Choosing a construction contractor can seem like a daunting task when really, we like to look at it as an incredible opportunity to make sure you’re getting the best in the business. We work hard to raise the standards of contractors in Newport Beach and ensure that our clients always get only the best services from us.
What are those services, you might ask? DBaC was built on a simple foundation: Design, Build, and Consult. From these three service areas we draw the vast majority of our available services.
Design, Build, and Consult: Our Services
DBaC endeavors to become our clients’ most trusted advisor for everything related to construction. As a commercial property contractor for over 24 years, we have built a system of standards and best practices that redefine the construction contracting industry in Newport Beach. We keep our expectations sky-high so that you know you’re working with the cream of the crop.
Design
Our design services include working closely with architects and designers for our clients from the outset of the project. This gives us an intuitive understanding of the building process from the get-go, allowing us to better plan and negotiate materials, supplies, labor, costs and budgeting down the road. Our specialization in working closely with the project’s artists sets us apart from other contracting companies in that we have an understanding of how to approach the project from the artist’s perspective. By doing this we can better align our understanding with the ideals of the project from the very beginning.
Build
Building seems to be in the blood of our founder, John Curci, who spent his summers during his collegiate career at UC-Berkeley working as an Assistant Superintendent for Warmington Homes. He graduated with honors with a degree in Urban and Architectural Study and continued to work for Warmington as a Superintendent thereafter, before migrating to Davcon Inc. to focus on Project Management. When he founded DBaC he had to ensure that his staff would uphold the same sky-high standards of integrity and commitment that he had always set for himself, and as such built an incredible staff of project managers with architectural backgrounds and design interests. They have a passion for doing things the right way the first time, getting projects completed on time, and prioritizing communication with their clients throughout. It’s not too surprising that 80% of DBaC’s current business are return clients.
Consult
We’re more than just a builder. Our architectural and design background makes us a great choice for consulting on your projects as well. We specialize in offering creative, innovative solutions and engineering smarter at every opportunity, because it makes us better at what we do, and it makes the services we offer better for our clients. We approach every project from a consulting perspective, so that we can be sure we bring our freshest, most creative engineering to the drawing board.
What Our Clients Say
It is, of course, easy for us to talk about how we do this. What does the realistic implementation of these services look like? For this, we turn to our previous clients, who tell better than we the story of how DBaC Inc. worked for them.
Bixby Land Company
The Bixby Land Company enjoys an extraordinary history. Originally founded in 1896, the Bixby Land Company has had a substantial role in the growth and development of Southern California for over one hundred years. It was essential to create a new headquarters for them that would pay homage to the history of the company and its heritage, while also adhering to a modern aesthetic. Our approach to the Bixby Land Company project was further limited by a $70/square foot budget and a client with extremely discerning tastes. It would seem that we had our work cut out for us, but there was still plenty of room for creative engineering.
The Bixby Land Company hired IA Architects to create the architectural aspect of the project. We always appreciate the opportunity to work with a great architecture firm, and having the opportunity to align with their goals and work as a team was an essential component of the project’s success. Communication was fluid throughout the duration of the project in terms of design and construction. DBaC strives to always communicate clearly with all parties pertinent to the project, and in the case of Bixby Land Company, this was a resounding success. We even toured other homes in the area with subcontractors to ensure we were maintaining the appropriate aesthetic.
The Bixby Land Company moved into its new headquarters on time, as planned, and within budget. Some design and construction elements were incorporated that have never been seen in California before. We wouldn’t be surprised, however, if we see more of them in the future, given their innovative, forward-thinking engineering and creative implementation.
TEN
When TEN (The Enthusiasts Network, home to brands such as Motor Trend, Surfer, and Grind TV) approached DBaC about the construction of their corporate headquarters, we knew we had our work cut out for us. DBaC was given an extremely limited timeframe to create this new space. It had to be a multifunctional office for a media company, including space for photography studios and classic car storage.
Supervision was the watchword for this project’s success. Communication was, again, essential in disseminating information from the top down, as well as facilitating concerns between the tenant and the design team. As the deadline approached, overtime authorizations had to be considered by the supervisors so that the project would be completed on time and within the allowable budget given.
The end result was another resounding success. TEN moved into their new headquarters on time, the project was completed within budget and the company’s response to their new home was overwhelmingly positive.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department
By the time DBaC started working on the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s new station, it was long overdue for a massive overhaul. All patrol operations for an area serving over half a million residents were conducted from a space that was a scant 21,000 square feet. When Captain Brian Schmutz started as a young deputy in 1996 at the old Alisa Viejo Station, the number of employees was 320. By the time we started work on their new station, the OCSD had 485 employees and was continuing to grow.
The station also faced locational challenges. Some officers would have to drive 45 minutes out of their patrol area to go to the station to pick up or drop off gear at their shifts’ beginning or end. The station, quite frankly, didn’t serve the cities on the East side of I-5.
