Residential Project Planning

From the beginning, we have been driven by a few simple underlying principals that we constantly reference through the life of every project: craftsmanship, sustainability, and honesty.

Craftsmanship refers to the care and detail placed in every phase of construction. There is craftsmanship in pouring a square, level, properly reinforced foundation. There is craftsmanship in framing plumb walls, sturdy headers for big windows, and a comfortably spaced set of stairs and landings. Then of course there is fine craftsmanship in finish details. Tight joints on all base and case work, cabinets hung plumb and true to the walls, and artful tile patterns with uniform grout lines and flat surfaces all speak to the care and time needed to achieve true craftsmanship. It doesn’t matter if it is a small deck, or a large addition, we strive to do our very best on every project.

Sustainability can mean a number of different things, but at it’s core it is about being responsible; responsible to the community in which you are working, respecting the local patterns of architecture, streetscape, scale and mass, and using as little material as possible to get the job done. Drive around any large construction site and you will see piles of scrap material destined for the local landfill. We endeavor on every project to work through the details early and often to come up with realistic job quantities. Not only does this save our customers money, but it also dramatically reduces the amount of waste inevitably produced. This is often called “value engineering” and we practice it daily. We are also dedicated to using recycled and salvaged building materials whenever possible, and certainly whenever requested by the customer. Finally, sustainability means building comfortable, efficient additions and homes that use the latest technology to reduce energy consumption.

Honesty and open communication are essential to good project management. Construction, especially remodeling, can be full of small surprises. Maybe the home we are working on does not have a proper footer under the old foundation adjacent to the new addition. Maybe that small leak in the old steam shower has done some real damage to the outside wall. However detailed the design, some things cannot be known until walls are opened, excavation begins, and the framing goes up. Other inevitable changes happen because construction is an evolving, organic process. Maybe those oak floors that looked great in the brochure simply don’t feel right in the new kitchen. Maybe a mud room would be a really useful space off that new kitchen. Whatever it may be, we encourage, and initiate constant honest and open communication with our customers so that they know what those inevitable changes mean in terms of budget, schedule, and overall design. We never want our customers to feel like they are out of the loop. We see the relationship between contractor and customer as a true collaborative partnership and work hard to build those bonds of trust.