Blacksburg, Virginia

ULoft was great to work with throughout the process and delivered everything they said they would do. Glad we decided to partner and will look to do so again.

SANJ A. KAKAR
Chief Acquisitions Officer
RELIANT GROUP MANAGEMENT

Project:

Three properties serving the students of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA. In collaboration with Reliant Group Management, University Loft Company helped refurbish 596 units across the three properties managed by Coastal Ridge Real Estate. From furniture selection to installation, ULoft shepherds the project from inception to successful completion in close partnership with the client. 

Before refresh project began.
Before refresh

THE Goal:

Refresh the look of 596 units (1891 beds) of the three locations over the course of 100 days, including the removal of furniture from 70% of units all while the units were still occupied. 

The PLAN

  • Began working with ownership on furniture package creation in May ’21 that met Visual, Operational and Budget expectations. 
  • The Digital Marketing team created layouts along with design boards to help Property Management with leasing efforts beginning in October ‘21.
  • A committee comprised of Owners Rep, Asset Manager, Regional Property Manager, On-site Managers, Maintenance & Installation departments collaborated beginning with an on-site meeting in January ’22 followed by a combination of bi-monthly virtual calls and site visits over the next 5 months prior to installation.  
  • Our internal and field install supervisors created a weekly schedule that allowed for the coordination of removal and same-day installation of furniture with minimal disruption to the residents. Throughout the 100 days, our on-site install crews worked closely with 3rd parties to assist with the removal of furniture from the site.

The Result

After Refresh – View More

We recently partnered with University Loft to remove and install 1,891 beds in a total of 596 units in the Blacksburg Market. Getting new furniture (by the bed) for existing student property is a big undertaking. It seems very easy on paper, but it takes planning and execution that has challenges, especially dealing with students—adding the element of removing furniture to the project took it to another level. They met with our property management and corporate teams months in advance to create a schedule allowing products to be removed and installed in a manner that was least disruptive to our residents and yet meets move-in dates. The accelerated schedule and scope of the project were extremely challenging, considering the compressed production window, limited install days, and occupied units. ULoft planned, prepared, and performed on time and above expectations. 

Case Study: Refreshed bedroom desk and stackable 4-drawer dresser