The Palmer

The new 228-unit complex consists of a five-story wood-framed apartment building over a two-story parking deck in the heart of downtown Birmingham.

The city’s first 5-over-2, this 344,900-square-foot apartment complex features studio, one and two-bedroom floorplans with balconies overlooking the city. Amenities include a salt-water pool, fitness center and fifth-floor sky club, a pet spa, yoga room, and community fire pits. The ground level will feature 1,901 square feet of retail space and apartment unit accessibility.

In multifamily construction, leasable units are the key to an owner’s return on investment. Daniel Corporation asked us to help them open units sooner than what was in our initial contract so they could begin to gain some return. Instead of finishing the project in one phase, we reworked our schedule and coordinated with the design team, trade partners, the city, and a variety of inspectors to help reach the owner’s goal by phasing our delivery. It was a huge undertaking that required us to pull additional permits for all trades and completely redesign the schedule, rework material laydown and storage areas and our process of how we needed to install MEP systems while working around tentants and property management.

After starting work, several other surprises arose, the first with deep foundations. On digging, we found caverns and sink holes that, in addressing, would put the project over budget. We found several interior and exterior VE options to bring the cost down without sacrificing the property’s desired look and feel. Unprecedented rainfall could have also derailed us, but we put in additional manhours and found flexible staffing solutions to keep the project on time. The final surprise was a global one – supply chain issues due to Covid-19. We’d already planned around other potential shipping delays, but additional bottlenecks and product availability issues forced us to take a hard look at our sequencing and pivot to make our schedule work. We also worked with one of our trade partners to buy out the wood framing scope early to keep costs down and working relationships solid. Through it all, with consistent communication and coordination, we were able to satisfy the owner’s needs while maintaining a safe construction site and completing a quality project.

2022 Excellence In Construction Merit Award // Associated Builders & Contractors, Alabama Chapter