our expectations, and we will be using it on our future projects.”
QuickSpan has a locking system that features solid cross tees connectors that click into place for a positive lock and are composed of a heavy-duty metal material for maximum rigidity and screw grip. This greater strength and stability is achieved with a meticulously constructed double-stitched web. Its locking channel includes pre-engineered locking tabs spaced every 8” on center, allowing tees to quickly twist and click into place. The design of the system and locking tabs help to prevent lateral movements and twisting, which can often cause issues during and after installations. “It’s always exciting to develop solutions that help contractors and developers create new and exciting structures,” said Matt Rapposelli, Product Manager, Grid, CertainTeed Ceilings. “We bring contractors into the product development process from start to finish. One key step is putting prototypes directly into their hands to get their reactions and respond to their feedback. With QuickSpan, we didn’t compromise on strength and quality, so contractors can count on a higher level of performance.”
The Results
The new apartment complex opened in October 2017, offering sophisticated luxury apartments and residences to a growing group of homeowners in the Dallas area. Gone are the old two- and three-story apartments, and in their place is The Katy, the latest option in lifestyle living that combines elegantly designed residential spaces with retail and leisure amenities.
Says Eddy Carruthers, Architectural Sales Manager, CertainTeed Ceilings, “When you have the right partners, the right projects, and the right products, it makes it much easier to get things done not only quickly, but also efficiently. We were happy to have worked closely with Marek Brothers and provide a system to help them get the job done.”