84 Lumber shifts towards commercial
In a bid to expand its focus beyond residential building, 84 Lumber is bidding on light commercial projects involving steel framing and other types of commercial building products. “We are taking a very definite and purposeful movement into this market,” said Jeff Nobers, vp-communications and marketing for 84 Lumber.
The company’s largest project so far is Grand Palisades at Lake Austin, a resort outside Orlando. 84 Lumber is supplying all the building materials for 890 condo units, including installed metal studs, insulation, exterior sheathing, interior drywall, trim, and metal trusses. The project is being delivered and managed out of the company’s Sanford, Fla., store.
The estimated completion date is February 2010.
84 Lumber worked with the agent of the property, Synergy, on a previous project, according to Nobers. That project, called Mona Lisa, was a 200-unit commercial building. 84 Lumber installed the trim and supplied other building materials.
“These are very different types of projects to manager than home construction,” Nobers observed. As for residential building, “We’re still trying to take market share,” he said.
