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BANKERS SECTION
Questions & Answers
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Question 1 What are the fees?
Answer 1: The fees charged by Windamere are evaluated on a per project basis. It is
relative to the project size, scope of work, and difficulty of the project. There
are many ways to structure fees such as a straight fee basis, a fee basis
with a bonus schedule, or fee basis with profit and cost savings share. We
have successfully structured deals for our clients under each scenario. An
example would be the
Roeser Park Project. We negotiated a straight fee
per unit, on the 16 unit project, with a bonus schedule. The fee was based
on the complexity of the homes. There is one fee charged on every job and
that is 3% of the hard construction costs.
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Question 2 How much experience you have in infrastructure (Streets, pavement etc.)?
Answer 2: We have a vast and sweeping knowledge of the horizontal construction of
projects - we have undertaken these projects on residential and commercial
levels. We have taken many projects that start out as a concept design,
and progress them to finished units. What this means is that we not only
worked with engineers to design the project, we installed the infrastructure
and built the residential units or commercial buildings.
Infrastructure items that we have responsibility for include:
- Survey
- Staking
- Rough Grading
- Main Sewer Trunk Lines
- Sewer Services
- Manholes
- Main Water Trunk Lines
- Water Services
- Wet Taps
- Fire Hydrants
- Electrical Lines
- Electrical Services
- Telephone
- Gas
- Cable
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- Concrete Curb & Gutter
- Concrete Approaches & Crossings
- Sidewalk
- Street Lights
- Gate Access Systems
- Retaining Walls
- Masonry Walls
- Mailbox Systems
- Survey Monuments
- Street Signs
- Sub-Grade
- Application & Pavement
- Landscape Community Facilities such as Pools, Spa, Ramada & Clubhouse
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With all of the items mentioned above we completed private testing and
coordinated with the appropriate city inspectors upon completion. We also have
had an A-12 contractor’s license for pipeline installation.
Past projects that we have completed infrastructure improvements on include:
- Rancho Palo Verde Estates
- Broadway San Marcos
- The Barton House Assisted Living Facility
- Jacks Plant Palace
- Merrill Ranch
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- Red Mountain Aviara
- The Springs Units 4 & 5
- Days Inn Rosecrans
- And many more throughout California and Arizona
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For more information and pictures please visit our
Past Projects Page.
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Question 3 Can you give me references?
Answer 3: A few references of horizontal infrastructure jobs, and others that we have done:
Mr. Thomas Daly
Vice President
M & T Bank
1 (480) 763-2446 – Office
Mr. Daly is the area representative for M & T Bank in Arizona & Idaho
Mr. Jeff Evershed
Division President
M & T Bank
1 (503) 603-2571 - Office
Mr. Evershed is the Division President for the Western United States
Mr. Steve Edmiston
Vice President
Washington Trust
1 (480) 473-0278 – Office
Mr. Edmiston is the Vice President of Arizona for Washington Trust
"I wholeheartedly recommend
Windamere Construction. I have
banked them since 1994. They have
always completed their projects on
time and within budget. I have also
used them to build out troubled bank
owned projects. They have been a
pleasure to do business with."
Steven Edmiston,
Vice President of Arizona,
For Washington Trust
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Question 4 Do you do forensics and engineering to make sure the work was done
correctly and to limit liability?
Answer 4: As a general rule on homes that have been started and not finished, we like
to walk and inspect the homes before any work is started or bid out. If plans
are available we will review the plans and check for any deficiencies. If the
plans are not available we will try to locate them for review. A review will be
done with the appropriate city to check the inspection reports - ensuring that
all inspections have been completed by the city up until the progress point
the home is at. An on site meeting is scheduled, with the area inspectors
that have worked on the project, so that we may get a handle on what has
happening on the project in the past. If we feel that there are any problems
beyond the normal scope, an outside engineer or inspection service will be
engaged to give an opinion on what needs to be done to fix the problems.
We completed a project called
Roeser Park that was similar to this scenario.
We took over nine semi-finished homes, six framed units, and one that was
still at the pre-pour inspection.
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Question 5 Is the forensics/engineering done internally or externally?
Answer 5: It is our experience that, if the proper protocol has been followed with the
city building and development departments, most of the issues that arise
can be handled in house. If there is a problem that arises out of our scope
of expertise then a third party would be brought in to assist with the issue.
