Fantastic Transformations

Before and After Images

CLIENT COMMENTS
“It has been a pleasure to work with you and your company.  My family loves the room and deck and all we get is OOOH’S and AAH’S when people first see the room.  More than one person has suggested we should be featured in Southern Living Magazine!”
Richard and Patty Felker

“Very happy – would not change anything.  I am thrilled with the job.” 
Mary Lou Chambers 

“A 10 – Couldn’t have been better.”
Earl Brill 

“I just sit here in my new kitchen with a grin on my face.  It’s so beautiful.  It’s everything I could have wanted.  And we absolutely love Steve.  He was great to work with.” 
Liz Kaplan
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The Design Criterion

What do you think is the single most important step in the remodeling process? Finding the right contractor? Negotiating the best price? Selecting the most appropriate materials? Actually, the answer is none of the above.

While these steps are certainly important, there is one issue that transcends them all. It’s creating a clear-cut image of exactly what the remodeling is intended to accomplish. It may seem that this would be an obvious step to take, but you’d be shocked to see how often this is either overlooked or given short shrift.

I call this process, defining the design criterion. Whether you’re working on your own, with a designer, or with a contractor, the objective will be the same. Others might use different terminology than design criterion (I happen to like it), but this step in the design process needs to be given a place of extreme importance.

Every job is comprised of two separate objectives - the physical and the aesthetic.  When it comes to the physical, I’m not referring to the actual construction process. I’m referring to specific physical needs.  If your project is a room addition, what functions will take place in that room?  What furniture arrangement will be used?  If it’s a kitchen, what types of storage are needed?

Here’s a tip: Don’t fall into the trap of jumping to early conclusions. A much more effective solution may evolve during the planning process. Define your needs, and then look for the best way to meet those needs. Do the necessary research on this or get help from professionals who can expose you to other, better solutions.

The aesthetic aspect may be a little more difficult at first, but this is the part that yields some of the most interesting results.  Begin by standing back and taking an objective look at your home as it is now.  What elements do you like?  Which do you dislike?  Look through as many books and magazines as possible to pick out room settings and architectural features that appeal to you.  Stretch yourself and find pictures you like, but which may be more extreme than what you’ll probably end up with.  By stretching your imagination, you open yourself to the possibility of creating a unique, one-of-a-kind environment.

Every time you make a decision regarding the physical layout, weigh its impact on the artistic appearance. Every time you choose something for its beauty, contemplate how functional it will be in the plan. Remember that it’s not one or the other. You can improve your home with something that’s both beautiful and functional.

It’s this combination of physical needs and aesthetic desires that forms the design criterion. However, this isn’t the ultimate goal. To arrive at the final objective, the budget must be applied to the design criterion. But once the criterion is clearly defined, all the choices to be made throughout the entire project will be a simple matter of determining whether they support the criterion or not. Materials can be chosen and evaluated at many different levels – from downright cheap to very expensive – and all of them might support the criterion, albeit at different levels of quality.

The important thing is to have an absolutely explicit vision of how the final product is supposed to look. This will act like a weather vane to keep you focused on the end result.  It’ll, also, help you in selecting and working with the designers, contractors, and others who’ll be helping you transform your dream into reality, since you’ll invariably seek out someone who shares your vision.

Understanding this process will help you to be actively involved and feeling in control of your project, while allowing others to use their expertise in turning out the finished product.  You’ll be more confident about selecting everything from the contractor to the floor covering. Good luck!