It's hard enough to complete a remodeling job for one homeowner-and keep the residing family happy-let alone a condominium with 115 units and many more homeowners, all who have their own opinions and preferences.
So it's not surprising that the plans for the residential lobby at the Dockside Condominium had been up in the air for more than 10 years before the building committee made the necessary decisions to get started. After all, the job would take months to complete and affect every resident.
"The condominium was constructed in the late '70s," says Christopher Rose, architect on the project and also a Dockside resident for the past six years. The lobby had good bones but was very dated and needed a facelift. We wanted to bring the whole space into the 21st century."
Long before any work started, Rose solicited the homeowners to contribute opinions and comments on the pending project. The majority agreed the lobby should be treated as the foyer of their homes. The original design had some Georgian detail, such as crown molding, so the group decided to follow that stylistic direction.
First, however, there were many functional issues to address. Four infrequently used seating areas occupied the bulk of the lobby. The manager's office was tiny, and the secretary's office lacked storage space. The handicap entrance was a treacherous brick walkway while the library was little more than a storage closet. In addition, the security guard sat at a desk at the end of the hall. The floor was covered with Oriental rugs (which were trip hazards), and the carts that residents used to wheel in groceries and other items were strewn about the lobby haphazardly.
Another major concern was that the ground floor was mostly glassed in. While the glass allowed great views of the water, it was not impact-resistant. "If it were breached during a storm," says Rose, "it could wreak havoc on the entire building."
Rose knew that such a complex job, with so many people to keep happy throughout the often messy, noisy, chaotic months ahead, would require a special kind of builder with great organizational skills and a calm, friendly temperament. He'd worked with Bruce Canton of Canton Construction Co. on many residential jobs on Kiawah Island and trusted Canton's expertise and skills.
So it's not surprising that the plans for the residential lobby at the Dockside Condominium had been up in the air for more than 10 years before the building committee made the necessary decisions to get started. After all, the job would take months to complete and affect every resident.
It's hard enough to complete a remodeling job for one homeowner-and keep the residing family happy-let alone a condominium with 115 units and many more homeowners, all who have their own opinions and preferences.
So it's not surprising that the plans for the residential lobby at the Dockside Condominium had been up in the air for more than 10 years before the building committee made the necessary decisions to get started. After all, the job would take months to complete and affect every resident.
