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Informed Decisions - The Key To Your Success
Your development decisions will determine the future success of your family entertainment center. As an REC client, you will have a multitude of development options available to you including turnkey construction.

Design/Build System

Our design/build was developed by me over the course of my involvement in this industry. It was brought about by the volume of work confronting me and the need for increased efficiency and industry quality. The time required for me to meet the demands of designing, estimating, and managing these time sensitive projects was substantial. As a specialized consultant, my business was not in a position to expand. In 1998 I decided to begin finalizing my efforts of the past nine years into an integrated design/build system. The system would enable me to perform quality projects with substantially accelerated schedule. The result was a third party software add-on and development solution for project management, design, estimating, and construction management for FEC facilities.

Project Management Consulting
Project management begins with your initial decision to open a family entertainment facility. Not to be confused with construction management, it is "use management" of different professions as related to engineering, architecture, general contracting, and municipal/governmental control. Some areas of the US and abroad will require extensive engineering, environmental, regulatory, and other compliance, while others will require little. Knowledgeable identification and appropriate use of professional resources will prove essential to the development process.

REC full service clients are entitled to ongoing/in-house project management consultation without cost under the terms of their service agreement. We also provide full service project management and liaison.

Advanced FEC Design
We combine leading edge cad technology and freehand conceptual ideas to produce truly exceptional results relative to your budget. Our methods rely on the appropriate balance of creative concept and object based CAD technology. Our design modules represent years of creative reiteration, the secret to superior design. They are specific to FEC construction and constitute the core of the design system for easy application, editing, and facility operational efficiency. Our design focus is in the following areas:

Site concept and master planning

Detailed site plans

Grading plans

lighting plans

Landscape planning

Cave designs

Gunite/shotcrete rockwork systems

Waterscaping systems

Volcano designs

Double and single overpass and
underpass Bridge designs

Arcade designs

Miscellaneous structures and details

Themeing

Our designs enhance existing landscapes and other features to provide a comparative advantage for any market. Miniature golf greens are designed for both fun and championship play beside cascading waterfalls and through caves on nature theme courses. Trek through the exotic rhythms of an island adventure to thundering volcanos over bubbling streams of lava; send your customers on African safari through a paradise of mysterious sounds and jungle animals. Or create your own custom theme. Go-kart track designs display overpass and underpass bridges, super elevated turns, and roller coaster straightaways that will give your customers the ride of their life. Innovative arcade designs serve an array of electronic games, redemption memorabilia, concessions, and pathways to entertainment. An exciting adventure and audio visual display planned to attract the entire family.

Detailed Project Estimating
After your construction plans are complete, your project cost is broken down into direct and indirect construction cost under division, subdivision, item and resource. We draw from over 1000 data base items for material and labor specific to FEC construction . Unlike traditional CSI division methods, we employ a modular division concept which works in unison with our design package. This method gives us a clear picture of what to expect, along with a basis for development and control monitoring of your construction network analysis. Your project estimate is based on previously recorded time requirements for different resources to accomplish each specific task. The accuracy of estimate depends on timely implementation of appropriate resources of average quality and similar rate. A budget is also produced that can be used for tracking cost via Quicken, Quickbooks, or other popular accounting packages.

Network Analysis & CPM
One of the biggest problems you will face during construction will be knowing what activities to schedule concurrently, what their duration is, and having those precise resources available at that time. Your projects construction process should exhibit a symphony of action by different trades, as opposed to narrow focus or linear thinking. Your success in this area will determine if you will open before the beginning of your peak season, if you suffer significant increase in construction cost, and if you will pay extended interest on construction loans. The method of network analysis makes possible the most efficient use of all construction elements, in unison, to accomplish the quickest possible path(critical path) through your project. Our network analysis for FEC's is an adapted form of CPM composed of two major modules (project management and construction management).

