Log Cabin Main-Level Remodel and Whole-Home Remodeling Planning
Host:
Welcome to the Home Remodeling Show with Edge Construction on News Talk 1310 WIBA. Have a question? Email it to EdgeConstructionRadio@gmail.com.
Now, here is your host, Sean Prebil, on News Talk 1310 WIBA.
This is the Home Remodeling Show, brought to you by Edge Construction. You can find them online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is all one word, Edge Construction Company dot com.
It is a great website. As a matter of fact, we are going to be talking about some recent projects, one in particular on the website, so head over there now: EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
Their telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE, very easy to remember.
Joining us this week is Mike Twohig of Edge Construction. Mike, how have you been?
Mike:
Great, Sean. It is good to talk with you.
Host:
Great to see you.
Right out of the gate, we are going to head over to the website.
We often get to the website, but this week it is going to be front and center with a recent project you guys completed at Edge Construction. It is titled Log Cabin Main Level Remodel.
Main level and more, I think.
Let’s talk a little bit about the before and some of the challenges with this project.
It is a really cool log cabin. It has a lot of natural wood and that type of thing.
Let’s talk about some of the stuff you looked at with this house before you even started the design.
Mike:
The challenges with a log cabin are much different.
I know we made a window bigger in the kitchen, and luckily, this homeowner had had this log cabin for a while. They had somebody who does maintenance on the outside — people who specialize in dealing with logs and things.
So we did not have to fill back in around the window. We replaced it and fixed up our side. Then they had somebody come later who was doing other maintenance anyway, and they finished the logs and things around the outside.
Where we get stuck on design sometimes is that it is not like you can just cut these logs out. You are looking at them, and they are the finished product, but they are also usually structural. Or they can be structural.
So you are hemmed in a little bit by that.
But it turned out to be an overall fun project, and the gang in design at Edge really came up with a good plan.
Host:
That is what I was going to ask you about next: the design.
The title says it all: Log Cabin Main Level Remodel.
Log cabins have very unique design features, and there is a reason people love them. They have a very comfortable feel.
When you are updating and remodeling, you need to be cognizant of that. You do not want to lose that feeling, but you still want to give it an updated cabin feel.
That can be tricky. It requires a special designer to pull that all together.
Mike:
It does.
You can see the temptation in the old pictures.
They had a color on the logs that was not dark and not light, maybe trending toward lighter. To me, it looked like whoever designed this the first time around, when they built it, tried to match everything to that color.
They had an old laminate floor in there that was kind of that color. The cabinets were that color. They had tongue-and-groove on the ceiling in the kitchen, and that was that color too.
To me, it was overwhelming.
At the same time, if you are working on a log house, the new design has to give a nod to the house. You cannot just say, “We are going to totally depart from this rustic thing.”
You can see some of the things we did.
Host:
Let me ask you about the structure itself as well.
As you were mentioning, those logs are not only a design feature. They are also serving a purpose.
I asked you if it was like a veneer, if there was a steel beam or something in there, and you said, no, those are literally structural, aren’t they?
Mike:
Right.
The logs are structural in most areas.
The full logs are a lot to deal with. You really struggle when you have to do things mechanically.
You have to wire the place. You have to light it. You have heating to deal with.
This house had a loft plus a bedroom upstairs, and we struggled a little when we peeled things apart. You cannot always tell what is going to happen.
We open up those walls, and you think you know where everything is running. You come up with a decent plan to get heat runs upstairs, and then you open the walls up and everything changes.
This was one of those where things did have to change.
I think we modified this design a little bit, but you are not going to be able to tell by looking at the pictures.
That is something we do in the normal course of work.
It is not like on TV, where there is a big surprise and everything stops, and then we say, “Get your checkbook out. We are going to hit you for that.”
We do not do that.
I do not believe in that. We are supposed to be the experts, and we are supposed to know what is going on.
I would say mostly we do not get surprised, but sometimes things are not exactly the way you thought. We plan for that.
Host:
One of the things I found interesting was the original design had a pantry in kind of an odd place.
At first, I wondered if it was a sauna, or maybe a wine area or a humidor for cigars.
Then you look and realize, no, that is a pantry.
It was just a bizarre place.
Obviously, you want the functional storage, but you also want it to look nice.
Mike:
Exactly.
If you look at the slider feature, where it shows the old view and then you pull it across and it gives you the same view after the remodel, you can see that there was a room at the end of the kitchen.
I guess that is where you would want a pantry, but it just looked weird sitting there.
