Summary: DCI installed solid wood bedroom sets in a three-building cluster at Travis Air Force Base. The project presented unique challenges including installing new furniture in occupied rooms, removing, palletizing, and transporting the old furniture, and using a reach lift.
Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force air base under the purview of the Air Mobility Command, located in Northern California.
In 2020, DCI won a competitive contract with Travis AFB to furnish a three building cluster of unaccompanied housing barracks for enlisted airmen on the base.
We installed 132 bedroom sets featuring solid wood construction. This included lift top beds, 4-drawer chests, nightstands, desks with a carrel, cork board, and study light, pedestal desks, and desk chairs.
There were a number of unique circumstances that defined this project.
1. Removing/Installing While Rooms Were Occupied
First, it’s unusual to install furniture in rooms that are occupied when working in the college market. It’s more common working with our government customers. Logistically, it’s not a simple equation and requires an extra level of coordination.
Usually, we might install anywhere from 14-18 bedroom sets in a single day. During this project, we averaged about 14 sets per day. That’s because there was a limited installation window from 8am to 3pm while the airmen were at class or performing their duties.
Because of this narrow window, it was important to precisely coordinate the labor for removal and installation. Usually, in unoccupied buildings, we remove all the furniture from the building, and then start installing. It’s an efficient operation.
In this case, with occupied rooms, we couldn’t do that. We had to strike just the right balance between removal and installation. If we took too much out then we couldn’t install all the rooms by the daily deadline.
To make all this possible, residents moved their belongings out of the room in the morning, then we’d remove the old furniture and swap in the new furniture.
We also had to set up storage trailers—a few for new furniture and a few for removed furniture—right on the base so we could stage everything and have it ready.
2. Palletizing & Transporting The Old Furniture
After removing the old furniture, we palletized and banded it. All the items had to be palletized with like items. That’s a significant job unto itself.
After the pallets were prepped, we loaded the furniture onto several 52ft trailer trucks and transported it 70 miles south to Tracy, California. There, we delivered it to their logistics depot.
For this part of the job, every piece of furniture and all parts had to be accounted for down to the last chair. The entire inventory/palletizing/banding process helps the Air Force repurpose the furniture and potentially give it another life.
3. Using A Reach Lift
Finally, there were no elevators in the buildings where we installed the furniture. As a result, we had to use a Gradall reach lift to hoist the fu
rniture up to the second and third “deck” (military parlance for “floor”). We have a licensed operator on the lift to perform this task.
In the end, this was a complex and demanding project. Thanks to our seasoned installation and project management teams, we managed the complexity and furnished the three buildings with a superior solid wood collection.
When it comes to unaccompanied housing, it’s also important to note that quality furniture plays a key role in the quality of life for airmen. The new furniture creates an upgraded and comfortable living environment and consequently supports recruitment and retention.
Image by David Mark
Image by David Mark