What's New?

I am in the middle of rebuilding this web site and hope to have it up and running in a couple of months. My new web designers offer lots of services that will help me to keep this site more up to date.

Eight years ago (has it really been that long?) I brought Jeff Greco on to help me manage daily operations. Jeff grew in that role to a point where he was restless to go out and try to make a go of it on his own. I wish him well. At this time I’m not considering replacing Jeff but will hire more production help and manage the administrative duties myself.

Looking forward

It's unbelievable that we're diving headfirst into yet another year, but we do so with a great sense of optimism and thankfulness. Like most others in the construction industry, our business experienced slower times last year. But consumer confidence picked up by mid-November, and the phones are ringing off the hooks. Most of the calls are from folks inquiring about large room additions and kitchen remodels. Bathrooms, finished attics and finished basements remain popular areas for renovations.

Lending interest rates have gone up for home equity type financing but fixed rate mortgage loan rates remain at historic lows. Many of my clients are finding that it makes more sense to refinance the entire house including the cost of renovations.

Remodeler’s showcase awards...my special project

Active in the Remodeler's Council, I always try to feature some of my best work in the group's contest "Showcasing Triangle Achievements in Remodeling" (STAR) held each spring at the Southern Ideal Home Show.

As always the competition most important to me is to provide the most positive experience possible for my clients. My last entries in the STAR AWARDS were my own home!

I built my home in 1990 during a down turn in both the nation’s economy and my personal economy. Determined to get the home I needed at a price I could afford I built using the best structural design and “production” quality materials. The idea was that I would replace the inexpensive materials (as they wore out) with what I really wanted later, as I felt I could afford it. The plan worked. The house held up well for ten years before some things started to need replacement. By this time my budget had improved and I had “good bones” to work with. In addition property values in Wake County had continued to rise by leaps and bounds, creating lots of equity and confidence that my home was worth investing in.

I started on the outside and replaced windows, doors, roofing and siding, using the most energy friendly products available. Inside the kitchen was expanded by extending it using part of the wrap around porch where the floor and roof were already in place. New cabinets with a light maple wood and solid surface counter tops were installed along with a “restaurant” range and built in refrigerator.

From there I went to the bathrooms. To make a little room in the master bath we removed the bathtub and installed an additional vanity. The fiberglass shower was removed and the space expanded into a closet. The new shower stall has an overhead shower and four body spray heads and we installed a hand held shower that operates with a separate control valve. The shower curb was lowered, the walls and ceiling were tiled and a frameless shower door with a transom was installed. A steamer was installed as a surprise for my wife. We used matching marble for counter tops and floors. The hall bath was next. Since this one doesn’t get much use anymore (just grandchildren on sleep-over) we scaled back a bit. The cast iron tub from the master bath replaced the one-piece fiberglass tub. A new vanity with a solid surface top was installed. New ceramic tile on the tub walls and floor completed the project.

The results thus far could not have been better. With this in mind we decided to go all the way. The laundry was next. A long narrow room with open shelves on both sides and the machines at the end it always felt cluttered and messy, with no room to turn around. I reconfigured the room by moving the entry door, lining one wall with kitchen type utility cabinets (with pull out trays) and even designed a cabinet for built in front loading washer and dryer. What a difference! Next was a library/study/office. We converted a second floor bedroom by removing the door and lining the walls with custom mahogany shelving, drawers and a computer desk. A trestle table and chase lounge make it our favorite room in the house.

Noise control and energy efficiency are two of my pet areas for improvement. I added insulation to the attic ceilings increasing the R level to 50 and increased the floor insulation level to R-25. The HVAC equipment was replaced with high efficiency type equipment and the two 50-gallon electric water heaters were replaced with one “tankless” style gas heater. Bathroom exhaust fans were replaced with truly quiet fans. The project was topped off by re-finishing oak floors and a complete re-painting.


Our efforts were rewarded by two first place STAR AWARDS, one for the Best Whole House Renovation and one for the Best Select Interior Renovation (for the library).

 

Products Used

Kitchen cabinets are the Merillat brand and the solid surface tops are Corian and Cornerstone brand. Laundry room cabinets and Master bedroom vanities are the Wood Mode brand. Appliances are Viking, Asco and Subzero brands. The replacement windows are Kolbe & Kolbe and Lincoln brand.

Difficulty VS Solution

Difficulty: The kitchen was galley style and while space efficient it was crowded when more than two people were in it.
Solution: Incorporate the adjacent covered porch area by moving the exterior walls out to the edge of the porch. New room size, 12’ x 14’.

Difficulty: Not enough counter space in the master bathroom.
Solution: Remove the seldom used bathtub and install another 6’ of vanity and top.

Difficulty: Clutter in the Pantry/Laundry room.
Solution: Build in cabinets with spaces for bulk storage, trash container, and dog food containers, broom closet, a clothes folding counter top, and cabinets and shelves with dedicated places for laundry and cleaning products.

Difficulty: Wood sash windows that were, despite proper painting and care, rotting out.
Solution: Clad exterior window units and replacement sash with wood preservative treatment in the wood and “low-E” gas filled glass for energy efficiency.

Difficulty: Fitting new features into existing space. Identifying what was really needed to accomplish our goals.
Solution: Fine tuning the floor plan and “traffic pattern” in each area under consideration. Not letting existing structures limit our vision.

GOALS ACHIEVED

The functionality of the master bathroom, kitchen and laundry room was dramatically improved. The long desired library replaced a seldom used and redundant spare bedroom and the general structural health and life of the house has been extended another twenty years. As a bonus, our consumption of gas and electricity has decreased by 30%.

Banding Together

When I meet with clients most have questions and concerns about how my renovation work will affect the rest of their “house” life. They’re concerned about insurance, financing, resale values, marketability and how their home investment fits into their overall financial planning. Cognizant of these concerns, I have gathered around me a group of like thinking professionals to whom I feel I can refer you without a second thought. We have formed an informal network group but retain our individual identity. We have no legal or financial bind, only a desire to help our clients to find processionals that are experts in field s that we are not. We call our group Home Services Partner Network and individual links are listed below.

 

Drop Me a Line

Visit the "Contact Us" button section of this website if you have any questions or comments.