Of course, upon discovering
all these problems, not only had
the project scope increased,
but the budget grew roughly
60 percent. Steel work ate up
about $10,000. On top of the
structural, design and financial
challenges, there were the
h o m e o w n e r s ' e m o t i o n a l
challenges to address. "We had
to help them hold it together,
convince and reassure them
the house is no longer going to
fall in, and the result would be
beautiful. We will be able to fix
the problems. And it will be done
before their daughter's wedding,
which they planned on hosting.
The emotional roller coaster
was a big part of this project,"
Mathews explains.
Projects like this that present
multiple surprise challenges also
present many opportunities to
demonstrate how remodelers
can solve those challenges and
make homeowners' dreams
come true. "It bugs me when
homeowners, the public, look
at contractors as thieves and
crooks trying to run away from
problems," he says. "And I take
exception to that. But, when
you open up a place like this
and see the poor workmanship
that is done by some out there,
I can't blame the homeowners
for thinking like that. Here in
Texas remodeling is a non-
regulated industry, and it's sad
that situations like this exist.
But, it drives me to go the extra
mile and make things as perfect
as possible for homeowners.
Typically, like in this case, that
hard work pays dividends."
No one element of this
transformation project makes
Mathews proud; all of it does.
"I'm most proud of how we
can see the before and after
photos and know we did that;
we designed it. But when you
experience a project like this
where the homeowners were so
upset and thought they'd have
to tear down their house, and
weeks later they have a beautiful
space that went from despair to
pride, it's extremely rewarding."
NOW, THE FUN PART
Curb Appeal Renovations is a
design-build remodeler and,
as is typical of design-build
projects, the remodeler worked
closely with the clients to design
a space that would look great
and function even better. The
homeowners came to the table
with a few design ideas, but
mostly with a list of general
requests, such as wanting new
cabinets, a better layout and
traffic flow. Mathews knows that
20 July 2014 QR ForResidentialPros.com
PROJECTS: Design Solutions
The wet bar and overhead
cabinets (pictured, right) were
removed to create a more open
transition between kitchen and
family room.
Before
After
QUR_16-21_DesignSol714.indd 20 6/30/14 1:57 PM