The Mosaic on Main
Multifamily General Contracting
Location
Bound Brook, NJ
ROLE
Multifamily General Contracting
TIME
Approximately 3 years
$0.00
Change Orders
Zero Surprises
The Challenges
Deugen didn’t start this project with a clean slate. The previous contractor had abandoned the site without completing meaningful foundation work, leaving Reynolds with a muddy, disorganized mess and a stalled Bound Brook multifamily development that needed immediate attention.
Seven months in, with the building at 70% completion, a fire set by an arsonist in a neighboring building jumped the road and burned the Mosaic on Main down to its shell overnight. Months of multifamily construction work was destroyed in one single night.
Then, two days after the rebuilt building received its TCO, Hurricane Irene flooded the first floor with two feet of water, soaking the brand-new lobby elevators and finishes throughout.
That left us with three setbacks, all out of our control and all ours to solve.
The Process
Taking Over a Distressed Construction Project
Deugen’s first move was to assess what the previous contractor had left behind, clear the site, and build a realistic schedule from scratch. For Reynolds, that meant finally having a NJ general contractor who could take ownership of the project instead of adding more uncertainty.
Managing the Fire’s Aftermath
When the fire hit, Deugen’s on-site security cameras and fire protection systems documented the origin of the incident, providing evidence that it started across the street. That documentation protected Reynolds from prolonged insurance disputes and allowed construction to restart faster than it otherwise would have.
Deugen coordinated emergency demolition, handled plan resubmission, managed insurance budgeting alongside Reynolds, and restarted construction from the second floor within five months.
Rebuilding Without Upcharging
Through the rebuild, Deugen continued value engineering and preconstruction budgeting as conditions evolved. With insurance, reconstruction, and COVID-related cost pressures all affecting the project, there were multiple points where costs could have been used against the owner.
That’s not how we approached it.
We remained fully transparent with ownership about rebuild costs and treated the situation as a partnership. Our goal was to protect the owner’s position, keep the project moving, and find fair solutions as clear conditions changed rather than using the disruption to pull as much money from the project as possible.
Post-TCO Flood Remediation
When Hurricane Ida flooded the first floor two days after TCO, Deugen returned to strip six feet of drywall and insulation, dry out the structure, and completely redo the lobby and elevator systems.
The Results
Timeline:
- Delivered: Late 2021
- Sold: Shortly after completion
Reynolds Asset Management leased the building and sold it upon completion. The sale set a record price per unit in Somerset County, validating both the location Reynolds had chosen and the quality of the apartment building in NJ that had survived arson, a full rebuild, and post-flood remediation.
The final project included 63 luxury apartments across five stories and approximately 75,000 SF. Despite one of the most difficult project timelines in the region’s history, The Mosaic on Main was completed, leased, and sold successfully.
Five-story luxury multifamily building completed in Bound Brook, NJ
Accountability When It Matters
Most contractors have a clause for situations like this. Force majeure, acts of God, circumstances beyond our control.
We didn’t use it.
When the fire hit, we moved into emergency mode. When the flood came two days after TCO, we came back. No conversation about whose responsibility it was, no debate over what the costs might be, and no delay while everyone protected their own corner. We got to work for the good of the project and worked through a fair resolution down the road.
That’s how we work. When circumstances shift, and on complex multifamily construction projects in NJ, they always do, we treat it as our problem to solve, not our opportunity to upcharge. We stay accountable to the original commitment regardless of what gets in the way.
Reynolds trusted Deugen after his first contractor failed him and that trust demanded a different kind of contractor, one who acts as a partner when things get hard instead of hiding behind contract language.
Project Gallery
The Mosaic on Main
Complete
Conclusion
The Mosaic on Main is the kind of NJ multifamily construction project that a lot of contractors avoid talking about publicly because it doesn’t fit the clean narrative of a build that went perfectly according to plan.
We think projects like this matter because they show how a contractor actually works under pressure. Any contractor can deliver a straightforward job. The real test is what happens when the site’s a mess, the building burns down, and a hurricane floods the lobby two days after you hand over the keys.
Reynolds Asset Management needed a partner who could absorb all of it without making his situation worse. The Mosaic on Main sold at a Somerset County record price per unit and that was truly the result of not walking away.
Working through a complex multifamily construction project? Reach out to Deugen and schedule a consultation today.
Ready to Build With a Partner You Can Trust?
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