I think it was maybe meant for something else or got added later, because to me, it did not look like a well-planned-out room.
We were pretty happy to tear that thing out, even though it created some issues because it tied into existing logs on the exterior wall, leading right up to that patio door.
I do not think anybody is going to want us to replicate that old pantry.
I bet the homeowners are happy to see it gone.
Host:
You mentioned having to remove some of those logs.
How do you tie into that?
That has to present some unique design and construction challenges.
Mike:
It does.
Where we have to move things, demo logs, or cut things off, we are very careful to keep everything we take off because we may have to do a little piecing in.
If you look at the new design, you are going to say, “I do not see where they pieced in at all.”
That is a testament to really good people taking their time and putting the craft to work, because that is the idea. You do not want to see where this open wound was where you tore something apart.
That can be challenging.
We also knew this owner had somebody who was good with the logs and worked with them all the time. I felt like we had that person in our back pocket.
If we really got in trouble, we were going to call them and say, “Hey, we need some help here.”
Luckily, we were able to get our part done on the inside. We did not really have to rely on them at all.
Everything that got changed on the inside, our people did.
Host:
I do want to talk about the stairwell. That was kind of interesting.
Mike:
When the house was originally built, I think there was a flaw in technique or workmanship at the top of that stairway.
One side of that stairway, over time, had sagged down about an inch and a half. It was very ugly and probably not safe.
You had an eight-inch rise on one side and a nine-and-a-half-inch rise on the other side.
It could be a real tripper coming down that stairway.
Host:
I have walked up some crooked staircases at a cabin before. After a good night, they all seem to be a little tipsy.
Certainly not something you actually want.
You noted something that is obvious in the before pictures: all that same color.
One thing I really like about the remodel is that wood is still front and center. It is a log cabin.
But the wood has different shades, different stains, and different looks. It still has that rustic feel, but there is something that catches the eye.
The beams, for example, are beautiful and frame that area so nicely. The color or stain on them gives the space a warm feeling.
Mike:
If you cannot match, designers always say coordinate.
That is designer speak for colors that are not going to fight each other.
I think they did a fantastic job on that floor.
The cabinets obviously stand out.
When I first looked at the done kitchen, I noticed the cabinets, but I think the backsplash is what really hit me.
It is a stone backsplash. It is stacked, and it is pretty irregular. You can see a lot of texture there.
I think it defeats the “too much wood” thing.
It is light in color with those black granite countertops, and it pulled everything together.
Then those cabinets with the knotty alder are just modern enough.
We did not want that cabin feel. I mean, we wanted the cabin feel, but you want to realize you are not in just a cabin. You are in a really nice kitchen.
We felt the house would have been empty without those beams.
It is not a really tall ceiling. I do not know if you can tell because of the pictures, but we did kind of a shallow beam there, and I think it really tied everything together.
Host:
Mike, you are more aware of low ceilings than I am. From my eye level, they are all way up there.
One other area I want to talk about with this kitchen before we talk about some of the other rooms is the original had a peninsula, and the new design has an island.
That island is absolutely stunning. It looks really nice, and I have to guess they appreciate having not only a place for everybody to congregate, but also a place to put things.
Mike:
Yes.
We fixed pretty much every problem with the old kitchen.
The old kitchen had kind of weird chunks of countertop, and you can see all their stuff sitting on it because they had nowhere to go with things.
We added some taller cabinets, but some of them did not go to the ceiling because we had to bring those beams in. We had to balance all that in the design.
The island picked up a lot of counter space — a huge chunk of counter space that the kitchen really needed.
Look on either side of that stove. Now, all of a sudden, we have 30 inches or a little more of counter space on either side to really get some work done there. We did not have that before.
That is what you are doing when you are designing these kitchens. You are trying to get those chunks of counter space because those are really meaningful when you are working in a kitchen.
Host:
One thing I had never thought about before talking with you over the years, but now notice every time I see it, is wasted corner space.
In the before pictures, there was a big L where it came around near the pantry, and all I think about is that wasted space.
Now, removing that L gives them room to actually do things in that kitchen, without losing space in a corner.
Mike:
Right.
That floor does not do itself justice in the picture. It is a hand-scraped engineered wood floor, and pretty much the whole downstairs and upstairs got that floor.
That completes the design too.
Host:
We are talking this morning with Mike Twohig, owner of Edge Construction.
You can find them online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is all one word, Edge Construction Company dot com.
