| 
 
Dear Larry,
After living through three remodeling experiences with you -
two bathrooms and a kitchen - we feel relatively qualified to offer advice
to those about to undergo the experience. We have two rules that we
followed through the three month kitchen remodel:
1. Be flexible
2. Keep a chilled bottle of chardonnay available
In actuality, the process for remodeling the kitchen began months before we
even sat down with you. Alan and I poured through design magazines to pull
out pictures of kitchens that we liked. And we talked through how we used
our kitchen and what features we would like to have. Since our old kitchen
was both aesthetically and functionally challenged, it really helped us
define our wish list! When we began meeting with you and Amy, we had a good
idea of what we wanted but turned to you to help us understand what was
possible, within our space and budgetary limitations. We had not
appreciated how much time and effort was needed to get to the final design
and relied very heavily on your guidance to get there. We really enjoyed
the process of selecting cabinets, drawer pulls, counters and flooring but
it definitely does take time! On the other hand, there is nothing enjoyable
about the construction period. Even though we were lucky enough to have
ample space in our family room to set up a mini kitchen, it really is
stressful to have your house in pieces and all your routines disrupted. So
we tried to stay focused on rule #1. And, if we found ourselves becoming
cranky we invoked rule #2! Ultimately, we were very glad that we were able
to stay in the house because we were readily available as questions came up
- and they did come up - and when choices needed to be made. We were
especially appreciative of how John kept us up to speed on what work was
scheduled and what to expect. And ultimately, each week we could see the
changes being made and that helped us keep our sense of balance. We should
mention the challenge of cooking in the family room! With our old
refrigerator moved down there, we were fully equipped with a hot plate,
microwave, toaster over and coffee maker. However, the family room doesn't
have designated electrical outlets. Our first attempt to cook
short-circuited half the house! Ultimately we became quite adept at cooking
on a hot plate! We also know the phone number of Cafe Rustica by heart!
It has been a number of months since the completion of the remodel. We have
been enjoying our new kitchen immensely! All the time we all spent in
planning the design and thinking though our needs really paid off. We ended
up with a wonderfully functional kitchen that is drop-dead gorgeous! And
apparently three months of construction hasn't completed traumatized us as
we have begun to think about what we hope will be our final project, the
enlargement of the third bathroom!
As must be apparent, it truly was a pleasure to work with you on our kitchen
re-do!
R. and A. G.
|
| |
