Project: Gables Tanglewood
Exterior Finishes
The Gables Tanglewood Project, located on San Felipe & Bering Dr. in the Galleria area, is an eight story apartment complex having 327 units. Construction started in December 2011 and was completed in May 2014. Camarata Masonry Systems, Ltd. provided and installed the tile, stone and concrete paving for the exterior plaza and walkways, the interior courtyard and the eighth floor pool area.
Camarata Masonry Systems, Ltd. (CMS) supplied and installed 15,000 sq. ft. grey and almond textured finish Imola 12” x 24” porcelain tile, 3,300 sq. ft. oceanic bluestone HVL 12” x 24” porcelain tile in brushed and hammered finishes, 900 sq. ft. ivory tumbled travertine in a Versailles pattern and 2,500 sq. ft. 4” x 8” and 6” x 12” Pavestone pavers. The exterior and plaza walkways encompassed two sides of the entire complex, covering over 500 lin. ft. The interior courtyard required that all paving be sloped to area drains. CMS provided over 3” of reinforced mud bed which was carefully contoured to provide adequate drainage. Since the primary paving pattern was running bond and the paver size was 12” x 24”, achieving an installation which drained but appeared flat with no piece to piece lips was extremely difficult. The interior courtyard installation was challenging due to the number of subcontractors (inclusive of dirt work, plumbing, electrical, irrigation, landscaping, pool and fountain contractors) working in such a confined area. CMS supplied and installed rolled 1/4” thick stainless steel separation strips at the intersections of radius cut tiles in the courtyard which provided crisp transitions between different tile sizes, colors and pattern orientations. Another challenge was providing adequate material distribution to the eighth floor pool area. This was further complicated by having to use a full 3” mud bed sloped to area drains. CMS distributed material through the garage using specially designed sand hoppers and mixed the mortar for the mud bed on the eighth floor. In this area, CMS provided smooth radius cuts on the travertine, porcelain tile, pool coping intersections without the benefit of stainless steel transition strips. Finally, due to the confined spaces on the interior courtyard and eight floor pool deck and the long expanses of exterior plaza/walkway areas, the project was installed in sections. This allowed access for the other trades to complete their work but it required very accurate layout control such that each section tied seamlessly to the next.
The end result is an exceptionally large and well executed sitescape which compliments the buildings features and provides an attractive and welcoming look for the residents.