Have you ever faced a situation where you are trying to do the right thing, but absolutely NOTHING seems to be going right? It’s likely that most of us have, and that’s exactly how things seemed for the Tara Road Home Owner’s Association of Hampton, GA. They had a monumental sign problem, and they needed help.
The Tara Road HOA was formed when the residents of four individual subdivisions joined together to try to improve their community. One of the issues that needed to be dealt with was staring them right in the face every morning when they left for work or school. It was visible every time they went for a walk or bike ride. It was visible every evening when they returned to their homes, and when people visited their community. Potential home-buyers saw the problem before they even entered the neighborhoods. Centered at each of the six entrances within the Tara HOA community was a double-sided monument sign – – ranging in size from just over 10′ wide to over 23′ wide. These monuments marked the entrances to the various subdivisions; Villages at Tara, Misty Meadows, Misty Park, and Tara Plantation. The monuments had been constructed when the subdivisions were being developed – – somee 10-15 years ago. Once-beautiful structures with cream-colored stucco columns – – the names of the various subdivisions stencil-cut into the face of each monument – – and oversized ball finials planted on well-landscaped islands featuring Boxwood bushes and raspberry-colored Crepe Myrtles. No two monuments were exactly the same, but they all had something in common – – unfortunately, the monuments were falling apart. All six of them. Poor construction had doomed the monuments from the start. Add 10-15 years of Georgia sun, wind, and rain, and the stucco finish had deteriorated to the point that it had worn through to the foam base. Birds of all types found the exposed foam a convenient source for lightweight nesting materials. Globe-sized ball finials at the top of ornate columns had fist-sized craters. Dimensional lettering was broken and missing, and stencil-cut lettering had cracked and torn away. Estimates costs from local sign vendors were beyond the HOA budget.
For Big Mouth Signs, the project began with a call from Joe, the President of the Tara Road HOA. Within a couple of days, we’d made the 120+ mile round trip to Hampton for photos and measurements. Next came research… What was the budget for this project? What were the best replacement options? What designs were available? Demolition had to be factored in, and two of the monuments involved not only the removal of the existing foam structures, but also brick bases that were essentially 2-3′ tall walls upon which the foam monument was perched. Committees were formed and meetings were held. Samples and color charts were shared. In the end one thing became clear – – The best option was to replace the existing foam core monuments with foam core monuments. As an authorized dealer, we recommended foam core monuments from a manufacturer that knows how to build quality foam core monument signs that will last – – Peachtree City Foamcraft. Peachtree City Foamcraft is the innovator of the foam core monument sign, and the nation’s premiere manufacturer of wholesale monument signs and related products. No competitor offers the Poly-Armor Polymer Finishing System, which provides the long term strength and durability needed for a monument sign. The easy part was done.
The next phase was design, and with 56 standard Peachtree Foamcraft models to choose from, it was a relative breeze. We showed the HOA committee a sample of the monument product, with the Poly-Armor finishing system, and a color was chosen for the stucco finish. The monument faces are router-engraved PVC panels. Our skilled design team made the process painless, and the committee unanimously approved the designs. The only real challenge was dealing with the Clayton County Planning & Development Department as to the placement of the monuments – – but that’s a story for another day!
Written by Big Mouth Signs – Lilburn, GA.