Network analysis was first researched and developed around the turn of the century for use in the emerging, complex electrical industry. It helped forge the computer and giant auto industry through logic and mass production techniques. In the late 1950's new principals were developed by Dupont chemical and the US Navy that would bring about the development of what would be known as CPM (Critical Path Method). This new technique would allow shut down time, to accommodate new construction in the chemical refinery sector, to be reduced dramatically. These techniques were also adopted by the US Navy for development of its Fleet Ballistic Missile Project (Polaris Project). The CPM method was born out of these research efforts and later provided the root theory for the most sophisticated modern generic project management software. Over the past two decades, the primitive science of CPM has become scarcely known but remains a powerful tool by virtue of its adaptability to define any process and its inherent nature to force the complete breakdown of that process.

The only drawback to CPM is the time intensive acquisition of field data that accurately depicts "step by step" activity in its finest detail. In addition, few people posses the varied construction and CPM development experience required for such an endeavor. This is a major obstacle to CPM application for nearly all micro size companies involved with complex projects or larger companies developing complex projects with little similarity.

I first used CPM for project management and engineering in the chemical industry in 1979. Over the next three years, I found its use would greatly speed up and refine control of my projects if I had time for diagram research and development. I would not use CPM again until my first involvement with FEC projects in 1987. As engineering manager and design engineer, I had many responsibilities. The time required for me to collect adequate data for diagram development was too time consuming. And it would require complete participation through all project phases. We were forced to continue our traditional methods of construction management in recreation.

After going into business in 1989, I provided hands-on design, project management, and construction management in the field of all crews for FEC construction. I decided from the beginning to precisely document every resource, activity duration, dependency, optimum crew size, and cost for every phase of site development. I literally spent thousands of hours and a total of nine years in the documentation process while performing these varied task.

Is every project the same? No, but a FEC can be broken down into its greatest number of individual (single man) task that for the most part will always be the same. These tasks can be modified to accommodate most FEC projects of this type. As a result, network diagrams can be prepared in a fraction of the time required for the pilot diagram. A custom CPM for your particular project will prove to be an invaluable resource for timely completion, cost and high quality control.

Popular Gantt charts (bar charts) are used by us to express the cumulative result of your network analysis and schedule. They are easily interpreted by developers and individuals of different background. Just about anyone can understand a bar chart. Unfortunately, these charts make excellent marketing tools and have become commonplace as a means of expressing specific time frame based on general ideas. Your charts will be fully supported by a detailed custom CPM and construction estimate.

When we perform your design and on-site consulting for the duration of your project, a CPM network document is prepared at no cost to you. This document is for use by your on-site consultant in preparing your construction schedule,Gantt chart,and guiding you through the control monitoring of your project.

On-Site Construction Management Consulting And Construction Stakeout.
In the past, on-site consulting has been a worthwhile proposition for FEC owners. Even experienced commercial builders armed with information available in industry need assistance through many areas of FEC construction. Many times, owners attempt to space out consulting visits to widely. They find themselves recalling consultants, suffering setbacks, and increased expense.

With good management you'll be able to use local trades in many areas, thereby, reducing the need for imported contractors. You'll solve local licensing and permitting problems among others. In addition, the on-going acquisition of competent construction stakeout has been an area of concern for many developers. Some local stakeout concerns may be able to handle the construction staking for your project. But the question is: will they be on your job site when you need them? Site stakeout for FEC's of this type is intense and will require a somewhat constant but sporadic use of control. Most stakeout companies maintain a backlog necessary to their staying in business; this can present a major stumbling block for your project. When you choose REC for your consulting needs, you'll have the option of experienced stakeout control. Your on-site consultant will not only be experienced in construction management but also, in all phases of construction layout for FEC's.

At REC Enterprises we have concentrated our efforts in areas most important to you. Whether your laying out precise control, placing hundreds of cubic yards of gunite/shotcrete, installing sophisticated waterscaping systems, or professionally designed topography, you'll want our proven know-how to assist you through all phases of your project construction.

Copyright © 1999, 2001 James Baughan. All rights reserved Legal Home Top