Cypress Construction Christmas Party 2012!

 12/21/12 – Today, we celebrated the year past, and the coming 18th year of Cypress Construction Services with a festive Christmas party at Center Street Grill in Santa Cruz! How grateful I am to have had such a good year that we could come together and take time out to appreciate each other, and the fine folks we’ve worked for this year. As usual, it starts out with a long-winded speech by the boss. As I looked around the table at the 16 talented men (and woman) that work for Cypress, many of whom brought their spouses to share in the festivities, I couldn’t help but think about the past year and the many challenges we overcame to be here.

Next up, a rare viewing of last year’s irreverent video chronicling our history - “Cypress Construction…from the beginning.”

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

 

And it was time to eat, drink, and be merry! Hat’s off to Center Street Grill for the great food, service, decorations, and professionalism. They were so easy to work with!

Then it was awards time. I’m very proud to have awarded certificates and gift cards to the following:

Martin Hernandez – Most Improved Employee

Nick Rahall – Best New Employee

Juan Acosta - Most Valuable Player/MVP

Congratulations to all!

Then it was time for our traditional “Great Moments In Cypress History” where I’ve handed out memorable (good or bad) quotes from various jobs throughout the year, and we all try and remember where the quote came from. Needless to say, many were fond memories, and some that we’d rather forget…

Finally, it was the Secret Santa gift exchange, and wishing everyone a Happy Holiday, and a nice, long 4 ½ day weekend!

Cypress Earns Certified Installer Status from AZEK Decking!

11/30/12 - We are proud to announce that Cypress has earned Certified Installer status from the good people at AZEK Building Products while replacing 82 decks, landings, and stairways at the Oceanview HOA community in Santa Cruz.

Early in the reconstruction project, we were trained in the installation of AZEK decking by Micah Lloyd of AZEK. And throughout the project, various representatives of the company have come onsite and checked our work, and confirmed our installation best practices. 

AZEK decking is truly the gold-standard in decking today. It is lighter than other composites (TREX, ChoiceDek, et al) and wood, and contains no organic materials like composites do. As a "green" building material, it does contain a host of recycled materials. And, unlike all the rest, it comes with a lifetime warranty.

 

  

We're fortunate to be working with Shoreline Property Management of Santa Cruz,  and CMA Management of Livermore on this project. Their professionalism is making this large, and sometimes challenging job run like clockwork. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to Gina Poli of Shoreline, Jeff Kearny of CMA, and Jerry Mattos of the Oceanview HOA Board of Directors for their excellent work. Architect Leonard Willis of Redwood Engineering has done a remarkable job with the plans and engineering necessary for the work.

Our own employees - Nick Rahall, Superintendent, and Forest Rayfield, Foreman - have been strong leaders and effective liasons with management, the Board of Directors, and the homeowners.

And I want to thank the homeowners of the Oceanview community for putting your trust in us to bring this project to a successful completion, and for the opportunity to be of service!

Cypress Doing More Commercial Work

03/08/12 - In this troubled economy, there are no guarantees of survival, but diversifying ups ones' chances. We've been fortunate to have stayed busy during these last few years. With residential remodels slowed to a trickle, our work with HOA's (townhome and condo communities), our Westcoat (r) deck coatings, Hardi (r) cementitious siding jobs, and commercial remodels and improvements have kept us afloat. In the last few weeks, we've been doing work at the Capitola Mall.

And the Walnut Avenue Cafe.

Many thanks to Steve at the Capitola Mall, and John at the Walnut Avenue Cafe! Both great to work with!



Energy Upgrade California Events & Opportunities

Below you'll find a list of exciting upcoming events and opportunities offered by the Energy Upgrade California program.

Our very own Rich Singer is a certified BPI BUILDING ANALYST, meaning he is certified to conduct energy audits through the Energy Upgrade California program!

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Energy Upgrade California Central Coast Fall Event Update

October 2011

Your local governments and utility providers are offering attractive rebates, incentives, and financing for homeowners who install energy upgrades.

