Rafn Company : Commercial General Contractor : Blog

What is Architectural Precast Concrete?

03/22/2017
2017Q1, GUEST

When I tell people that I work for an architectural precast concrete company they usually look at me like I just said something to them in a foreign language. I get it. Before I started at Olympian Precast I worked for several cast-in-place concrete subcontractors, and I still had no idea what…

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Structural Engineering for Treehouses

03/15/2017
2017Q1

Many Rafn craftsmen have built treehouses for their kids over the years, but as a company, we have never had the opportunity to build one like you see on TV. Our friends at Swenson Say Faget (SSF) structural engineering, however, have gotten the opportunity to work on 15 high-end treehouses…

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Replumbing the Historic Stimson-Green Mansion

03/08/2017
2017Q1, RENO

We are currently working on an interesting project at the Stimson-Green Mansion in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Built in 1901, the mansion is a designated Seattle Landmark, is on the Washington Heritage Register, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Although less…

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What to Consider when Considering Phased Occupancy

01/25/2017
2017Q1

What can the developer / architect / contractor team do to make phased occupancy as easy as possible for the Building and Fire Departments to grant? Teamwork, pre-planning, and following jurisdictional requirements will yield the best chance for success. Phased occupancy allows a project owner to…

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Choosing the Best General Contractor for Your Commercial Project

12/19/2016
2016Q4, GUEST

In my thirty five years as a construction professional, I have heard and seen it all when it comes to selecting a commercial general contractor. Some of it funny enough for reality television (we’ll save those stories for another day). Take a look at a hypothetical project using $50mm for the d…

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