"Windamere Construction has
outstanding customer service. They take care of everything from
start to finish. It's so great to work
with a construction company that is
honest, hard working, on time and on
budget."
Thomas Daly,
Vice President at M&T Bank
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Question 6 What bill payment application do you use?
Answer 6: We use Buildsoft for our billing system and track it with a spread sheet that
allows us to audit the work. An invoice is created by our software system
and includes two types of invoices. One is a general invoice that describes
the work being billed for and breaks the work down line item by line item.
Each line item is billed at the rate agreed upon and summary totaled at the
end. The items are billed only when a subcontractor or vendor submits their
invoice for payment. The second invoice is a detailed invoice which takes
the initial invoice and breaks it down into more detail.
Sample invoices are available from our Business Development Director so
you may review what is being described.
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Question 7 How is billing done?
Answer 7: The billing is done in an extremely detailed format. A meeting is set up for
whatever the billing cycle is for the job. This usually occurs once a month
and takes place during a weekly job meeting, as is normally set up with the
customer. At each billing cycle a ‘Billing Book’ is created for the customer.
The billing book contains all of the information of what has transpired
financially on the job for the previous month.
The items in the book include:
- Any job site records such as permits or city fees paid.
- Any invoices that were received and processed during that cycle.
- Conditional Subcontractor / Vendor lien waivers for the current period.
- Unconditional Subcontractor / Vendor lien waivers for the previous billing period.
- An invoice summary sheet with invoice and amount subtotaled.
- An invoice for the work in the period we are billing for.
- A detailed invoice for backup.
- An audit spread sheet for each job independently for your review that
breaks down and tracks the billing from the first draw until the job is
completed.
- Each job is billed independently.
Sample reports are
available from our
Business Development
Director for your review.
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Question 8 What about the development service side?
Answer 8: We are able to handle any development project that you may have for us to
complete. Over the years we have achieved a strong reputation in the
west as a quality contractor - this allows us to have access to the premiere
subcontractors in the valley. As owners, we take a hands-on approach to
every project worked on, and treat it with the same level of care and
consideration - as if it where our own. We work closely with city officials,
engineers, and subcontractors to value engineer your project and not
waste your money – while achieving quality work!
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Question 9 What about your construction loan management?
Answer 9: We can manage construction loans through the Buildsoft System.
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Question 10 How do you handle indemnities - liability & risk for partially constructed
projects - regarding the prior contract etc.?
Answer 10: In the past we have asked for an indemnification from the owner on all
work that is completed up to the starting point. Generally we are made the
contractor of record by the city when we take care of the permits. We
carry liability insurance. A copy of our certificate is available for your
review.
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Question 11 I want to make sure you will not be going out of business. So, I would like
to see your financials P & L.
Answer 11: We can provide those for your review.
Please
contact Danna Pomeroy, Director of Business Development, for samples and a
brochure.
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Question 12 What is your billing cycle: 30 day cycle or 15 day cycle?
Answer 12: Our typical billing cycle is thirty days. Once a month the client will be
given a billing book for services rendered, and payment is due within thirty
days, preferably when the next billing book is presented.
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Question 13 Do you have advance permit fees?
Answer 13: If it is possible that the city allows the contractor to pay for the permit fees
ILO the owner, then yes we will pay for the
permits when we picked up. They
will be billed to the customer
on the first billing cycle for
payment.
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Quality -
on time,
on budget! |
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Question 14 Will you assume all warranties after project is complete and manage the
process?
Answer 14: We can provide a walk through and homeowner orientation to the
customer upon the owners’ request. It is our general rule to warranty any
work that has been completed by us or our representatives. Work that
was done previously, and is not in the scope of our contract, will be billed
at a rate of $65 per hour plus materials. Typically we don’t have warranty
issues and I would encourage you to talk to Mr. Daly (see
question 3) about
his experience he has had with us regarding warranty work.
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Question 15 How quickly can Windamere get the bids done and back to us?
Answer 15: This is a difficult question since it is a general question that depends on
the details of the project. If it is a new project, from scratch, it can take
around two weeks to get the numbers put together. If it is a project that is
under construction, we can usually have the numbers back within seven to
ten days. In order to prepare a proper bid we need a complete set of
working drawings and specifications. The material selections will be
presented to the customer before the start. The customer will be able to
review the bids and make selections before the work is started. This way
the customer can feel confident in the product that they are receiving.
