WA Rose Construction; upgrade for a downtown Oakland apartment building
By Janet Peischel 0 Comments

Uptown Mixed-Use Upgrade, Oakland

W.A Rose Construction managed an exterior upgrade to this mixed-use building in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood. The street level is retail; on the second floor are apartments. The building is on a busy street close to downtown Oakland. We replaced 16 windows with new Marvin tilt pac, dual-pane windows that significantly muffle ambient noise for the building’s residents and customers. The building’s penthouse got a new door and the entire building received a dramatic new paint job.

Project Challenges

The W.A. Rose carpenters milled new siding to replace those areas of the building with dry rot. One of our trusted partners created new dentil (trim) to replace the worn areas around the building’s roof line.

The Results

Safer, lighter, brighter and quieter for the building’s residents. The formerly nondescript building is now a welcome upgrade to the neighborhood. This is a handsome building!

WARose Construction retrofitted an old warehouse to create a spacious new convenience store in Oakland for Golden Gate Petroleum
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Golden Gate Petroleum Convenience Store, Oakland

W.A Rose worked with Golden Gate Petroleum to transform a large empty warehouse into a fully functioning new convenience store. We started by removing a small concession stand located in the front of the warehouse, then laid out the walls for two large ADA bathrooms, a walk-in cooler and back storage rooms. We also added additional striping and ADA walkways to the store’s exterior.

Project Challenges

The concrete slab floor was out of level, which required structural work. We installed all new plumbing, electrical, water and HVAC. The concrete slab floor was actually a double slab, which increased the difficulty of plumbing the building. The old front door and rollup door were beyond repair, and we replaced them with a customized new system. We also discovered the property’s main sewer line was cracked and would not be able to support the additional restrooms and water flow, so we had to replace more than 150’ of line out into the city sewer main.

The Results

A brand new convenience store that makes it easy to pick up a snack after filling up at Golden Gate Petroleum’s gas pumps!

WA Rose Construction: We did a complete rebuild for Papenhausen Hardware after it was badly damaged by fire in SF's West Portal neighborhood
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Papenhausen Hardware Store Copy

Award-winning Papenhausen Hardware, in San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood, was badly damaged in a fire. The damage was extensive and required a significant rebuild throughout the building. We framed and replaced windows, replaced exterior siding and insulation and painted the exterior. The kitchen/breakroom and bathroom needed to be completely rebuilt and installed new fixtures, cabinets and countertops. To support green construction, we kept the exposed concrete floor on the main floor. We completely replaced the front and rear roofs and installed a one-hour fire wall at exterior walls to help prevent spread of a future fire.

Project Challenges

Most of the tear-down/demolition was done by the time the W.A. Rose team came to the project, though we demolished framing as needed in order to begin the rebuild.

The Results

We made other improvements that will benefit both customers and workers. We installed a dumbwaiter so the Papenhausen team can easily move stock items between floors, and we framed for three new skylights to allow for more natural light. The store now has a new office and ADA restroom. A new energy-saving lighting control system and LED lights, along with the new skylights, provide enhanced lighting throughout the store.

Papenhausen is now lighter and brighter, safer and more efficient. The West Portal neighborhood is delighted to have their favorite neighborhood hardware store back!

warose Construction: NAC Church, Moraga, CA
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New Apostolic Church, Moraga

W.A. Rose Construction began working with Moraga’s New Apostolic Church in June 2019 for a fairly extensive remodel. We demolished existing bathrooms, the fireplace, chimney, interior surfaces and walls. All doors, windows and walkways, including the front entryway, were demolished, along with kitchen cabinets and counters.

Erosion control was an important part of the project

The project required installation of all new sewer lines, HVAC, electrical and plumbing throughout the facility, which includes the sanctuary, restrooms, meeting rooms,
kitchen and restrooms. The church is built against a Moraga hillside, so erosion control was an important part of the project–one rainy winter would create mudslide warose construction NAC testimonialproblems for these church congregants. Wattles were staked into place and a local tree company delivered wood chips for us to spread around. We also built a new retaining wall.

Not everything was new–the church’s interior cross remained, but was enhanced with LED lighting and stacked stone. The stunning ceiling was also part of the original structure. The newly remodeled church has a new patio and a larger parking lot to accommodate a growing congregation.

