Keith Kenney, owner of Southern Skies Construction, says he’s always had a passion for building and architecture. “I was always building forts and go carts, and just messing around with stuff like that as a kid,” he says. So perhaps it’s no surprise that after growing up in nearby Dunwoody and attending Georgia Tech, Keith landed a job as a lead carpenter.
After spending time in construction and learning the ropes of the business while working for others, he started Southern Skies Construction in 2008 with his philosophy, as stated on his website, to provide quality construction with excellent communication and a hands-on approach to achieve superior customer satisfaction. Keith refers to his business as a niche construction business, and he says he's learned over the years that bigger is not always better when it comes to construction.
Keith recently took on a project updating a residence, but not just any residence. Keith explains that it’s not unusual for the top floors of some of the luxury hotels in Atlanta to be designated as residential. This recent project is a condo and private residence located on one of the top floors in the Loews Atlanta Hotel in Midtown Atlanta.
The project came to Keith through Rao Design Studio’s Matthew Rao, owner and principal, who Keith says he's known for about 20 years. The two have worked together on several other projects. Keith met with the owners of the residence, and he said one of the reasons he got the job was because of his transparency when it comes to numbers.
The scope of the project included several updates with goals that included new lighting, new appliances, and cabinetry to add more storage space in the kitchen, as well as updates to the primary suite. “The primary bath was dated, and the shower was really small,” Keith says. During the project, Keith says he enlarged the shower and added a steam shower for the client.
While there were no real challenges to this particular project, Keith says some of the designs were pretty tricky. “The designer wanted to put a thin fluorescent LED lighting all the way down the hallway,” he says. “It was probably 45 feet, and we had to put that strip light in straight down the middle and drywall up to the edges.”
There were also custom designed doors for the foyer closet that are eight feet tall and five feet wide. “That was quite the challenge to get those things built correctly and match up to make it look like the wall,” he adds. “The doors are magnetic – so you have to push them to pop them open.”
To help his projects run smoothly, Keith says he has a project manager to manage the day-to-day tasks. They have weekly meetings to stay on top of those tasks, and monthly recaps to keep everyone updated on costs, budgets, and other goals. Keith says the construction phase for this particular project took about six months to complete.
And as for the clients on this project? Keith says they are thrilled with the quality of construction, the process, and way the project turned out, and he says knowing that is a great feeling. “I take it very personal,” he says, talking about his work. “It makes me really glad to do what I do.”
For more information about Southern Skies Construction, visit southernskiesconstruction.com.