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Question 16 What is your process, from the beginning of the bid process to returning
the bid?
Answer 16: Once the documents are received and we start the process we can
inspect existing units and meet the subcontractors on site. Any research
that needs to be done on the project can start. A ‘Project Book’ is started
which includes all of the pertinent job information and bids. As the bids
come in they are scanned into our Alchemy filing system which gives us
instant access to the bids. A database is set up for the project and the bid
information is entered so that we can compare subcontractor pricing
through generated reports. Once the proper amount of bids is received we
can then start to negotiate terms and price.
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Question 17 I would like bids from three
different sub-contractors, is it
possible?
Answer 17: This is possible but it
slows down the
process significantly.
Typically we have a
good grasp on
subcontractor / vendor
pricing with two bids. If
we feel those numbers are
out of line with where they
should be we solicit others.
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Question 18 How many projects have you had in AZ total?
Answer 18: We have completed the following Arizona projects:
- Rancho Palo Verde Estates – Residential Subdivision ( Planning,
Infrastructure, Horizontal Construction & Sales)
- Broadway San Marcos – Residential Subdivision (Planning &
Infrastructure )
- The Barton House Assisted Living Facility – Commercial Assisted
Living Center ( Infrastructure & Horizontal Construction )
- Jacks Plant Palace – Commercial General Sales Building
( Infrastructure & Horizontal Construction )
- Merrill Ranch – Residential Subdivision ( Planning, Infrastructure,
Horizontal Construction & Sales)
- Red Mountain Aviara – Residential Subdivision ( Infrastructure,
Horizontal Construction & Sales)
- The Springs Units 4 & 5 – Residential Subdivision ( Infrastructure,
Horizontal Construction & Sales)
- American Self Storage – Self Storage Facility ( Planning,
Infrastructure, Horizontal Construction )
- Settlers Point – Residential Subdivision (Horizontal Construction &
Sales)
- Western Skies – Residential Subdivision ( Horizontal Construction &
Sales)
- The Muirlands – Residential Subdivision ( Planning )
- Ironwood & Pima – Residential Subdivision ( Planning )
- Roeser Park – Residential Subdivision (Horizontal Construction)
- Langley Estates – Residential Project ( Planning )
To find more information and pictures, please visit our
Past Projects Section
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Question 19 Can you handle both scenarios - a) Blow & go jam out? b) 2-3 units a
month - spoon feed?
Answer 19: We work well with both scenarios. The object to
Roeser Park was a quick
turnaround schedule completing the sixteen units in under three months
form the start date. Nine were completed in less than one month and the
remaining five were completed, from rough frame, in approximately eight
weeks. The last unit has not been built yet due to customer needs. They
were started in two separate phases do to job constraints. The typical
build time of a new entry level unit is 75 - 90 days form the permit.
A spoon fed project, where you are getting a consistent amount of starts,
runs the same general amount of construction time. We do not waste time
in the construction process since we feel it is better to not let units sit still
and not be worked on.
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Question 20 Will the units be ready to be sold... cleaned, etc.?
Answer 20: The units will be completely ready for move in when completed. They will
have city finals, be cleaned, pre-punched and ready for customer
showings and move in.
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Question 21 Will the homes be FHA qualified?
Answer 21: We have built hundreds of homes in the valley following the FHA
guidelines for materials and have never had a problem meeting their
standards. All of the homes that are built should be qualified for FHA
certification by the materials we use.
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Question 22 What names has the company been under since Mr. O’Brien started in the
business? Please include license numbers.
Answer 22:
Catalina Land Development, LLC - License Number 140653 KB-01
Windamere Construction, LLC - License Number 229145 KB-01
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Question 23 How quickly we can get moving with the proposal around and back?
Answer 23: We can start the process as soon as we have project information and
details. Work can start as soon as we are given the go ahead from the
customer.
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Windamere Construction
P.O. Box 21887
Mesa, AZ
85277
DANNA POMEROY
Director of Business Development
Mobile 602-885-3674
Fax 480-775-7278
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E-mail:
Contact us Online
Web Site: windamereconstruction.com |
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