espite his 30-plus years in the busi-
ness, David Amundson, president and
owner of TreHus Architects + Interior
Designers + Builders in Minneapolis,
learned four critical things that must
be present when undertaking a remod-
eling project: good people, good internal systems, good
planning and good management. "If you have one of those
four things wrong, heaven help you," he adds. Chemistry
is also important considering how much time and trust
are committed to a project.
When Amundson interviewed with these Minneapolis-
based homeowners regarding their whole-house remod-
eling project, they were a year into trying to coordinate
the remodel themselves—with the husband as the general
contractor and a baby to boot. eir house was totally
torn apart except part of the kitchen, and there was no
end to the process in sight. "e reason I learned [those
four things are critical] on this job is they got all four
things wrong. ey didn't have good people—good peo-
ple meaning you have reason to believe they are ethical
and have the skills required to do the work. Good internal
systems—none of these people had good ways of writing
proposals, clear communication and scheduling—were
not present. Good planning was pretty much zero, and
then good management, again, pretty much zero other
than the homeowner trying to get control," Amundson
says. "One of the first things I said was, 'Listen, you guys
don't want to hear this but we have to stop, do some good
planning, and you have the wrong people working here.'"
e project did pause for approximately a month, result-
ing in blueprints and the necessary "good planning" that
About Face
Phase three of a remodeling project presented complications,
but TreHus Architects + Interior Designers + Builders proved
its expertise while the homeowners displayed their resilience.
By Kacey Larsen
MASTER DESIGN AWARDS 2016
GOLD | EXTERIOR FACELIFT
PROJECT INFORMATION
TreHus Architects + Interior
Designers + Builders
Minneapolis
trehus.biz
Project name:
Kenwood Park Remodel
Cost: $485,201
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Siding: AllPrime 4-in. lap
Porch flooring:
Fir tongue-and-groove
Porch ceiling:
Beaded ceiling board
Railing: Custom made
from cedar
Deck: Ipe with hidden
fasteners
D
Before
QualifiedRemodeler.com QR June 2017 25
PROJECTS: Design Solutions