Unlimited Construction Services Inc.

It is the Hawaiian concept of malama, or “to take care of,” that sets Unlimited Construction Services Inc. (Unlimited) apart from competitors. The Hawaii-based general contracting specializes in building resorts, municipal buildings, affordable housing complexes, bridges and water storage facilities for commercial and industrial clients alike. The Unlimited team, which numbers around 40, also provides an assortment of design-build services for any type of project.

Unlimited has the manpower to self-perform concrete, masonry and finished carpentry for large projects, subcontracting out for other trades. The company is proud to also work with local suppliers for better control over the quality and pricing, ensuring that the funds stay within the Hawaiian economy.

“With our Hawaii talent, we’ve built a number of five-star resorts, judiciary complexes and one of Hawaii’s first LEED Gold-certified buildings,” says Jay Manzano, president of Unlimited. “We also just completed Honolulu’s newest Safeway store. We do this all while supporting Hawaii’s economy and building as sustainably as possible.”

Good Choices

Unlimited may just be one of the most experienced green building contractors in Hawaii, as the company incorporates sustainability into every project. The team at Unlimited has over a dozen LEED-certified employees on staff, and the team continually helps interested clients pursue LEED certification for projects. “We were green before green was even popular,” laughs Kuulei Santos, contract manager at Unlimited. “We always make sure that what we build is good for our community. Everyone benefits from good choices.”

Unlimited learned 15 years ago how easy it is to do the right thing for the environment – and for clients – after a hurricane devastated the island of Kauai, where the company was founded 21 years ago. “We got a job to demolish a resort that was destroyed by the hurricane and to rebuild a new resort on the same spot,” says Manzano. “We saved literally tons of rubbish from going into the landfill by finding other uses for it in the construction of the new property. Now we recycle job site materials such as concrete, wood, asphalt, gypsum, glass and steel for use as road base, nonstructural fill or we donate it to industrial recyclers. This saves our clients millions of dollars from having to purchase new supplies to do what we can do with recycled materials, and more savings by not having garbage hauling or tipping fees. We love doing this for our clients while preventing tons of waste from going into the landfill. We’ve won awards for our stewardship and have been recognized by government and private organizations for doing the right thing.”

Success Story

A perfect example of the scope of Unlimited’s sustainable construction practices is the $135 million Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas timeshare project. Unlimited provided seven main buildings, a clubhouse, multiple swimming pools and spas, a general store, a workout room and a partially underground parking structure, totaling over 353,000 square feet under one roof. Extra materials included concrete, drywall, lumber and excavated dirt, which were recycled and reused on the grounds.

Additionally, wood and drywall rubbish were sorted and ground into dust control material that was spread over exposed dirt throughout the site, preventing hundreds of cubic yards from going into the landfill. A large, state-of-the-art vehicle tire wash system equipped with a water recycling system was installed, allowing trucks to be cleaned on site, reducing the amount of mud left behind on roadways. The water used was recirculated, saving on fresh water supplies as well. On top of it all, the unused project materials were donated to a local Habitat for Humanity, including more than $70,000 in baseboards, mounding, chair rails and door trim for use in 20 to 30 homes.

While helping the environment Unlimited was also able to shave off a cool $25 million from the project’s cost through reusing materials, innovative scheduling and value engineering. The team was able to successfully accomplish this feat all while completing several buildings early, allowing the project owner to hold a soft opening six months prior to the required completion date.

Unlimited Scope

The talented team at Unlimited’s project scope is broad and wide. The company completed the $115 million Kapolei Court Complex in Kapolei, Oahu, in 2010. This project consisted of a family court building, a 60-bed juvenile detention facility and a central plant complete with a cooling tower, chillers and an air conditioning system that allows the re-use of air throughout the complex. The court building is an elegant structure comprised of a reinforced concrete frame with cast-in-place foundations, walls, columns, slabs and precast tri-tees. The exterior of the building consists of over 700 architectural precast panels, some of which include attractive designs containing Hawaiian cultural meaning. Construction techniques had to be robust to meet rigorous security standards set by the project owner, the state of Hawaii.

Unlimited built Oahu’s newest Safeway store in 2011. The $22 million project included a new grocery store with a parking garage, three additional retail spaces and a separate stand-alone bank building. The Unlimited team completed construction in an aggressive 10 months, allowing the client to open in time for the holiday season.

Unlimited is currently building the Cottages at Kukui’ula, a single-family residential development that is both high end and sustainable. “These 2,100-square foot homes are selling for close to $2.8 million apiece,” says Manzano. “Normally, sustainability isn’t a high priority for that demographic, but we’re proving that these houses can be LEED certified and still be a high-end product in both performance and aesthetics.” Unlimited has built four of the 15 planned homes thus far. According to Manzano, reception has been excellent and Unlimited has received lots of interest in the forthcoming units.

Moving forward Unlimited will continue building sustainably in Hawaii, taking on projects of all type and sizes throughout the state. As a general contractor proud to be rooted in Hawaii, Unlimited Construction Services Inc. will continue to contribute to a strong Hawaiian economy and green future for all.