Project Challenges

The church is built against a Moraga hillside, so erosion control was an important part of the project–one rainy winter would create mudslide problems for these church congregants. Wattles were staked into place and a local tree company delivered wood chips for us to spread around. We also built a new retaining wall.

The Results

The results? The new church is warm and welcoming, sustainable and functional. The building’s footprint has expanded and is scalable if the membership grows. The entire facility is now ADA-accessible.

WARose Construction built a portal from the parking garage to the Lesher Center.
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Lesher Center’s Portal to the Arts

Over the course of summer 2018, W.A. Rose worked with Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center to build their Portal to the Arts—a covered walkway that has improved the flow from the North Locust Street parking garage to the Lesher Center courtyard. The Portal not only is covered, but it is now ADA accessible. Prior to the Portal construction, patrons with disabilities had to go all the way around the building. The Center is now more accessible to all theater-goers.

Project Challenges

We needed to finish the project before the fall theater season began. The Portal was completed on time and on budget.WARose Construction built a portal to the arts for Walnut Creek's Lesher Center

W.A. Rose provided temporary site walls to separate the construction area from the public area, removed a portion of the existing dividing wall and one room in the garage area.We configured the sidewalk area and repainted the parking spots.

An upgrade to the existing finishes included new painting, and electrical conduits that ran across the wall had to be removed or relocated. We replaced the concrete slab and benches in the Rudney Courtyard and installed a new guardrail. Drainage and landscape lighting have been added to the planter boxes for future improvements, and upper-perimeter lighting was added in the courtyard.

Results

While this upgrade to the Lesher Center will protect theater-goers from wind and rain, it’s now a facility that’s safer, more structurally sound and best of all, more accessible.

WARose Construction retrofitted space for Leading the Pack in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood
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Leading the Pack

Leading the Pack owner Caitlyn Schleifer is an unabashed animal lover and spent years working in other people’s grooming studios. When she decided it was time to start her own business, she was delighted to find a space in Oakland’s bustling Temescal neighborhood that fit her requirements.

Ground-floor retail in a new residential building with plenty of foot traffic

A huge open space that had yet to be divided into individual shops, we began with framing and insulating the interior walls between the wet room, where theWARose Construction creating durable, waterproof space for Leading the Pack animals would be bathed, and the grooming area, where they would be dried and trimmed.

We installed several vent fans, added sheetrock to the new walls and painted them. Our subcontractors installed plumbing for the wet room, and the electrical team completely wired the new facility.

Project Challenges

Leading the Pack’s unique needs included lots and lots of tile. To accommodate the challenges of bathing and grooming dogs, we installed tile on the floor and eight feet high on the walls; we also tiled the grooming area up to the bottom of the windows. Anyone who’s ever bathed a dog knows it can be a messy affair, so this area needed to be durable, able to tolerate a constant flow of water.

The Results

Final steps included the installation of appliances, wash tubs and custom shelving for retail products. Caitlyn opened her doors to her furry new neighbors in early 2018.

WARose was the contractor for the renovation of 2 kitchens and 4 bathrooms at the Martinez UFCW facility, to include new countertops, cabinets and flooring
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United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)

W.A. Rose Construction remodeled the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) building in Hayward a few years ago, so we were delighted to be selected to remodel the UFCW meeting hall in Martinez.

Project Challenges

The project scope included two kitchens and four restrooms. We reconfigured the main kitchen’s layout by removing an entire exterior rock wall and installing a large insulated window, letting light into the break room. The UFCW is located on a busy street, so we used insulated windows to help cut down on ambient noise.

We installed new cabinets, interior doors, drywall and painted the walls a neutral khaki color to synch with other UFCW chapters. The kitchen required all new electrical to bring it up to code, and new HVAC included a kitchen hood exhaust fan. We also installed a new water heater, light fixtures and energy-efficient LED lights, along with durable Caesarstone countertops and luxury vinyl tile floors.

The Results

These upgrades represent significant improvements to a facility that had become dated and worn. It’s now safer, sunnier, more inviting and accessible. The upstairs kitchenette and gender-neutral restrooms were finished in 2017 and the W.A. Rose team completed the remainder of the work on the downstairs kitchen and restrooms in early 2018.

