The apartments needed to change.
The rent roll couldn’t stop.

Contour began by developing the Owner’s Program: a comprehensive evaluation connecting leasing objectives, resident continuity, existing conditions, code requirements, building systems, finish expectations, budget, and schedule. The Design-Build team coordinated architecture, interior selections, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, life-safety review, estimating, and construction planning through one accountable process. A prototype apartment allowed the owner to see the program before multiplying it across the property.

The prototype produced real decisions. Cabinet and countertop details were refined, appliance selections and paint schemes changed, and the team determined that existing entry doors should be refinished rather than replaced. The same value discipline shaped the broader design. Bathroom tile and tubs were reglazed in lieu of wholesale replacement, avoiding more than $100,000 in cost. Existing hardwood floors were restored rather than removed. Bathroom-window safety film achieved the required protection without replacing otherwise serviceable windows, and existing kitchen exhaust penetrations were reused where practical.

System choices were evaluated against both construction cost and long-term operation. Multi-zone mini-split systems replaced window air conditioners and apartment radiators, giving residents individually controlled electric heating and cooling without the expense and disruption of a fully ducted solution. New panels, feeders, metering, appliance circuits, lighting, smoke and carbon-monoxide detection, and related upgrades modernized the electrical system. Submetering shifted unit electrical consumption from the landlord to the residents who used it, changing the property’s operating model—not merely its finishes.

Contour then organized construction as a rolling two-building sequence. Two buildings were vacated, renovated, completed, and returned for leasing before the next two were taken offline. Some residents relocated within Park View, and many moved into newly completed apartments as the program advanced. The approach preserved economies of scale for the trades while limiting the number of apartments absent from the rent roll at any one time. Building- and unit-level turnover also allowed completed work to begin producing revenue without waiting for the entire ten-building program to finish.

The commercial structure reinforced that alignment. Preconstruction and design, construction under a guaranteed maximum price, and later electrical-service upgrades were managed as one approximately $3.10 million* Design-Build program. A cost-savings incentive returned approximately $109,000* to the owner, reducing the net program cost to approximately $2.99 million* while the integrated team continued refining scope and responding to existing conditions.