Lake Home Remodel
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Tom and Kathy were referred to Boreal Woodworking by Ellen Cashman of Bare Bones Studio and by their nephew Joseph of Ely, MN.
Tom and Kathy lived in their home for nearly 35 years. This home was built in the 1940’s and added onto as recently as the 1970’s. They were ready for an updated interior remodel to make their place look more aesthetically pleasing and function better to fit their current needs.
Now retired, they wanted to achieve two goals with the remodel:
- put the master bedroom, kitchen, dining, living, and laundry all on one level, and
- expand and improve the kitchen to better host large gatherings of their kids, grandkids, and friends.
On this "design and build" Boreal Woodworking project, I worked closely with Tom and Kathy in our meetings to listen to their needs and to get a sense of their tastes and budget. Because this was an existing home, we had both opportunities to capitalize on what was already there and obligations to compromise to achieve our objectives. This was a deeply collaborative process, with Kathy and I doing most of the decision making, and consulting Tom for his input and approval.
The scope of work encompassed a complete gutting of the main level of their home, removing and replacing:
- all floor, wall, and ceiling coverings
- a fireplace in the livingroom
- the kitchen
- all windows and doors (changing many locations and sizes)
The remodel also included moving walls to reconfigure room layout, and adding all new plumbing and electrical systems. In addition, they ordered from the Boreal Woodworking workshop:
- a custom fireplace mantle
- a birch entertainment center
- several sets of shelves
- and countertops for the laundry room and bathrooms
The remodeling was completed between September and May while Tom and Kathy were away for the winter. We were in continuous communication by phone and email, sharing digital camera photos. These images showed updates and visually identified areas for discussion so we could then make good decisions while the project was under way.
We finished the home on time for Tom and Kathy, who were quite pleased with the outcome. Their longtime home had now become even more personalized to meet their current needs in function and aesthetics. We all attributed our success to frequent communication by phone, in person, and email.
Since construction would be performed and completed in our absence, good communication through email, cell phone and fax machine would be essential.
Remodeling our home remotely called for a huge trust factor. Both the builder and the owner were committed to this relationship.
Satisfaction was important and we certainly appreciated the follow through effort to completion.
Michael Dietzman demonstrated not only good management style, but also the ability to be open to ideas and exceptional attention to detail.
- Tom and Kathy
Ely, MN
Read Tom and Kathy’s Perspective
Call Michael Dietzman today to see what we can build for you:
218-365-5009