TTK Resurfacing Lands Dream Job In Bermuda

When Tim Schoenig got the call last year, he thought it was some kind of cruel hoax. The voice at the other end asked if he'd be interested in a driveway renovation job — one involving a $1 million budget and the largest private residence in Bermuda.

Before he knew it, a first-class airplane ticket and a hotel room in the beautiful island country awaited him, as did a colossal project that would prove to be the turning point of his career.

Schoenig owns TTK Resurfacing, a Charlotte-based company that specializes in acrylic cement overlays, concrete stains and sealers, concrete restoration and repair, industrial flooring, and brick pavers.

"I thought it was a joke," Schoenig says of that first phone call. "Ninety percent of the time I would have laughed off a call like this."

But this one was serious. A New York family was in the midst of a three-year renovation of a
$40 million property — the largest privately owned residence in Bermuda, once the official
American Consul General Residence.

Bermuda consists of 150 small coral islands sprinkled in the Atlantic Ocean, about 580 miles
east of North Carolina. It covers only 20 square miles and has a population of 62,000.

The property has breathtaking views from just about anywhere on its 14 acres.

"They found me through Concrete Network," Schoenig said. "They wanted to redo their driveway. The house is very old and they wanted the driveway to complement the house.They wanted brick with grass laced in between. And their driveway is about seven-tenths of a mile long and about 10 feet wide."

Schoenig, who has been on the Bermuda job for about a year now, said his portion of the project keeps expanding as the scope of the project increases and walkways are added here and there.

Four houses sit on the property; Schoenig estimates the largest is between 4,000 and 5,000 square feet.

"The owners and the architect came up with a look they liked and just had to figure out how to reach that goal," Schoenig says on his web site. "Well, we helped them do just that. Now they have the gorgeously designed driveway they wanted. A custom blend brick paver driveway with a grass grid weaved through it, smooth bends, and a few new parking areas and round-abouts."

Prior to landing this dream job, Schoenig spent a good chunk of time installing swimming pool decks. In fact, he works with Anthony and Sylvan pool builders, a national company that supplies him with more than 100 Charlotte-area jobs a year. Anthony and Sylvan, which serves 29 metropolitan markets in 16 states, sold and installed more than 6,000 pools across the country in 2000.

Schoenig began his business in Florida but moved north to Charlotte about seven years ago. The timing coincided with a major building boom in Charlotte and the surrounding region. Over the past several years, the city had given birth to a new football stadium and a burgeoning arts district. The city also experienced a swell in office expansion and created four distinct neighborhoods with more than 1,000 new homes built in a four-year period, according to the city's 2010 Vision plan document.

But now instead of thinking about Charlotte and pools, Schoenig spends more time thinking about the ocean as he has amassed numerous hours flying over the Atlantic to oversee the project while still coming home frequently.

"The hardest part is that you're working in a different country," he says.

They don't manufacture the products needed for the project, so everything has to be custom-made and shipped there.

"And we've used most of their work force," Schoenig says, explaining that the law there requires at least 80 percent of the crew to be made up of locals. "I trained my own crew. They've done well; they've picked up on it."

Other primary challenges come with the weather and the price of lodging.

"It's either disgustingly hot or it rains every day," Schoenig says. "And it's expensive to stay here."

He estimates he's spent about four months in Bermuda.

But he's not complaining — far from it.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he says.

He's had other bigger-than-life moments while on the job. He's poured pool decks for NASCAR drivers, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and John Andretti, and Carolina Panthers defensive end Reggie White, among others sports figures.

Having such big-name clients sometimes means a tougher time contacting them, Schoenig said. But having the occasional chance to say hello to the sports stars had always been one of the perks of the job.

Now Schoenig is finding a whole host of new benefits.

"I went from being a small, little business to developing huge industry contacts," he says, saying the Bermuda properties he's been a part of have been featured in numerous industry magazines and the renovations projects have won numerous awards.

Back in February 2002, Schoenig told Concrete Network that he liked the high-profile projects — the ones that provide exposure and demand attention.

"I like the projects that get the most attention, the ones that people will see," he said last year.

And now with the intense industry media coverage he is living his dream.

"You never know what can happen without taking a few chances," he says. "I've learned that you never let a lead go. I've been very blessed; I'm a very lucky man."

TTK Resurfacing
Tim Schoenig
5906 Carolina Manor Ct.
Indian Trail, NC 28079
(704) 806-8031
Send Mail Now - Click Here
www.ttkresurfacing.com

Michele Dawson writes each week on one of the contractor members of The Concrete Network (www.concretenetwork.com). She has written about the home building industry for several years and was on the public affairs staff of the California Building Industry Association.