This exciting project allowed us to highlight not only our Acoustical Ceilings, but also the custom or “specialty” ceilings we build.  These particular specialty ceilings are known as “Clouds” and are suspended portions of the ceiling, and can come in many varied and often creative forms.  They hang free from the walls, and their suspension systems may be visible or invisible. 

CUSTOM SPECIALTY CEILINGS BUILT ON SITE:  TWO MILES OF CUSTOM FRAME USED!
In this special NASA project, we were asked to create 263 individual custom-built specialty Cloud ceilings, suspended on all three of the floors of this new Administration building at NASA.  These individual panels were built from aluminum Axiom frames, made for us by Armstrong.  The hand-built clouds, surrounded by the Axiom trim, were hung from Armstrong Prelude suspension systems, after which we installed 4 x 4 Hunter Douglas Techstyle ceiling panels.  The finished product is beautiful, and perfectly blends in with the overall design of the each floor’s interior. 

This new facility is a multi-million dollar expansion of Administration offices for NASA, and was selected to feature Cloud suspended ceilings as part of our installation on the three floors.

OUR PLEASURE TO WORK WITH SATTERFIELD & PONTIKES
We were pleased to have been sought out by the General Contractor, Satterfield & Pontikes, to participate in this exciting project.  Since its inception in 1989, Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc., has used a customer-centric approach to business and cutting-edge technology to become one of the leading construction companies in the Gulf Coast region. Led by President and CEO George A. Pontikes Jr., S&P has more than 550 employees operating from offices in Texas and Louisiana. S&P has successfully completed more than 500 projects, from new theaters to renovations of New Orleans schools ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.  We look forward to working with this fine General Contactor again in the future!

HOUSTON ACOUSTICS & DRYWALL NAMED “ARMSTRONG PARTNER”
After years of working with Armstrong’s Commercial Ceiling Division, we have been selected for the coveted designation of Armstrong Partner, to apply to the custom ceiling line which Armstrong supplies.  This special relationship confers on our company the trust and recognition that Armstrong has for our consistently outstanding professional work over time.  We consider this endorsement from Armstrong to be a significant milestone for our company.

So what makes the difference when choosing a Ceiling or Drywall Contractor?  Most will agree that the difference is in the company itself.  A major factor is the company’s people.  How easy are they to work with?   What about the skills of the installers?  Is there an effective safety program?  Does the company executive staff, and do the employees, take safety-on-the-job seriously?  Is the company prompt with its services and call-backs?  Does the company have an ability to be “on time”,  and to do what they say it will do?  Is the company responsive to each project’s problems?  What level of safety training do their employees receive?

Getting a Bid from us is EASY!  You may use our special “Invitation to Bid” form right now.  Click on the following link to open the form, print it out, fill it out, and FAX it to us!  Just click on Houston Acoustics & Drywall “Invitation to Bid”.

Additionally, you will want to :  

• Get some References on the company, and call them
• Ask for Projects you can go examine
• Determine that the company is financially Stable
• Find out from customers and other professionals if the company provides service after the project is completed
• Inquire about the company’s safety record and conditon of its equipment
• What kind of litigation has the company experienced in the past, or currently
• Get a feel for the expertise of the company’s installers
• Can the company offer you or the site owner constulative services to give project “advice” to help cut costs

There are many companies to select from.  Your project will benefit from your careful scrutiny before selecting a contractor– and so will your owner– and so will you!

 WANT US TO GIVE YOU A QUOTE?  GET OUR BID FORM NOW.

• The most important thing about your bid is laying the ground-work with the customer and the relationship you develop.  Get with your customer, and ask lots of questions about the job.
• Put your ego to the side and don’t be afraid to ask a dumb question.  The best professionals are those who are confident in their need to know.  Most drawings are incomplete, so get over the fear of asking the question.  Customers are just like you, they are struggling each day to find business and to learn what they don’t know. 
• Walk the customer’s job site and get very familiar with the existing buildings and how they are being used.  See how the people are making use of the buildings and why the new building is being planned.
• Respect the customer’s time.  Just like you, they need to get on with other things.  Organize your questions and present them clearly and concisely, and let the customer know that you want to move efficiently through your session, in respect of their time.

Professional installers like Houston Acoustics & Drywall will use less construction materials; we will do the job faster; we will be safer because our workforce is trained; we will be safer because we have regular safety training; and having less injuries means more up-time on the job.  Specialized installers like us use specialized equipment, like lasers and our own scaffolding.  This brings up the question of your increased liability on the project when the do-it-yourself approach is chosen.  Unskilled installers are unschooled in the safety courses that a team of professional installers will be exposed to– especially in firms like ours.  In today’s lawsuit-prone society, it’s not good business to increase the risk of an accident by compromising safety standards to be “penny-wise.”

Houston Acoustics & Drywall would like to be your team of professional installers of your acoustical ceilings and  drywall installations.  Whether remodeling or doing a site construction job, we can save you money over the do-it-yourself approach, and we offer service after the sale!  Oh, and did we mention we’re easy to work with?

———-David Tyson, Director of Safety & Training

Job name, Job Address, type of construction (new or remodel); approximate square feet; General Description of the job to be done, Date and Time when the bid is due; Site-Visit Instructions; Location and Time of the Pre-Bid Meeting (when the Architect convenes the meeting for the invited contractors). 

Want to access our handy Bid Form?  Click here for  Houston Acoustics & Drywall Bid Form. When you are ready, submit the Bid to the following FAX:  281-346-1425.

We were delighted to be selected to participate in this landmark project for Gulf States Toyota!  Our role involved the full acoustical ceiling installation for the 10-story tower, he 6-story tower, and the smaller 2-story connector building, including the amazing new Technical Training Center, all on the beautiful campus of the new Gulf States Corporate Headquarters.

Gulf States Toyota is one of only two US Toyota distributors not owned by Toyota Motor Sales.  GST distributes Toyota, Lexus, and Scion brand cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles in a 5-state region including Texas.  GST has expanded its vehicle processing center in Houston to handle Toyota Tundra pickup trucks built in nearby San Antonio. Founded in 1969 by its Chairman Thomas Friedkin, GST distributes new Toyotas, parts, and accessories to around 155 dealers in Texas and other states in the region. This building is GST’s new headquarters in west Houston.

We were pleased to be selected by O’Donnell/Snider to remodel and name-brand change a total of five former Washington Mutual branch banks, turning them into the Chase Bank after the acquisition of WAMU by Chase.

We also agreed to a very rigorous schedule— we promised to have all five branches completely remodeled (including some demolition) and name-branded within 21 days. Our full-time professional installers and office staff worked nights and weekends to make that happen, and we did. We’re grateful for the opportunity to show what we can do, to work with our valued industry customer O’Donnel/Snider, and to serve the needs of Chase Bank and its customers.

Our new Corporate offices are located at 4927 Cranswick Drive in Houston, Texas.  We moved in during the month of February, 2009, after our 6-month construction project.  The facility’s exterior was designed by the architectural firm of Dang La, Inc., and the interior was designed by Story Architects in Houston.  The folks at Gildart Construction did the buildout of the interior; however, we also took advantage of the interior design expertise of  Donna Jarnigan of Lacy Boone Interiors, as well as input from Kristy Maniscalco– and assorted family and friends were always there with great advice!  We have a state of the art training room for safety training; a large conference room; and offices for our Acoustical Superindentent, Human Resources and Safety Director.  Other support staff are housed here as well.