Here is what the hostess stand looks like prior to painting

As part of Hal Collums Construction’s job at the National WWII Museum, we partnered up with Central City Millworks for a number of jobs. A great example are the hostess stands for John Besh’s restaurant, The American Sector.

The hostess stands are free standing cabinets that have been placed at the entrances of the restaurant for greeting and reservations. These stands have been a great success. In fact, we have received a new request for one more stand. This new cabinet will be mostly the same as the previous hostess stands but this one will be altered so casters can be added to make it mobile. This stand will be placed outside of the Stage Door Canteen.

An interesting obstacle for us to overcome on this project is the weather. It is cold in New Orleans now! We finish each stand by spraying it with conversion varnish. Well, it is impossible to spray conversion varnish when the temperature drops below 50 degrees! We have faced this obstacle previously at Hal Collums Construction and Central City Millworks, so we are not worried. This small project was fast paced from start to finish and even with a weather delay, the cabinet will be ready for delivery on the client’s requested date.

Here is the completed hostess stand in place at the National World War II Museum

New Orleans contractor, Hal Collums, reviewing a completed estimate

The first step in the construction process is usually producing an estimate.  When a potential job comes to Hal Collums Construction it is given straight to the estimating department.  The estimators then go through the plans and specifications doing takeoffs to determine pricing.  Some items are given a general square foot price, such as sheetrock, wood flooring, and painting.  Other items will require pricing from sub-contractors or other vendors such as plumbing , electrical, and glass.  The more specific the plans are, the more accurate our numbers will be. For instance, if we know a client is going to be using a specific model of Baldwin hinges or doorknobs, we can make a count, get a price and plug it into the estimate.  But if a plan does not specify what type of hardware is to be used, we will simply put a per door “allowance” which is just a sum of money that the clients can use as a budget when later choosing their items.

The Estimating department hard at work!

Depending on the size of a job, number of details, and requirements of the client, an estimate can take anywhere from 1 week to several months. At Hal Collums Construction, we pride ourselves in providing as complete an estimate as possible. When a big estimate is due, you will often find the estimating department working long into the night, checking every detail to ensure our numbers are as accurate as possible while remaining competitive.  When an estimate is complete it is then presented  to the client.  If we are competitively bidding the client will then compare the bids that they have received and choose who they would like to work with.  Of course, when a client chooses to work with Hal Collums construction we are very happy and in the end the client will be very happy as well!

Contemporary glass storefront in final stages of installation.

Hal Collums Construction is just finishing up a major New Orleans restoration on St. Charles Ave.   This beautiful Greek Revival style building had fallen into disrepair after being used to house a restaurant and then sitting empty for a few years after Hurricane Katrina.  The current owner decided to renovate this beautiful home to bring it back to its former glory.  Its new use will be a private residence and will also have office space on the first floor.

A challenge that was faced by Wayne Troyer Architects and Hal Collums Construction was how to maintain its historic beauty while meeting the current needs as a residence and an office.  With approval from the Historic Districts Landmarks Commission, this contemporary storefront entrance added inside the building while keeping the exterior shell of the building intact.  This glass and stainless steel entryway allows customers to enter the offices from the side of the building while keeping the residential entry separate and in the front.  You would never know that when you walk into this grand St Charles Ave building you will be greeted with such modern luxury.

Ramon Siles putting final touches on the handrail

Lawrence Falencki, is the chief of our estimating team, he came to Hal Collums Construction, LLC by way of Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc. Lawrence graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management and Masters in Environmental Science!!  He has been with Hal since 2003, together they endured Hurricane Katrina and did not miss a beat.  After the storm, Lawrence rescued a guinea pig from a nearby gutter, Buddy.  She is happy pig, in addition to, a healthy 4lbs!! 

The owner of the lovely Garden District home at 2523 Prytania wanted the utility of easy access to the second floor combined with the elegance of a grand stairway. HCC was selected as the New Orleans contractor for the renovation of the entire house, but we are only focusing on the stairway in this post.

First, the problem…no stairway:

See the ladder? A stairway goes there.

And here is our solution to our client’s problem:

Stairway completed...elegant utility?

Here are a few more photos showing the progress of the installation:

Hal guiding the next step of stair installation...

An opening in the ceiling has been cut.

The stairway begins to take shape.

Gracious handrail installed.

Coming along nicely!

Wood finished and ballasters painted.

Complete!

By popular demand…another blog post about Cedric, Hal’s adopted Doberman. Cedric was adopted from a fantastic organization here in New Orleans, The Gulf Coast Doberman Rescue Foundation.  Cedric highly recommends that you take a look at their website to view available dogs and perhaps even find out how you can volunteer!

Here are some more Cedric photos:

Cedric dressed as a ghost for Halloween

Cedric directing the storage of completed shutters.

Cedric when he was a puppy.