For information on rebates and incentives, go to: http://www.energyupgradeca.org/

To get additional information on Central Coast community events, contact Ashley Watkins at awatkins@ecoact.org

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Attend one of these upcoming community events on the Central Coast to find out more about Energy Upgrade California

Santa Cruz Homeowner Workshop

October 6, 2011 - 6:00 PM

Ecology Action

Learn how cash incentives of over $6,000 and low 3% fixed interest financing make home energy efficiency and solar upgrades within reach for Santa Cruz County residents. This workshop will give homeowners practical information and steps to get started on a home energy upgrade today!
MORE INFO / REGISTER

Santa Barbara emPowerSBC & Energy Upgrade California Community Event

November 1, 2011- 5:00 PM

Santa Barbara Courthouse

Join us for the launch of the County of Santa Barbara's emPowerSBC program and celebrate its partnership with Energy Upgrade California. These programs are working together to provide incentives and financing for home energy efficiency and solar projects. Special guests include Assembly member Das Williams.
MORE INFO / REGISTER

Ventura County Energy Upgrade Community Forum

November 9, 2011 - 5:30 PM

Camarillo Ranch

Learn how Energy Upgrade California, Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance and CHF have joined forces to make energy efficiency and solar affordable. Special guests include Supervisor Kathy Long and Carolyn Holmes of CHF.
MORE INFO / REGISTER

Monterey & San Benito

Stay tuned for upcoming Homeowner Workshops in Monterey and San Benito Counties. For more info, contact Angela Rocchio at arocchio@ecoact.org or (831) 515-1331.

Cypress awarded Qualified Contractor/Applicator status from Westcoat

October, 2011 - Cypress Construction Services has just been awarded Qualified Contractor/Applicator status from Westcoat Specialty Coatings as part of their QCA program.

Westcoat makes multi-layered cementitious waterproof coatings for decks, landings, walkways, stairs, and interior floors as well.

We began installations of Westcoat roofdecks 5 years ago, and have been consistently tapped by local homeowners, property managers and HOAs for new installations and re-coats ever since. Our crew has attended trainings at the Westcoat facility in San Jose over the last few years, and the excellent support we’ve received from their staff, especially Territory Sales Representative, Michael Mulnix, has been invaluable.

We are proud to now be a Qualified Contractor/Applicator of this excellent product! CLICK HERE to learn more.

Cypress Remodel/Addition by Mark Primack

09/2011 - Aptos, CA

We are half-way through an exciting remodel and addition in Aptos, designed by local architect, Mark Primack. The homeowners, Bill and Susie, have been great partners in this project - Bill, in the unofficial role as Project Manager, and Susie, who has been out sourcing fixtures, finishes, etc. They have extensive remodel experience and are just a great couple to work with!

The project started with a handsome suburban home, and with the combined vision of both Bill and Susie, and Mark Primack, came up with a neo-commercial/residential hybrid design, utilizing metal, stucco, and HardiPanel cementitious siding.

Demo of the existing front of the house was extensive and time consuming, but soon we were laying out walls and pouring the foundation.














Next, came the floor framing and subfloor.

And presently, walls and roof are taking shape!

Hat's off to our fine crew for doing a great job, to Bill and Susie for their excellent support, to Daryl Woods at Mark Primack's office, to John at Buchanan Engineering, Whitlow Concrete, Charles at Green Lantern Electric, Hal at Stiles Plumbing,  and Eugene at Mercury Metals.
Looking forward to seeing the finished product on this one!

Michael Attends CALGreen Seminar in Monterey

6/15/2011 - This week, I attended a seminar on new California "green" building codes. "CALGreen," as it's called, is a body of new, mandatory building codes that went into effect in California this past January, 2011. This code mandates new requirements in new commercial and residential construction. To date, many of the new codes do not apply to remodels/re-construction, but it was said that that within 18 months, most if not all will apply there as well. Some of the code that affects the work we do at Cypress Construction includes:
*Plumbing - New ultra, lo-flow toilets, shower heads, etc.
*Wastewater/storm drain design and implimentation
*Construction waste reduction and recycling
*Low VOC paint
*Etc.
As the green-building movement gains traction in both building departments and the general public, the need for a standardized, comprehensive set of new codes has been slow to take shape. Municipalities draw from the standards set up by private, governmental, and non-profit organizations including the following:
Build It Green - (through which I was certified as a "Green Building Professional")
CALGreen - The state's Building Standard's Commission
LEED - The "gold-standard" of green building, from the U.S. Green Building Council

This seminar was well-organized and informative, and was put together with the help of the Monterey County Business Council and the Institute for Innovation and Economic Development.