Shawn Nelson Builders

The Fall issue of Luxe Magazine features the 6th Street Residence on the cover.  Click the thumbnail below to see the whole article.

Shawn Nelson: Husband, father, business owner, and now member of the ICAA Board of Directors.  Shawn joins the board at the Southern California chapter which advances the classical tradition in architecture, urbanism and allied arts.   Shawn brings his knowledge and expertise to the already exceptional organization and looks forward to growing the network of local professionals in the design, architecture and construction fields.

The 18th Street Residence in Manhattan Beach exemplifies the integration between the home and technology. The Savant home automation system is built on the Apple platform which gives the network robust reliability and a rich customizable user interface.

Tired of having multiple remotes to turn on your TV? With Savant, a client only needs an iPhone or iPad to control the audio, video, climate, lighting, and security. This system transforms a house into an iHome and gives a client complete control at the tip of the finger. No matter where you are around the world, you are one touch away from checking in on the dog to turning on the spa for when you get home. When the next generation iPhone or iPad comes out simply download the app and your system is upgraded. Savant gives clients security and control to worry about the more important things such as the kids’ soccer game or listening to music with friends.

The November issue of Coast Magazine features the Ritz Cove Residence.  Click the thumbnail below to see the whole article.

Nelson Daniels’ commercial construction background enables us to deliver technically challenging projects such as the 19^th Place Residence which combines strikingly modern aesthetics with commercial grade building materials and methods. The entirely steel and concrete structure maximizes the ocean view with an aluminum curtain wall system that wraps the west and north elevations. Three levels of Bendheim insulated channel glass enclose the stair well which maintains privacy while illuminating the interior space with natural light.

The warm interior colors of afrimosia hardwood flooring and Italian travertine balance the modern exterior in a manner just right for a beach property. Taking full advantage of the sunny beach weather, the owners are able to offset more than half of their energy usage with a photovoltaic system atop the roof. The resilient design and construction materials will allow the owners to enjoy a lifetime of ocean views and beach sunsets.

With recent technological advancements, homeowners have a wide variety of options to “go green”. One option is geothermal heating and cooling which offers many advantages over standard heating and cooling systems. By harnessing the constant temperature of the earth’s crust, these systems reduce the consumption of gas and electricity needed to maintain indoor temperatures.

In the summer months, the geothermal system cools your home by dispersing the byproduct heat deep underground. Conversely, on cold days the geothermal system can warm your home by extracting the earth’s heat. With two recently completed projects utilizing geothermal heating and cooling, Nelson Daniels can provide this option to clients wanting not only to reduce their carbon footprint but also to invest in the future return on this technology.

Nelson Daniels recently took advantage of this season’s record snow fall. The ND team, family members, Dave Vazquez of KAA, and David Reed of Pierre Landscaping hit the slopes at Mammoth Mountain.

The fresh powder, good friends, and warm condos made for a great weekend. Everyone at Nelson Daniels would like to give a special thanks to David Reed for accommodating half of our crew at his company condo.

The 6th Street Residence in Manhattan Beach is a sign of the times. Atop the roof, the residence has seventy-two photovoltaic panels which are capable of generating 16.56kW of clean sustainable energy.

Solar panels are no longer just a feel good addition to a home. Price reductions, increased efficiency, federal tax credits, and rebates allow most systems to pay for themselves in 7 years. As evidence of growing demand, Nelson Daniels has recently completed systems on four homes with two additional systems currently under construction. To meet the specific needs of each project, we have used a broad range of brands from Sanyo, to Fujitsu to SunPower. Whether a client’s motivation is the cutting edge technology, environmental factors, utility reduction, or all three, solar panels are a great addition to any project.

Nelson Daniels welcomes Jeff Freeman to the team.  Having over 35 years of construction knowledge and experience, his unique ability to problem solve has earned the nickname “The Professor” in the subcontractor community.  With so many great solutions that “hatch” out of Jeff’s trailer, we have dubbed it “the incubator.”

Since 1987, Jeff has focused his career on building the finest residential homes from Pacific Palisades to Palos Verdes.  His team driven approach to implementing the client's and architect's vision along with a passion for solving detailed technical issues, makes Jeff a huge asset on any project requiring an exceptional finished result.

We are thrilled to have Jeff on our team.

Stone World Magazine features the Strand Residence 2 in the August 2007 publication.  Please click on the thumbnail below to see the whole article.

When building a new home in Southern California more than likely you will be removing an existing home from the property. One thing we often hear from clients is that they feel there is some inherent value in the existing home and it seems a shame to simply demolish the home and send it to the landfill.

A typical demolition these days involves recycling much of the raw building products (wood studs, copper piping, some doors and windows, perhaps wood flooring), but many of the finished products and assemblies such as cabinetry, light fixtures and plumbing fixtures are not typically salvaged.

On several recent projects we have utilized “Deconstruction” versus demolition. With Deconstruction we selectively dismantle the building components for reuse including lumber, windows, finishes, flooring, cabinetry, fixtures, and roofing, whereas demolition clears the construction site of existing structures in the most expedient way possible.

Deconstruction benefits the local and greater community by providing families with the opportunity to build affordable homes.  In addition, reusing construction materials gives new life to items commonly considered waste.

Deconstruction offers clients a chance to go “green” with immediate financial benefit.  Salvaged materials donated to NPOs such as Habitat for Humanity qualify for tax deductions, and often the financial benefits from the tax deductions exceed the deconstruction costs.  For example, Nelson Daniels recently utilized deconstruction on a Manhattan Beach project with an overall savings to the client. Therefore you can feel good about the removal of the older structure and save money in the process. Excellence in Building means bringing our clients the best of both worlds.