A TAPCO GROUP CASE STUDY
Picture-perfect Student Housing
Worthy of Straight A’s
“I think our residents feel much more comfortable
and at home. It makes a world of difference. In fact,
our largest marketing source is word of mouth.”
Phil Vetter, Wood Partners’ Project Manager, North 38
A TAPCO GROUP CASE STUDY
“Our residents appreciate our curb
appeal and higher construction quality.”
Blair Sweeney, Development Manager, North 38
Gauging the rapid leasing of the
North 38 Apartments – off-campus
student housing near Virginia’s James
Madison University – the amenityrich development has earned excellent
marks. North 38 is one of the latest
projects by Wood Partners, a national
leader in multi-unit housing including
senior, assisted-living, apartments and
condos. The company also has a particular focus on luxurious, yet affordable student residences.
Gone are the days of wan, worn,
decades-old off-campus apartments.
Typical of Wood Partners’ student-
housing portfolio, North 38 is far
from just a roof over a student’s head.
It’s a lifestyle-enhancer for the college
experience where students can study,
focus and play in a relaxed, modern,
beautiful setting.
The 19 apartment buildings at
North 38 deliver stylish curb appeal,
complemented by luxurious community areas like an elegant resort-style
pool, clubhouse and outdoor recreation space completed with stainless
steel grills. Inside, the three and four
bedroom units feature clean design,
space-maximizing floor plans and con-
temporary furnishings including flatpanel TVs and leather couches. Each
bedroom in a unit comes with its own
private bath.
To achieve the dynamic exterior and
set a vibrant tone, Wood Partners focused on color and texture details.
Simultaneously, they needed durable
products to keep maintenance costs
down and to provide lasting beauty
over the coming decades for a frequently-rotating student population.
To help meet these needs, Foundry
Siding® by The Tapco Group® was
specified – premium vinyl shake
siding manufactured with cedar
molds. At North 38, Foundry Shakes
in a rich Cocoa color are used as an
exterior accent, including the many
gables of the apartment buildings.
“Our residents appreciate our curb
appeal and higher construction qual-
A TAPCO GROUP CASE STUDY
ity. You certainly never get a second
chance to make a first impression, it’s
critical,” said Blair Sweeney, development manager for North 38 at Franklin
Holdings.
The formula for the apartments’ design success also includes stone veneer.
“The stone look and the shake accent
here really pull everything together. It’s
a great-looking combination of color
and texture,” said Phil Vetter, Wood
Partners’ project manager for North 38.
While North 38 marked Wood
Partners’ first experience with vinyl
cladding in the region, it has used The
Tapco Group’s StoneCraft® brand of
manufactured stone veneer as an
upgrade from brick for several years.
“The stone really sets off the look of
the buildings and makes them stand
out as something different. It’s a key
factor in creating exciting appeal,”
Vetter explained. At North 38, 47,000
sq. ft. of StoneCraft’s Ledgestone
profile in the Chardonnay color were
installed. Its long, crisp lines bring
rugged harmony to the buildings’ skirt
applications and also infuse warm
character to the pool and fountain area
and the community’s welcome signage.
In a resident survey on the visual
appeal of the complex, 82 percent of
residents rated it “excellent” – the
highest level among five choices.
Sweeney said that residents – and their
parents – often say they are surprised
at North 38’s total quality. “I think our
residents feel much more comfortable
and at home. It makes a world of
difference. In fact, our largest marketing
source is word of mouth,” he noted.
Located in the Shenandoah Valley,
North 38 is surrounded by beautiful
mountains and rolling hills. “There’s
even a pasture across the street,” said
Sweeney. “While our buildings look
very classy, you also get the sense that
the exteriors blend into the surrounding
landscape and add something to the
landscape. I’ve heard that from others
“The stone really sets off the look of the
buildings and makes them stand out as
something different.”
Phil Vetter, Wood Partners’ Project Manager, North 38
also. There are some other complexes
here that don’t pull that off so well.
“I think the overall look of the exteriors has actually won us some allies in
the community; other developers,
town council members, the former
mayor and people in the planning
department,” said Sweeney.
According to Vetter, the Foundry
Shake exteriors were a nice surprise
from both beauty and installation aspects. “The shake accents have
an authentic look and the standard
Foundry color we used was impressive.
Compared to the fiber cement siding,
accent panels and wood trim that we
typically use, vinyl’s just not as messy
and labor intensive. I loved the ease
and the speed of the Foundry’s installation. It was considerably cleaner.
“From a performance standpoint,
vinyl makes things maintenance-free.
It’s a real benefit regarding management and maintenance. The accent
shakes, particularly in the higher parts
of the buildings and gables, are diffi-
A TAPCO GROUP CASE STUDY
cult to maintain if you have to repaint
fiber cement every couple of years,”
Vetter said.
“The lack of maintenance cost,” added Sweeney, “is very attractive when
you consider both The Foundry and
StoneCraft. Over several years at a
number of projects, StoneCraft looks
just as good as the day we installed it.
That’s tough to do.”
During North 38’s construction,
Wood Partners was simultaneously installing StoneCraft at two other similar-sized projects. “StoneCraft’s value
is a big part of the reason we turned to
stone veneer. It doesn’t cost much
more than brick, but it is a fantasticlooking upgrade and it’s very versatile,”
Vetter noted.
Sweeney said he recommends
StoneCraft and The Foundry for both
single-family and multi-family construction, based on high quality. “Especially in the multi-family development world, it’s almost always advantageous to spend money on the front
end to avoid ongoing maintenance
©2010 Headwaters. All rights reserved. cost. These products have allowed us
to do that.”
Completed in August 2008, North
38 is among Wood Partners’ most recent student communities in a project
portfolio that includes the University
of Illinois, Mississippi State and Florida State.
“For the university communities we
serve, I don’t think any property is
competing with what we offer,” Vetter
said. “I think the tide is turning to
where students have more choice and
properties are starting to elevate their
level of service and amenities. We’ve
heard about outdated properties and a
lack of service. As we continue to build
attractive student housing, I think
we’re setting the bar high with our features and luxurious living. That’s our
standard.”
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CT-03/10