Development Beat: Renovation Roundup

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Friday, April 15, 2016

The largest renovation job to receive permits in Raleigh last week was a continuation of a boring parking deck project at North Hills.

We already talked about this one last week, so let’s move right into something a little more interesting: a rooftop solar array at Logan’s Garden Shop in Seaboard Station.

The Logan Garden Center

James Borden / Raleigh Public Record

The Logan Garden Center

In business since 1965, it will no longer just be the plants at Logan’s that harness the awesome power of Helios’ eternal chariot ride ’round the Earth. The installation will be handled by NC Solar Now for $307,500.

NC Solar bills itself as the state’s #1 solar power company. A quick search of the City’s permit database shows us that the company certain has been prolific in Raleigh: since July 2010, it was the contractor of record on a total of 63 projects valued at more than $2 million.

Another search of that same time period pulled up 267 total solar panel installation projects in Raleigh, although we would *not* recommend peppering this fact into your cocktail-party banter.

Due to a slight inconsistencies with the permit data, it’s likely we missed more than a few projects. It would’ve taken more than an hour to get a number that would’ve been closer but still not necessarily 100 percent right, so, we’ll go with 267.

The combined construction cost for all those projects was a whopping $12 million. Once someone smart figures out a way to cheaply and efficiently store the energy these panels generate, I’m sure the number and value of panel installations will skyrocket.

The next biggest project was a new tenant fit-out at the Leesville Shopping Center in far north Raleigh just inside the so-called outer beltline of I-540.

The center will be welcoming Pet People, a store that specializes in natural and organic pet food. Since the cat food I buy is already expensive enough, I probably won’t be making the trek out there anytime soon. If you have one of those fancy cats like you see on TV that only eats high-end pet food though, Pet People is probably worth checking out.

Of course I will buy you this $60, 12-oz bag of organic, all-natural, hormone-free cat food!

They may look adorable, but cats are seriously the world’s worst co-workers.

The Sullivan Corporation will be handling the $300,000 fit-out of the 5,485 square-foot space.

The next three projects were all city jobs: retaining walls at Union Station and an HVAC installation at a firehouse.

Next up? A hair salon. The week of April 4 must’ve been a pretty exciting one down at the old permit office.

The Falls Centre at 4500 Falls of Neuse Road will soon be welcoming “The Guy’s Place” to its list of service providers. This “hair salon for men” already has one Raleigh and two Cary locations, so it must be pretty popular. It’s no Mattress Firm or anything, but still.

For what it’s worth, our old friend Factual.com, who helped bring us that “Mattress Mania” post we just linked, claims there are a total of 359 hair salons in Raleigh. We’re inclined to believe them. If you don’t feel like clicking through: there are a total of 44 mattress stores in Raleigh.

If you’re wondering what kind of a place The Guy’s Place is, one of the Cary locations had this posted on their website:

At The Guy’s Place in Cary, NC, we offer you more than simply a cut and style. They offer an experience. You’re in good hands with the skilled cosmetologists happy to take your coat and hand you the remote to your own personal HDTV. While in the barber chair, in addition to your haircut, you’ll receive a relaxing shampoo and condition, a hot facial towel, a trim for your eyebrows, ears, and mustache; and finally, a neck and shoulder massage. 

Even though I don’t even have a passing interest in sports, Sports Clips was my “salon” of choice — until my stylist left — so it would be nice to have a place where you can choose the channel instead of being forced to watch a college bowling tournament while you get your hair cut at 9 on a Saturday morning.

Plus, at The Guy's Place, all of the stylists apparently look like this.

The Guy's Place

He can’t stop thinking about that post-haircut shoulder massage The Guy’s Place creepily offers its clients.

Sorry: that’s what happens when I don’t have any good renovation projects to talk about. I start discussing my personal grooming habits.

The only other two projects worth mentioning were multi-permitted jobs at two apartment complexes. The “Lynwood Park Apartment Homes” at 6201 North Hills Drive is having a bunch of washer-driers installed, and a place that I saw named as both the Southgate and the South Ridge Apartments out on Proctor Street in South Raleigh off Rock Quarry will be having a number of its roofs replaced.

The appropriately named Multifamily Roofing Services company will be handling the job at South Ridge, and THS National, LLC will be doing the washer/dryer work out at Lynwood Park.

The Southgate/South Ridge Apartments are getting their roofs replaced

James Borden / Raleigh Public Record

The Southgate/South Ridge Apartments are getting their roofs replaced