Concrete Chosen over Wood for Monmouth Project May 2005

Pumping concrete frames are a ‘first’ in residential construction in Monmouth

STURTEVANT, Wis. (May 1, 2005) – Although concrete placement is a way of life for concrete contractor Madison Concrete Construction of Malvern, PA, it’s not the typical way to handle residential construction in Wall, NJ.

Co-owner Jim Dolente, Jr. of Madison Concrete said, “The use of concrete frames to build 16 four-story condominiums is definitely a ‘first’ in Monmouth County, especially in the affluent Wall township along the Jersey shore.”

Typically in this region, wood frames would be employed. However Madison Concrete worked with the owner and designers from the onset and showed them a path not typically taken but one of greater efficiency and long term benefits – concrete.

Although wood frame construction would be less costly, the developer wanted far superior buildings for The Monmouth – an upscale 55 and over “active adult” condo community being built for retired and semi-retired professionals. The project is located only two miles from the beach at Sea Girt.

The first communications for design work were initiated in 2002. In February 2004, CIG International, LLC provided The Oakshire Group, LLC with a $5 million mezzanine debt package toward the Monmouth; and construction started in November 2004. When finished in 2006, approximately 21,000 cubic yards of concrete will have been consumed on the project.

Jim Jr. noted, “Typically, we work as a sub-contractor to handle concrete placement for the general contractor; however for this project, we’re working directly with the developer.”

During the early stages, some of the major benefits of using concrete frames were revealed to the design team. This included a highly efficient manner of concrete placement, a smooth finish for a greatly enhanced appearance, and both sound and fire-resistant benefits.

Bob Gillies, Madison’s project manager said, “With past experience in using Filigree forming, we proposed the use of its 2-1/4” wide slab panels that become a part of the concrete structure itself. Consequently, this method was chosen; and the owner has been very pleased with the end results to-date.”

Hugh McCarron, Madison’s project superintendent and his crew is instrumental in the timely construction of the project. With a total of 64 floors to complete, a floor every four days is being accomplished. About 250 cubic yards of concrete is needed per 10,000-sq. ft. floor, with Ralph Clayton and Sons of Lakewood, NJ supplying the concrete. A 36-Meter concrete boom pump handles the 8-inch thick slab in about four hours, providing an extremely smooth concrete flow into the special Filigree frame. Then the pump returns the next day to efficiently handle the vertical work in about five hours.

Jim Jr. said, “As the sixteen buildings are scattered around the Monmouth job site, we definitely needed a concrete boom pump. It wouldn’t make sense to rent a crane and operator for six hours (and pay for eight hours) to place a concrete slab when a pump could do it in almost half the time.”

Hugh noted that, “We pumped every stage from the slab on grade to the 40 yard column and wall pours. For the slabs, the pump averaged 70 yards an hour, but that was only limited by how fast the concrete could be spread.”

To maximize efficiency, Madison realized the value of pump ownership about nine years ago when the concrete contractor was faced with astronomical costs in renting pumps on a regular basis. The company calculated the cost-effectiveness of pump ownership and purchased their first unit. As the organization grew, so did the demand to service all their work. Today, the company has four truck-mounted concrete pumps in their fleet – all 36 meter and all Putzmeister.

Bob Ferguson, VP of Operations for Madison Concrete said, “I definitely favored buying Putzmeister equipment because when we were renting equipment, the much older Putzmeister boom pumps provided more volume with less problems than competitive brands that were in newer condition.”

Jim Jr. said, “Once we purchased our first Putzmeister unit, we found it second to none in getting concrete to the point of placement smoothly, efficiently and cost-effectively. We definitely made the right decision.”

As one of the largest concrete contractors in the Philadelphia area, Madison Concrete is family owned with Jim Dolente Sr. (President) and his two sons, Jim Jr. (Vice President) and Stephen (Secretary) managing the business. A 30-year old company, Madison specializes in commercial concrete placing jobs such as stadiums, prisons, and casinos; therefore, this particular residential job was out of the norm for them.

However, they developed a relationship with Jim Bell, owner of Oakshire and seized a different type of challenge. As a result, they were awarded an $18 million contract.

The Monmouth also features a clubhouse, an indoor/outdoor pool facility, and an 18-hole championship-putting course. The residential condos are formal both in design and finish, as owners enter each unit directly from the elevator into an elegant foyer. The living and dining rooms are spacious and include a fireplace and French doors leading to a large terrace. Each unit will be 4,500 square feet, feature a private two-car garage, and range in price from the mid-$900,000s to over $1 million.

As of early May, four of the 16 structures were already topped off. In addition, almost half of the 96 units have been sold even though the project is not scheduled for completion until late 2006.

SPECS Developer: Oakshire Group, LLC Concrete contractor: Madison Concrete Construction – Malvern, PA Ready-mix supplier: Ralph Clayton and Sons – Lakewood, NJ