Attention to Details
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The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of the Parts
Renovating is a snap – or so it seems on reality TV. Move this, tear down that, add this, paint that, and voila—you have a gorgeous new living space. In real life, professional renovations take time, money, and a whole lot of attention to detail to get the results homeowners want. Renovators who build beautiful homes do so by building excellent relationships with clients and making sure that small details are properly attended to.
A few years ago we renovated a 101 year old residence in the Old Strathcona area. The homeowners had actually delivered two of their three children at home, so this certainly was a special place! Our clients wanted to maintain the integrity and heritage of their old house, and also preserve the memories that they made there. One of the children’s bedroom walls was lovingly decorated with colourful handprints made by the family. The room needed new paint but these memories were a detail that could not be painted over. After talking it over with the clients, we decided to have our painter paint carefully around them, thereby framing them as artwork and preserving them for years to come.
Another fabulous feature of this old home was the original red brick chimney in the centre of the house. After uncovering and restoring the old chimney, our site manager scoured antique shops for just the right cover for a hole in the chimney. A striking piece was found that made the chimney a beautiful feature that catches your attention upon entering the home. Antique heating vents were also located, cleaned and powder coated, and installed in order to keep that ‘old house’ atmosphere.
A barn door… in your house?
Another homeowner loves all things country and western. She had a dream of having a sliding barn door in her home. She sketched her vision on paper and presented her plan. She had researched and obtained the door hardware from various locations; the sliding mechanism was found online and the handle and clavos were purchased on vacation in Arizona. We had our cabinet maker custom design and build the door, using the pieces supplied by the owner. As a result, this beautiful door stands like a piece of art in the entry of the home. It is a gorgeous focal point in the foyer and gets many compliments from visitors. The owner is thrilled with the result and pleased that memories of her Arizona vacation are forever preserved in her barn door. The same owner collects chicken salt and pepper shakers, both antique and new, from her travels.
We designed a delightful chicken coop, complete with chicken wire doors, in which these pieces now reside. A beautiful touch for a country kitchen!
Although the look and quality of the finished product is extremely important when considering which renovator to trust with your project, of equal importance is finding a contractor who not only knows how to build, but can focus on the processes of each aspect of construction. When there is meticulous focus on the process, a predictable outcome will follow.
Details such as the budget, contracts, deadlines, alternate living arrangements, pets, children, and more are important things to discuss with your contractor up front. How much does your contractor care – not only about the job, but about your family and your needs?
When Dera and Alex hired us to work on their old Belgravia home for a second time, it was because they knew that the owner of Home Style, Cal Tebb, was a stickler for detail. Dera recalled one day in particular: “Neil (finishing carpenter) was standing in a pile of wood shavings looking pleased with his efforts. He had carefully planed and fitted the baseboards in our master bedroom to fit the walls and the floor of the room. In our old house, the walls aren’t straight and the floors aren’t level, so he had to really sweat the details to get a proper fit. Now when you walk into the room you don’t notice that the baseboards are straight, you just see a beautiful room. But you would sure notice if they were ill-fitting or crooked.” The room isn’t beautiful because of the baseboards—it is beautiful because of the meticulous process that went into the finished product.
The details are not the details. They make the design.
Charles Eames.