Simple Project Evolves into Multiple Challenges
Near-flawless communication saves golf course restroom
Alpharetta, Georgia
On paper it didn’t look like much of a challenge –– construct a 400-square-foot restroom building servicing the first tee and outdoor tennis courts at Manor Golf and Country Club in the metro Atlanta community of Milton. But life can bring a lot of little surprises.
“I was lucky,” says Mike Davis, at the time the club’s general manger. “Samir Doshi of SamT Construction was the general contractor and he had the patience and know-how to solve the numerous problems that arose in what was thought to be a simple project.”
The first challenge was the site itself. It was close to several existing buildings, including the pro shop and indoor tennis courts. The sewer lines had to go under the parking lot and through a narrow corridor that skirted other utility lines. One of those utilities was a 12-inch forced sewer main servicing the rest of the club’s buildings, including two clubhouses. It was critical not to disturb that line, which was under pressure.
“Samir is pretty easy going, even under stressful circumstances,” says Mike. “This project required nearly flawless communication, and Samir excels at that.”
Another surprise, which fortunately came up early, was jurisdictional. The club spread across three counties: Fulton, Cherokee and Forsyth. Getting all the bureaucratic paperwork in proper order is a hassle when you’re working in one county — working in three multiplies those chores exponentially.
In this project, the forced main was in Fulton, the pump required to service the project was in Cherokee and the sewer line to be installed was in Forsyth. And the restroom building itself needed a permit from the city of Milton.
One more surprise came up near the end of the project. A small substation had to be installed to feed power to the building. When the power company started digging, it cut a line feeding the lights on the parking lot. But SamT’s team fixed it quickly — in time for a wedding onsite the next day.
“Samir is very competent, easy to work with and attentive to details,” says Mike. “I came to depend on him throughout the process. I often learned of a problem after he had already solved it.”
“This project required nearly flawless communication, and Samir excels at that.”
The SamT Perspective
Sometimes what appears to be a relatively small, uncomplicated project turns into a barrage of challenges. The Manor Golf and Country Club was one of those projects.
The first obstacle was dealing with multiple municipal jurisdictions. It’s not uncommon to have a project overseen by both county and city regulations. It’s not at all common to be dealing with three counties and one city to construct a bathroom. Some construction techniques are complex, but even the most complicated are easier to master than four different sets of building codes.
Another challenge is protecting the property of others. When you build near existing structures or utilities, you’re responsible for doing it carefully and safely. A “forced main” sewer may sound innocent enough, but it’s under pressure. One false move with a backhoe and you’ve guaranteed yourself a bad day.
Other problems can happen that are not of your making. When you invite a power company to the site to install an underground line to a small substation, you don’t expect them to cut into one of their own existing lines. You soon learn that you’re not only responsible for your own errors, but those of others as well.
Yet there’s a sunny side to these surprises and challenges.
“They give us a chance to show off our versatility, and that’s very satisfying professionally,” says Samir, founder and CEO of SamT Construction.
Samir Notes: “Even though installing a 300 feet sewer line around a large building and a parking lot was the most challenging part of the project, the right subcontractor and supervision makes it a breeze.”