The CEO of Spancrete partnered with his business to transform his 1842 Delafield home – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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A project that began in 2008 for John Nagy and his wife, Carol, was finally completed this August, using products from Spancrete.

The Nagys wanted to remodel a home they had bought right off Lake Nagawicka on Mill Street. The home dated to 1842; wanting to preserve as much of it as possible, the Nagys soon realized it would require more work than they had originally anticipated.

"We started seeing how much was really needed from an engineering standpoint because of when this house was built and the number of additions that had been done to it over the last 100 plus years.It was in rough shape," said John Nagy, the CEO of Spancrete, a Waukesha-basedprecast provider. "Being in my business, there were a lot of things I couldn't consciously know are there and say, 'Here, sell it to someone else,' and feel good about it."

When the economy plummeted in 2008, the Nagys decided to let the home sit until 2012 when they re-evaluated their plans.

"We took a look at it and said, 'This house really needs a lot of work,'" Nagy said. "Over that period of time we also developed a few new products at Spancrete. So I told my wife, 'Instead of trying to do this on our own, why don't wepartner with Spancrete and make this kind of a model home of products that we have.'"

According to its website,Spancrete produces precast, prestressed concrete products that are used in commercial, industrial, institutional, residential and multifamily construction projects in theMidwestandSoutheast.The company also manufactures and sellshollow-coreextrusionmachines that are used to produce precast concrete internationally.

The Nagys gutted the house, tearingeverything down to the original stone structure.

"We built a new house using that structure," Nagy said.

A Delafield home built in 1842 was recently remodeled by John and Carol Nagy.(Photo: Submitted)

Using the original wood beams, John and Carol were set on making the home energy efficient, so they built the home using the precast concrete products. Spancrete's planks retain energy and are efficient at heating and cooling a home. The home also featuresprecast flooring with hydronic heating, which willdeliver more than 55% greater energy efficiency than traditional homes, Nagy said.

"I don't know of any houses anywhere that are similar to this sized home that are built with the level of construction," Nagy said. "There are a lot of houses with very good finishes ... but from the structural side of this, this house is extremely sophisticated on the construction means we used with the precast."

Nagy said using precast as a flooring systemand for wall panels throughout a new home build will adda level of strength, security and space to build a homethat counteracts the drawbacks of wood.

The precast products act as their own insulators. Nagy also noted the first and second floors were builtwith hydronic piping inthe precast floors to heat the home.Hydronic piping is a thin and flexible tubing that runs throughprecast panels and connects to a homes standard boiler.

The concrete, which is heated, acts like a heating pad and slowly releases it over time.

The remodeled home, which is 3,500 square feet, features an open-concept kitchen and dining room on the first floor. A wall in the sitting area and a wall in an office usedsalvaged stone from the original structure.

On the second floor, there is a master bedroom with a master bath. Also on the second floor is an additional bedroom, two bathrooms and a laundry room.

After remodeling the house, Nagy said, the experience could possibly open more doors.

"I see it as a real opportunity for Spancrete to go further into the residential market thatwe're already in and get into homes we typicallywould not have been involved in," Nagy said.

ContactEvan Frank at (262) 361-9138or evan.frank@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Evanfrank_LCP.

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The CEO of Spancrete partnered with his business to transform his 1842 Delafield home - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel