Design Build

Innovation at the drop of a hat means a faster build time and more cost-effective construction

Construction workers, suppliers, managers and their families gathered March 11 at Reliable Imports and RV, 438 S. Ingram Mill, to celebrate the completion of the Reliable RV Service Center and Hyundai Imports Showroom, a 30,000-square-foot design-build project finished in slightly more than nine months.

"This is a different kind of party," said Ed Canning, of MSI - Masonry Structures Inc., the general contractor on the project. "It's not a celebration of Hey, what a beautiful building'; it's a thank-you to the people who actually built the building."

With design-build, "you have to be able to adjust to changes every step of the way," Canning said, and clear communication from owner through general to subcontractor and back is essential to success.

The new RV Service Center features an infrared heating system to avoid any spark or open flame, 30-foot ceilings, and fire-rated stairwells.

Floor drainage vents lead to an oil separating system, and septic drainage is available for emptying RV septic tanks.

Space is economized by storing parts on the second floor, by extending the garage door tracks so the doors rise a full story before rolling back overhead, and all systems are "pushed to the outside walls to maximize space," Canning said.

The Hyundai showroom includes a waiting area with a playroom for children, a television and vending machines.

Another recent design-build project, the 5,200-square-foot RV Pre-Owned Megacenter sales building, was completed in December in seven months.