AlterStudio Architects | 6300 square feet | Completion May 2024

In my role as Project Manager for Rauser Construction, I took over this four level, long, sprawling project at the beginning of framing. It was a fun one, with very unforgiving details and alignments. The large amount of floor-to-ceiling site-glazed windows presented some challenges - constructability-wise, schedule-wise, and budget-wise. By AlterStudio’s design details, alignments of the exterior EIFS soffits and interior Level 5 ceilings were within 1/4”. An out-of-level slab also presented horizontal alignment challenges at the floors and at the ceilings. Really every material, transition and detail required a high degree of attention to alignments.

There's not much Alex didn't touch or otherwise have a role in on this project.

Alex's role during construction was as freelance construction manager/supervisor and punch list carpenter.

Mark Moulckers AIA, Builder; Dave Fazio AIA Architect. Ryan Van Horn-Zakotnik Interior Design

Large scale remodel in Bee Cave. We eliminated the log vigas/beams, deleted some arches, added a major structural beam in order to open up the dining room, completely remodeled the kitchen, aligned the back hallway, moved the laundry room upstairs, modified the existing cabinetry in the mud room to accommodate the W/D, added lockers/cubbies in the mud room, reconfigured the pantry, added a barn door at the pantry, changed all saltillo tile to wide plank white oak, changed all doors to two-panel knotty alder, reconfigured the floor plan downstairs, poured a slab for a future bathroom, and more...Mark Moulckers AIA Architect

Grove House is a vacation rental retreat near Wimberley. A former recording studio, the project involved a major remodel of an existing structure, along with an addition along the back of the structure to accommodate two full bathrooms and storage closets with stackable full-size washers and dryers. The courtyard wall was built from site-harvested honeycomb limestone and encloses a 12' x 27' wood deck featuring a chiminea, a stock tank hot tub, and an outdoor shower.

This Wimberley, Texas project involved the remodel and enlargement of the master bath and construction of a courtyard with a vintage clawfoot tub, enclosed by a serpentine limestone wall. All of the native limestone was selectively harvested from the property. The indoor shower/tub and the outdoor clawfoot tub were converted to greywater drainage - feeding a french drain which now provides water to a stand of live oaks.

he vintage cypress french doors are from the McFadden-Ward House (circa 1910) located in Beaumont, Texas. All other cypress, including the vanity furniture piece, was re-milled from a single, large, reclaimed vintage cypress beam.

This luxury guest bath remodel utilized the existing small bathroom and claimed the bedroom closets on either side for additional space. The slab was jackhammered to provide for the plumbing drain lines for the tub and shower.

This was a self-performed "British Columbia" style (or multi-colored strata) rammed earth contemporary home in West Austin. Rammed earth is formed up similar to concrete, although the mix is very dry, and is tamped/compacted using pneumatic sand tampers.

It was a fun project - albeit grueling work - involving seven separate walls. One of the walls is curved. It is also the first time we've done a project where the construction is the art, and the art is the construction.

Rammed earth walls just "feel" different when you're standing next to them.

Alex served in the role of (freelance - for another General Contractor) Project Manager for this "troubled project intervention" in Aspen, Colorado. The project was a thirty-five room boutique hotel whose original builder defaulted in the early stages of construction. Alex took over, performed a great deal of forensic construction accounting, settled up and re-booted with all of the various subcontractors, and got things rolling again. The project budget was in the $4-5 million range. Reno-Smith Architects.

This whole-house remodel in Aspen, Colorado involved completely cutting the existing roof structure off, installing structural load-bearing timber trusses, re-configuring much of the floor plan, a complete kitchen and master suite remodel, and upgrading mechanical and electrical systems.

This all occurred while the family of five continued to live in the basement bedrooms.

Alex Long/Past Project: Project Manager & Superintendent on 5,000sf house in Snowmass Village, Colorado...

Alex Long/Past Project: Project Manager on 6,000 sf house in Aspen, Colorado. Jack Wilkie Builder. Bill Poss & Associates Architects.

Alex Long/Past Project: Project Manager for Kobey Building historic restoration and penthouse addition. The project involved erection of a steel super-structure within the existing historic multi-wythe  (two feet thick) brick walls in order to support both the existing structure and the new penthouse addition above. Street level retail, basement storage, 2nd level apartment and roof level penthouse. Michael Fuller Architects.

This project was a major remodel of a late 1800's shotgun house (moved to St. Francisville from New Orleans). It involved mirroring the front facade of the house, enlarging the master suite, raising the roof to accommodate an upstairs home office, and "tacking on" an exterior stair via cantilevered beams because there wasn't room for it inside the house. Jay LaBarre, AIA was the architect. This was Alex's first major remodel - performed while attending LSU full-time pursuing his degree in Construction Management.