“Our business is considered essential, but that’s a very vague word right now,” president and managing partner Curtis Dorian said. “We still get to work on projects; we’re not shut down. But it affects us because I have projects on hold, and the calls are not coming in.”
The company has clients in Richardson, Dallas and Plano, and each city has slightly different rules. A project that is allowed in one may be prohibited in another, Dorian said.
According to Dorian, Richardson has the most relaxed rules when it comes to new construction. In accordance with Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order, the city still allows companies to start new projects as long as workers follow certain safety and hygiene guidelines put in place by the Construction Industry Safety Coalition.
The city of Dallas, on the other hand, is following Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ order, which prohibits all elective construction and maintenance.
“In Dallas, we’re not able to work on anything at all right now,” he said.
Many clients, regardless of city, no longer feel comfortable letting people into their homes, so most interior projects are in limbo, Dorian said. But leaving a project half-finished has safety implications of its own.
“If you have a room that’s a demo, and it’s exposed, ... and you start getting 80- or 90-degree weather, yeah, that is a problem because now, you can’t turn on the air conditioning,” he said.
The company is currently working on nine projects, three of which are in the design phase and will eventually be put on hiatus.
“We can draw and pick out the materials and keep the process going, but that’s going to come to an end once it’s time to start construction,” he said.
One of the company's active projects involves the complete rebuild of a Richardson home badly damaged by the Oct. 20 tornado. Construction had stalled due to a shortage of subcontractors, many of whom were hesitant to work in groups. As of April 13, the project was back on; however, Dorian said precautions are in place, such as limiting the number of workers on site.
"Most of our framers and plumbers will work at different times, and no discipline will be scheduled to cross over one another while we are still in COVID-19 restrictions," he said.
Exterior renovations have been mostly unaffected by the orders; however, Dorian said getting projects over the finish line has been challenging. In some cities, post-construction activity has slowed, if not stopped altogether. If an inspection does happen, it is difficult to get workers on-site for repairs.
“If there’s an issue and you get red-flagged, it takes twice as much work to get fixed what needs to be done in order to get it green-flagged,” he said.
With fewer projects in the works, Dorian said he has been forced to lay off or furlough a handful of employees. Hours were cut by 50% for those remaining, he said.
In their spare time, Dorian’s team members are working to procure materials they will need once things get going again. But their ability to do so hinges on the status of manufacturers, many of which are also reckoning with skeletal workforces and shortages of materials.
“There’s a ripple effect there as well,” he said.
It may seem counterintuitive, but if finances allow, now might be the ideal time to start a home renovation project, Dorian said. Many people whose lives are normally hectic can now focus on planning and design.
“Like everything in life, this will come to pass. We will get back on the regular program and back into the real world,” he said. “Don’t put it on hold.”
