Remodeling can get complicated, especially when multiple teams are involved. One condo renovation on a very aggressive schedule, required close coordination of  calendars so everyone knew exactly what they needed to complete, week-by-week.

With our interior decorator making most purchases on behalf of the client, this was especially challenging. We got very creative in how we reviewed recommendations with the customer. Sometimes we took photos of products at the condo and posted them online for the customer, who traveled extensively, to review and make the final decision. Once we met at the customer’s office. He approved the counter top and faucet, which then went to the job site for installation the same day. READ MORE

Interior decorators are incredibly versatile in their ability to pick the perfect colors and textures for any room, in any house. There are many reasons for working with an interior decorator. Maybe you enjoy decorating your home and you might be very good at this. There will come a time when you’re selling your home or wanting to remodel a bathroom, when a little professional help will simplify your life.

Whether a decorator is working with a builder to pick fixtures and colors for a new home, or helping a homeowner remodel or prepare their home for sale, photographs tell their story far better than any words. For decorators, it is really true that a picture is worth a thousand words. READ MORE

Homeowners have learned to ask for estimates for any project around the home. Most don’t realize how complicated a home’s construction is beginning with the rough framing shown here. There are many systems hidden inside the walls like plumbing to deliver clean water and remove waste water, the electrical system, the heating and cooling systems and more. These systems are mostly forgotten until something doesn’t work correctly.

The challenge with estimates is you need to fix not only the visible problem. You need to trace the symptoms back to the source of the problem and fix it too. This often involves dealing with one/more of the systems hidden in the walls and you can’t see these when preparing an estimate. For example, my handyman business deals with lots of water stains on ceilings and walls. It doesn’t make sense to fix the symptom of the problem until you’re certain it won’t happen again.

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Are your garage and basement organized or full of clutter? Do you have enough shelves so everyone in the family knows where to put things and more important, where to find things when needed? Too often and especially when company is coming, people hide their clutter in the garage or basement. It’s quick and you can close the door so no one sees the clutter.

Guess what? Rarely does anyone remember to go back and sort out the clutter, so the piles keep growing. Even worse is when it’s too difficult to find something, you go out and buy another … you can fill in the blank! Let’s look at some simple shelving you can put in any basement or garage, so you can find what you need next time. READ MORE

We never seem to have enough storage in our homes, as we like to collect … things! Some homes come with generous storage while others never seem to have enough storage. The problem is often exacerbated in condominiums which have smaller rooms. Imagine a 3 bedroom condo with a single, kitchen pantry on the first floor so we needed to find more storage solutions.

Our customer bought a 3 bedroom condo and working with our interior decorator, Jennifer Myers, we came up with numerous ideas for adding storage. It turned out this client was much more interested in places to display collections than functional things like hanging coats. Here are ideas we shared … READ MORE

Some people are better listeners than others and when you’re not a good listener, you have to work hard at listening (that’s me). When your goal as a home professional is to build a long-term relationship with your customers, it’s critical that you get to know them and their preferences.

When you listen to your clients and deliver what they want, you earn their trust and the opportunity to keep working for them year after year. This story illustrates a long-term customer relationship. It also demonstrates the win-win that comes from a long-term relationship which grows into a partnership where my customer was open to suggestions as we walked through his new condo. READ MORE

Most women love to shop, or at least the shopping you do at your favorite mall. You’re comfortable navigating your way around a mall. In fact you already know what you like, what stores you like stopping by and each of us loves to collect something whether it’s shoes, scarves, jewelry … you know what I mean.

Now pretend you’re going shopping for a new door, maybe you just need some screening to repair a screen door or you’re planning to remodel a bathroom and you need to find a remodeler, handyman or ??? You’re shopping but it probably doesn’t feel like fun anymore. Why not? READ MORE