WINERIES
Turning On The Juice At Nickel & Nickel
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Nickel & Nickel's Fermentation Barn with electrical wiring hidden behind walls and inside the
tank pads and cement and wooden pillars. |
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Winemakers often refer to wine as "juice" in the wine making process. Years ago there was a winemaker who never called it
wine even in its vintage state, he would say, "That's good juice", in an understated appraisal that was as refreshing as it was amusing.
These days at Nickel & Nickel Winery, up until the inevitable crush, the word "juice" would better describe the electrical power that Knights' Electric has been providing for the various
construction crews building the winery. "Knights' Electric has really shined, they have been excellent", says Keith Burnham, project manager for James Nolan Construction
, the general contractor for Nickel & Nickel. "This is a big project and Knights' has helped us stay on schedule. They got the power to the site for all the
sub contractors along with the telephone service and the 350 KW emergency generator. It's so important for the electrical contractor to stay in front of
construction by supplying power for everyone on the job. Knights' has done a great job with staffing and scheduling."Knights' Electric is involved in all the electrical installations for this design/build
project including the power distribution, lighting, low voltage lighting controls throughout the winery, field wiring for the temperature control system and controls
for the process waste system and domestic water system. This is phase one of three in the construction schedule for the completion of Nickel & Nickel Winery.
The winery plans to crush and produce wine this year from the new fermentation and barrel storage facility. Phase two will include renovation of an existing historic
house as a hospitality area for wine tasting and relocating a 200-year-old barn structure from Vermont to use for administrative offices. Most likely the tasting patrons will enjoy "great juice."
COMMERCIAL
Design/Build Attitude
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Gourmet Mushroom Products
A design/build steel building built by Cary & Associates Builders,
Inc., located in Graton, Ca. |
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If it were up to Bob Cary, General Contractor and President of Cary & Associates Builders, Inc., every commercial construction project he took on would be a design/build project. "With a design/build team, the owner of the project is part of the
design/build team", says Cary. "If an owner has a set budget to do a project he has a much better chance of getting the project built within his budget by hiring a design/build contractor first, even
before he hires someone to design the project. The owner sees all the costs of the project up front from the very beginning." If it looks like the cost is going to be over budget, the
design/build team can make adjustments in the building design to bring down the cost without sacrificing what the owner wants.
Cary can bring in the architect he feels will be best suited for the project along with sub contractors he likes to work with. The usual cast of subs includes HVAC,
plumbing and electrical contractors. Knights' Electric has been part of Cary's design/build team over the past several years. The first project they worked together on was
Traditional Medicinals, followed by Gourmet Mushrooms, North
Valley School in Santa Rosa and Russian Hill Estate Winery. "I would like to work with Knights' on every commercial design/build project I get, if possible. Art Knight
is excellent in the negotiation stage at the beginning of the project, getting us what we want within the overall budget", explains Cary.
Relationships are a big part of the design/build team. "I have certain sub contractors that I like to work with. If all my projects went to the lowest bidders it
would break up that continuity, even though the subs I prefer have pricing that is very competitive." As in all business industries, the bottom line is a huge factor in
commercial construction projects. Cary sites this example, "An owner has certain priorities of concern in his building project, for some it's the design, for others it's
the usage of space, but in one way or another, the budget always turns out to be a big key." That customer actually sounds like the perfect candidate for the next
design/build team Cary & Associates Builders puts together.
RESIDENTIAL
Belvedere – An Island On To Itself
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With the average house sale in Belvedere at over
$3 million, that makes this Cape
Cod charmer, built in 1999, a steal at $1,695.000. |
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Marin County is often referred to as a lifestyle. Ask someone where they live and they will answer
"Marin", not Mill Valley, San Rafael or San Anselmo. Within Marin there is a lifestyle known as Belvedere, an island off the tip of Tiburon that boasts the most exclusive views of San Francisco
Bay, not to mention the homes that have been built there.Matt Sweeney of Knights' Electric's Residential Department has experienced the ambience of many exclusive Belvedere homes.
Working with Hadley Construction, Inc., the builder of these homes, Knights' has been the electrical contractor for several of their Marin County projects.
The home they just completed is approximately 5,000 square feet. It's a 2-story structure with an elevator and a swimming pool. Hadley built the house after an old
existing home was removed from the property. Knights' installed a HomeWorks automated lighting system
with computer programming that allows the user to choose a function and time from any control switch in the house for any light in the
house. Vacation lighting is one of the features that allows the home to appear to be occupied with lights turning on and off at programmed times for weeks at a time.
"This HomeWorks system costs about $60,000 and it's not one of the bigger ones", explains Sweeney. Of course, in a community where the average home sale
is over $3 million dollars is anything really considered average? "While we were working on this home we could walk to another job that was close by. That home has some very nice art lighting and bookshelf lighting."
Hadley and Knights' are now teaming up at a residence located on Corinthian Island, an island off the island of Belvedere. "The home is situated on an island
point above the San Francisco Yacht Club. It has incredible views of Angel Island, The City and the Bay Bridge", says Sweeney, "The house is about 8,000 square
feet with four levels. The HomeWorks system we're installing includes automated window coverings that open for the morning light at 9 am and close down at 2 pm
to shut out the afternoon heat. We are also installing a 12 KW generator for back-up power for the house. If the electrical power goes out there's a few seconds
of down time before the generator takes over." What more could you ask for besides an island with all those fabulous views? Back to Top
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