River Oaks Apartments

The Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corporation (WHPC) turned to Friede & Associates to renovate forty-eight units of the River Oaks Apartments in La Crosse. The WHPC construction project manager wanted Friede & Associates to renovate the units with the tenants in place to limit the amount of disruption. Friede embraced the challenge. Like a well-oiled machine, a Friede team of four workers, plus a subcontracted plumber and electrician, took only one day to renovate each unit. That feat required close coordination and extreme attention to detail. The crews removed old kitchen cabinets and installed new ones during the one-day marathon session. They also installed new countertops, sinks, and LED light fixtures. In the bathrooms, they put in new vanities and a bath light & fan combination. Front and storage unit doors and new sleeves for air conditioners were also installed. The team converted 48 units in six buildings in 48 days. They worked from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., four days a week. The total contract was for $845,000 and ultimately included additional work in their maintenance shop.