The Project

The project was the renovation of an existing Police Training Center in the City of Raleigh, NC. The project scope was primarily interior finishes and mechanical system upgrades for an existing two-story masonry building. One of the required upgrades was an exterior wall-mounted fixed access ladder to allow additional access to rooftop HVAC and mechanical equipment.

Specifications the Easy Way

Jon Steindorf, the Project Designer/Architect, typically specifies a wide range of products – from carpet, furniture and other interior finishes to brick, roofing and of course ladders. When the police training center project needed an aluminum cage fixed ladder with a parapet return, he turned to Alaco – as he has done in the past. Here’s what Jon had to say:

“I chose Alaco Ladder because they have a really robust website which is easy to navigate. The online specs are good, the ladders are all code compliant, and there are downloadable CAD drawings. This makes it so easy because we don’t have to draw the ladders. Every time we have used Alaco, it’s always been a good experience.”

Jon continued: “We typically specify a fixed roof access ladder with a parapet. The ladder that was specified for the Police Training Center also required a safety cage, but with the on-line tools it was still a breeze to specify. We ended up installing a Model 564-C – Aluminum Cage Fixed Ladder with Parapet Return.”

How important is the brand of ladder that is specified? Jon had a couple of thoughts: “When specifying, we generally list one manufacturer for a particular item. If we’ve specified a brand in the past, we usually use the same brand for other projects to speed up the process. That being said, some of our clients have specific preferences when it comes to a product so brand recognition is also really important. Alaco has been around a long time, and they have a great reputation.”

When asked if he planned on specifying Alaco Ladders in the future, Jon’s response was short and simple: “Yes, absolutely.”

About the Design Firm

With a team of 30, Phillips Architecture in Raleigh, NC provides full-service design and construction related services, and specializes in the planning and design of corporate interior projects including renovations, fit ups and alterations. They also do work in the pharmaceutical, private school, municipal, and hospitality arenas – including new construction, additions and renovations. A project worthy of note is a clinic at Duke University Medical Center.

About Alaco

The history of Alaco Ladder Company dates back to 1883, and throughout the ensuing decades the company manufactured wood fire ladders, step stools, ironing boards, surf boards and more. By the late 1970’s the company morphed into the Alaco Ladder Company of today. Since then, Alaco has become an industry stalwart by manufacturing comprehensive lines of top-quality fixed access, library, loft, fire and special purpose ladders – as well as platforms, cages and stepstools.

Browse our lines of ladders and learn more.