The OCSD chose DBaC to build their new south Saddleback Station to alleviate all of the problems and concerns they had with managing the area from the single Alisa Viejo Station.The Saddleback Station would employ 210 people, and features interview rooms, evidence processing areas, locker rooms for employees to keep their personal effects, a training room, as well as standard office and general work spaces.
Captain Schmutz was effusive about the work we did on their new station, stating: “DBaC did an amazing job in constructing our Sheriff’s Station in Lake Forest. It’s no small undertaking to convert a commercial building to a public safety facility. Their craftsmanship was excellent, they stuck to their timeline, and they were very helpful with the necessary changes as the project progressed.”
Applied Medical
We were tasked with renovating an existing space for a state-of-the-art high-tech manufacturing facility. The existing space needed considerable renovation: new roofing, new interior, and updated utilities. Since the machinery that the building was going to house was considerably more valuable than the building itself, security upgrades also had to be implemented and factored into the design considerations.
Supervision again played a major role in the success of this project. With a dedicated Project Manager specific to this project itself on site every day as well as a senior Project Manager — also on site every day — we ensured that communication was rigorous, effective, and that nothing was left to speculation. In doing so we were able to assess problems before they became problems, allowing the project to be completed on time and above the expectations of our client.
Applied Medical’s spokesperson said, “DBaC performs above our very high expectations and does things for us that no other general contractor would do. We continue to value them as our contractor of choice.”
Hurley
Hurley approached us with a project they thought we might find impossible: Create a 4,500 square foot prototypical store experience in their headquarters location. In five weeks’ time.
Additionally, they requested that we craft construction elements that would reflect their surf culture and design a completely unique rack system for the interior of the store (Hurley still uses this unique design to this day).
We blasted through 35 straight days of nonstop construction work. Our crews worked overnights and through the weekends. The concept of a break ceased to exist around this build. DBaC’s owner, John Curcim personally took the reins of this project on-site. We also worked with the architect to ensure we fulfilled our client’s vision.
When the project was complete, Hurley was extremely excited. In their words: “I saw John the other day and told him I thought DBaC did a tremendous job for us in an impossible situation and timeframe. But now that we have used other GC’s I said we were spoiled. No one is as good.”
Motorcycle Industry Council
This project was particularly unique in that the spaces we were building and working around were occupied by the tenants throughout its duration. The need to create in an environment demanding “swing space” always presents an interesting challenge, but we were up to the task.
We worked to make sure we disrupted the flow of business operations as little as possible for the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC). All demolition was done during business off-hours and again, communication proved key in maintaining an effective project timeline and disrupting business as little as possible.
From our client: “The supervision team for our recent tenant improvements were both the most professional, accommodating, creative and top shelf individuals I have come to know. You are fortunate to have them in your employ and we at the Motorcycle Industry Council are privileged to have them handling our remodel.What I like the most about them is their can do attitude….there is nothing they cannot or will not do to get the job done right. Their attention to detail is exceptional and something I truly value and personally embrace. I have very high standards when it comes to the overall quality of the work and the overall finished product and both of these gentlemen constantly work toward that end. No matter how trivial my request is to change something or do something different they get it done with a smile.“ Joe DiCorpo, Motorcycle Industry Council.
La Jolla Group
The La Jolla Group was in disputes with both their landlord and their architect when DBaC came on board as the builder of their new headquarters location. Fortunately, we have had some history with the landlord, and were able to broker an understanding between the tenant and landlord that would accommodate everyone’s needs.
Given the nature of the tenant’s wishes — another client wanting surf-inspired construction — and the architecture firm’s perceived differentiation from those wishes, this could have ended in a failure after a battle of egos. Communication once again became key, and DBaC’s owner, Project Manager and Project Supervisor were able to avoid the clash of egos that may have led to the project’s failure. The decades-long relationship that DBaC had forged with the landlord in question became particularly important to the project’s success.
From the La Jolla Group: “Now that some time has passed we see we put DBaC in a tough position, making it nearly impossible for them to succeed – yet they not only succeeded they excelled. We love our space and would use DBaC whenever we possibly could.”
Our Commitment
We hope that we have reasonably demonstrated throughout this statement the importance of our commitment to our clients. As you have no doubt noticed by now, communication plays an essential role to the success of our business in terms of internal and external dealings. We could not be the company we are today without the expectations for communication that we make clear on every project and within every relationship, every time.
We state this commitment readily within our guarantee: “On time. Within budget. Guaranteed.” We don’t bother with trying to negotiate deadlines or push blame onto suppliers or laborers— our clients expect a higher level of service than that. And we expect it from ourselves. We set reasonable, logical expectations and then we meet them. It’s really very simple.
Choosing a Construction Contractor
Choosing a construction contractor means making a number of decisions about quality, cost, efficiency and time management. If you want to get the best bang for your buck, you need to hire the best in the business. That’s where we come in. For over two decades DBaC has been providing the greater Newport Beach area with simply the best design, building, and consulting firm available. We’d love to work with you, and we hope that you contact us soon.