WARose was the contractor for SOJA Mind/Body Studio
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SOJA Mind/Body

When Peter Ajemian decided to consolidate his mindful fitness classes in a new SOJA studio on Berkeley’s San Pablo Ave., he reached Peter Ajemian of Soja Mind/Bodyout to W.A. Rose Construction. W.A. Rose advertises on Marty Lurie’s weekend show on KNBR during baseball season, and Peter did a testimonial for us. Hear what Peter had to say about W.A. Rose Construction!

Project Challenges

W.A. Rose worked closely with the owner, property manager and architect on this project to meet stringent requirements. The space wasTestimonial from Peter Ajemian from Soja Mind Body on the ground floor of a building that was zoned for residential, with retail on the ground floor. Peter wanted a large, open room that was accessible to foot traffic and visible from the sidewalk. In a new location, he wanted people to be able to see the constant activity in his studio where he teaches not just martial arts but whole-body fitness and flexibility.

The Results

We created a metal-framed wall that separated the new SOJA space from other retail businesses, applied a double layer of drywall to both sides, which we primed and painted a neutral shade of ivory. We left the ceiling open, with exposed pipes; which gives the space a rustic, warehouse effect. The focal point of the room is the unique SOJA logo.

To comply with Title 24 requirements, we built two new single-occupancy ADA restrooms and installed an ADA ramp leading to the garage. We also installed new HVAC that would keep the space comfortable for its active users, a fire-alarm system and a fire suppression tie-in to the existing system.

LED lighting throughout the facility ensures that the new SOJA Studio is energy-efficient. We finished this project on time and on budget.

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Sandis Civil Engineers

This was a two-story remodeling project for Sandis Civil Engineers, a rapidly growing engineering firm in downtown Oakland.

Project Challenges

Faced with an aggressive timetable of just three months, a key challenge for this project was structural. The building on 9th Street had at one time been WARose Construction rehabbed a commercial building in Oakland for Sandis Engineeringused as a manufacturing facility, so a significant amount of structural work had to be completed before the actual construction could begin. An additional challenge included building two new staircases that had to be specially reengineered to fit small spaces.

The Results

The work was completed on time, as promised, and included two ADA-upgraded bathrooms, an upgraded ADA-entryway with a ramp from the parking lot into the building and a new reception area. The space was designed with an open floorplan with workstations, and we added two offices, a kitchen and two conferences rooms.

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Viator

Viator is an innovative online travel company now owned by Trip Advisor that sells travel adventures, so we needed to build an office space that reflected the company culture. The result is a bright, open, modern workspace.

Project Challenges

The client was looking for an open warehouse look with a modern twist. Viator wanted an open workspace, but we also needed to make sure that it didn’t create chaos—the open space had to be well-managed for optimal productivity.

The Results

  • To accomplish this, we tore out the ceiling to expose the pipes; this gave the space a warehouse effect, and we further accentuated the feeling withWARose Construction Viator/TripAdvisor Remodel indirect lighting.
  • We installed large barn-style rolling doors to the executive office so that when open, the office would become more integrated with the overall space.
  • The color scheme was driven by the company’s bold orange and teal corporate colors. The lobby is a wall of glass beads with the company name and logo floating on top.
  • The cheerful lunchroom, which overlooks San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art, is bright and fun with its modern orange Lucite chairs and bar stools.

Nancy Callahan, Callahan Design Group, was the designer on this project.

Viator Update: May 2015

When an opportunity opened up to move into the space next to their existing one, Viator seized it!

Project Challenges

For a company that works virtually, keeping their computers up and running is critical; Viator necessarily hosts all of their own servers, and we customized a new server room.

The Results

  • We added a new office, two meeting rooms, additional open space for workstations and an editor’s room for watching and editing travel videos.
  • Two new doors connect the original office with the expanded new space.
  • An updated kitchen quickly became the favorite gathering place for the hardworking Viator team.
  • We also added a mother’s room to accommodate nursing moms.

This was our third engagement with Viator, and we’re proud of our long, successful partnership, delighted to be helping Viator accommodate growth!