Newsletter:  January 2006 a "These homes are for the baby boomers who are starting to retire," says Jim Kempers, Residential Manager for LeDuc & Dexter, referring to 165 homes being built in Oakmont. Grace Episcopal Church was built in 1888 in St. Helena. The original 1,000 square foot parish is undergoing a major renovation that will add 4,500 square feet to the structure. "Hydronics is a specialty, not everyone does it. The possibilities are endless," says Yvonne Burch of LeDuc & Dexter's Hydronic Service Department.

New Homes at Oakmont

Residential

Side view of model home for new Oakmont development of 165 homes. (click image to enlarge)

"These homes are for the baby boomers who are starting to retire," says Jim Kempers, Residential Manager for LeDuc & Dexter, the plumbing contractor on the project. There are seven different floor plans for the single-family homes, which are approximately 2,700 square feet in size with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Foundation with LeDuc & Dexter's under slab plumbing is ready to pour. (click image to enlarge)

New homes will be adjacent to existing homes at Oakmont. (click image to enlarge)

The project is in the early stage with the models under construction, but not completed. LeDuc & Dexter is working on the first phase, which includes 26 homes. LeDuc & Dexter is using Vanguard piping for all the water connections in these homes.

Vanguard piping is made from flexible, bendable plastic with a simple color code, red for hot water, blue for cold water. All of the water lines originate from the Manobloc, a Vanguard manifold that has each connection labeled and accessible to the homeowner.

LeDuc & Dexter's Toby Anderson sets Vanguard Manobloc in place. (click image to enlarge)

Finished Manobloc with separate line for each plumbing fixture in the home. (click image to enlarge)

The Manabloc is typically located in an easy to access closet location and the homeowner is able to turn off or on an individual line to a sink, shower or tub because each line is a "home run" from the Manobloc directly to each designated plumbing fixture. "It seems like we are using Vanguard piping more and more on our jobs," says Toby Anderson, LeDuc & Dexter Foreman, who is onsite at Oakmont. LeDuc & Dexter is currently working to finish up the model homes for this project.

Each home uses thousands of feet of Vanguard piping. (click image to enlarge)	Toby Anderson attaching Vanguard piping wall studs. (click image to enlarge)	LeDuc & Dexter's Eric Esparza attaching Vanguard piping to ceiling joists. (click image to enlarge)

St. Helena's Grace Episcopal Church

Commercial

Side view of Grace Episcopal Church in downtown residential St. Helena. (click image to enlarge)

James Nolan Construction is the general contractor on the project, which is due to be completed by next fall. LeDuc & Dexter is the plumbing contractor with the under slab plumbing completed for the foundation of the new addition, which is due to be poured in a week. LeDuc & Dexter's commercial department is installing wastewater and hot and cold water lines for two new bathrooms and kitchen. Each of the bathrooms will have six toilets. Gas lines will also be installed for the kitchen.

Back view of church where addition is being built. (click image to enlarge)

LeDuc & Dexter has completed under slab plumbing for new kitchen and bathrooms. (click image to enlarge)

The original church exterior is built with hand cut stone. James Nolan Construction has contracted with a parishioner of the church, a contractor, who will hand cut the stone for the new addition, which is located to the rear of the original structure. The interior ceiling is constructed of clear redwood, vertical grain with no knots.

The windows in the original structure are being redone with new window frames and another parishioner from the church is refurbishing the stained glass windows. New windows will be added to the new addition.

Bell tower and front entrance to church. (click image to enlarge)

Turret on opposite front corner of church will have refurbished stained glass windows. (click image to enlarge)

Interior of original church during services before remodeling project. (click image to enlarge)

In order to remodel and build the new addition the old structure had to be gutted out. The seismic reinforcing system is under construction now, making it hard to imagine what the finished building will look when construction is completed. We hope to revisit this project upon completion to see the finished product.

Hydronics Service Department

Hydronics

In the midst of the "boiler season" LeDuc & Dexter's Yvonne Burch is busy with boiler service calls and busy helping to build a hydronics service department to meet the growing demand for boiler and radiant heating applications. Burch is nearing her one-year anniversary with LeDuc & Dexter and has nearly 20 years of experience in hydronics. Burch started her career in San Francisco in a family business and got her training through the PHCC Apprenticeship program. She would later meet Tom LeDuc, President & CEO of LeDuc & Dexter, through PHCC (Plumbing-Heating-Cooling-Contractors Association).

Yvonne Burch of LeDuc & Dexter's Hydronic Service Department

Burch has experience in commercial and residential hydronics including installations of boilers, boiler systems, hydronic floor heating and quick track applications. She also has experience with backflow systems, having previously set up backflow programs for San Francisco State University and Sonoma State University.

Yvonne Burch has nearly 20 years of experience in hydronics. (click image to enlarge)

Burch works in the service department with three to four people including Chris Parsons, who handles office administration and Bianca Perez, an apprentice, who is being trained by Burch in hydronic service. "Bianca is extremely intelligent, she sees the big picture of what we are working towards," says Burch, "She will eventually have her own service truck and work independently within the department."

By early in 2006 Burch sees the hydronic service department growing its business far beyond what it is doing now. "We are implementing a service system that will benefit customers, especially with boiler service," says Burch, "Chris (Parsons) handles our customer database, which alerts us to service our customer's boilers once a year. This is extremely important for the life of a boiler and it saves the customer the time and effort to call us, we contact them and take care of it. Hydronics is a specialty, not everyone does it. The possibilities are endless."

LeDuc & Dexter's Bianca Perez, pictured here with LeDuc & Dexter's Skip Caster, is an apprentice in the Hydronic Service Department. (click image to enlarge)