Masonry Magazine May 1979 Page. 14
Close-up of "The Woods" condominium project shows fire wall treatment-concrete masonry partitions are clad in brick above roof line.
IN THE MIDWEST
Growth Continues for All-Masonry
Condo Development In Detroit Suburb
Here's one of the best arguments against "stick built" multifamily housing since the Three Little Pigs. It's called "The Woods" and it's a development of two-story, garden-type condominium units located in Livonia, Mich., a fast-growing suburban community west of Detroit.
The Woods was designed in loadbearing masonry with masonry partition walls between units because the city's building code requires it. But the developer, Robert L. Hauser, is now building with the same design in another Detroit suburb that allows "stick built" apartments.
Why? "Because this type of construction turns our customers on," Hauser said. "They can see the quality as the building goes up. Most of our customers are educated buyers who know what they're looking for. Those who came out of apartments are particularly sensitive to the sound problems they encountered in stick buildings. In our development, the sound and fire protection advantages are obvious. The units are extremely marketable."
The latter could be considered an understatement. The Woods opened in 1972 as a Detroit idea home with a clubhouse and 40 units in three buildings. Prices for the two-bedroom units started at $28,000.
Today, there are 235 units in 19 buildings, covering 21 acres. And Hauser Development Corporation is getting ready to start five more buildings this year in an adjacent project to be called Laurel Woods. That development will eventually total 100 units in nine buildings on 10 acres. Price range: $70,000 to $90,000.
The price appreciation of the existing units has been nothing short of phenomenal, even taking today's galloping inflation into account. One unit purchased for $35,000 in 1975 sold for $75,000 in 1979. Another, purchased last year for $57,000, sold 10 months later for $73,000.
"Once we got geared up for the masonry system, it went pretty well from a time standpoint," Hauser said. "It's pretty well trouble-free and maintenance-free. Using a precast concrete floor system eliminated the shrinkage problems you encounter with wood decks. And all along, our square-foot costs have been pretty well in line."
On the most recent phase of The Woods, completed last year, Hauser said total construction costs were $19 per square foot.
The mason contractor on that phase (four buildings with 56 units) was Leo J. Vandervennet & Sons, Livonia, a member of the Detroit Mason Contractors Association.
Masons lay up 8-inch block walls for the loadbearing design.