But "Cobra Patrol" is actually part of Den 7 and the Vienna Cub Scouts. And I had the pleasure of tagging along with them as they visited after school with one of Vienna's premier builders along the way to earning their Engineering Badge.
Last month, Bryan Deege (Vice President of Sekas Homes) and Susan Hussey (Realtor with The Belt Team and Director of Sales & Marketing for Thistle Ridge) hosted "Cobra Patrol" at Thistle Ridge (one of Sekas' new home projects in Vienna). Bryan gave the boys a thorough education in construction, planning & building and showed them everything from blueprints, floorplans & site plans - to a home just begun 5 days prior - to a home just nearing completion.
Bryan is passionate about what he does. And his passion definitely translated to the boys. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one of these Cub Scouts becomes a builder when he grows up!
One young man wanted to know how many contractors it takes to build a house. The answer was "over 100!"
The boys were particularly interested in how the various rooms on the plans were named. Ryan R wanted to know what a "billiard room" was. And after Bryan told the boys about the various creative things they have done in basements (like installing billiard rooms, home theatres & batting cages), one young man asked, "Can you put a hockey rink in the basement?"
I was truly impressed with how well the boys paid attention. Bryan talked about wiring and dry wall and drainage and all kinds of "technical" things. He talked about the sequencing of contractors and how he organizes who does what, when & how. Bryan told the boys, "The key to building good homes is being organized, detailed and having a commitment to doing things right." I think that's great advice for life - not just for building houses, don't you think?!
Bryan then toured the boys through an under-construction home and they got to see a lot of "behind-the-scenes" things - what's inside the walls & behind closed doors.
One young man wanted to know whether the builder gets to name the streets in his subdivision. Bryan explained how the street names must be unique (no two streets in the same town or city can have the same name), but that numbers can be repeated. Then he told them how the naming process works.
He said that the builder is required to submit a list of 15 names to the County for approval - a first choice and 14 backups. The County goes down the list and approves the first unique name it sees. Bryan then shared a story about how a certain street in Vienna was named. A few years back, Sekas Homes was building in the Bennett Kiln subdivision. John Sekas (the President of Sekas Homes) submitted a list of 15 street names and then told the County "and if none of those are available, name the street after my dog Brenner". Well, you got it - there is now a street in Vienna named Brenner - after John Sekas' dog. The boys thought that was HILARIOUS!
After a few more questions, and a walk over to see a lot that had just been cleared, the Cobra Patrol headed home. You can only postpone your homework for so long!
Thanks for a fun afternoon Cobra Patrol! What a well mannered, intelligent, lively group of young men you are. Your parents should be proud of you. And you are just another reason why I LOVE LIVING IN VIENNA!
(And PS - There are only 2 opportunities left to own a home in Thistle Ridge. prices start at $1,499,900. Contact Susan Hussey if you would like more info!)
(And PS - There are only 2 opportunities left to own a home in Thistle Ridge. prices start at $1,499,900. Contact Susan Hussey if you would like more info!)