Check out some of the recent remodels, including the log cabin project we are talking about right now, all at the website.
Do not forget, they are regularly updating EdgeConstructionCompany.com, so you will want to check back frequently.
There are great links there to Houzz, Pinterest, and Facebook as well.
Mike, before we wrap up this conversation about this project, we are actually going to be talking this week about where you should start when it comes to doing a home remodeling project.
We have obviously been focusing a lot on the kitchen and that main floor, but you guys also did a couple of other spaces as well, didn’t you?
Mike:
We did.
In that area off the kitchen, there was this long, narrow space. I think laundry was downstairs, and this was sort of a big, long closet.
It was about 10 feet long and four feet wide.
We ended up putting cabinets in there and getting a stacked washer and dryer.
If you were building a new house, you might not build your laundry room to look like this one because it is not huge. There is not a lot of extra space in there, but it is very usable.
Trust me, I have stood in it.
It is going to work great and serve the purpose for these homeowners really well.
Host:
Bathrooms as well?
Mike:
We did.
There is a powder room, and there are pictures of that. That is a nice little update on the powder room.
They also had a guest bath downstairs with a shower and things. It was from the 1980s, so we freshened that up too, made it look brand new, and brought it up into the 2020s.
One interesting thing that you are not going to see in the pictures, by the way, is another design thing.
These homeowners are home, and their kids have long moved away, but they come visit once in a while.
There is a smaller bedroom behind this kitchen, or in front of the kitchen, on the other side. It had almost no closet. I think it did have a closet, but it was about two feet wide.
This bedroom backed up to the garage, and we came up with the idea of cantilevering out into the garage.
We got basically two five-foot reach-in closets, so they got a bunch more storage that way too.
It is a neat little touch you are not going to see in the pictures.
Host:
I keep saying “one last thing,” and I keep finding more things I want to ask you about.
I want to ask about the tile on the floor.
There are a couple of areas where I see some herringbone, kind of a natural stone look.
Is that a nice little entry area?
I was looking at some of the before pictures, and the flooring was all the same, from what I can tell.
Adding some different flooring spaces for the entryway, or at least making it look that way, is a pretty cool feature too.
Mike:
It is.
Designers love doing things like herringbone patterns.
On our side, I am like, “Really, we have to do a herringbone? That is so much more work.”
But when you see the result, it does add a lot. It is kind of a neat thing to do.
At least from my whining standpoint, it was not a backsplash this time, where you have to go around tons of things in that herringbone pattern.
I am laughing, but I do love the look.
That herringbone with certain tiles can really look nice on a floor.
Host:
There are also things people may not pick up on.
When you talk about the angles, it is not just making sure all the tiles fit nicely and are angled properly. You also have walls and other things, and making that cut to make those tiles fit the way they do is a significant skill.
I am looking at that and wondering how they pulled it off so it looks so perfect.
Having that training and experience makes that little area come together.
Mike:
It does.
But they also cheat.
Host:
Oh really?
Mike:
They do. There are some very cool tools out there to help you figure this out, and we have, I think, all of them.
The laser technology is very helpful.
I joke that they have it so much easier than I did back when I did this work.
Now we can set a laser on a pole, and it gives a perfect level line right through your walls. You make a few tick marks and throw grout up on the walls.
It is neat stuff, and it does help when we are doing things like herringbone pattern. We can start to experiment with that on the floor with the lasers and see where it is going to end up, so you do not end up with a weird cut somewhere.
To me, that is really visible.
Host:
That is amazing. It is really cool stuff.
We are talking this morning with Mike Twohig of Edge Construction.
Head over to the website right now, EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is Edge Construction Company dot com.
We will continue our conversation with Mike. We are going to talk about whole-home remodels, some of the big stuff, and a guide to how you should start and what you need to know about one of those bigger projects.
We will get the details from Mike next as the Home Remodeling Show with Edge Construction continues right here on 1310 WIBA.
Host:
This is the Home Remodeling Show, brought to you by Edge Construction. You can find them online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
It is a great website to learn more about Edge Construction. We just talked in the last segment about a recent remodel project involving a log cabin. It is a really cool project.
There are so many great new projects up at EdgeConstructionCompany.com. As a matter of fact, we will touch on a few of them in a future show as well.
While you are at EdgeConstructionCompany.com, click over to those links, whether it is Houzz, Pinterest, or Facebook, and see some other work. As mentioned, Houzz is a great tool as well.
Again, that is available to you at EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
Ready to remodel? Pick up the phone and give them a call at 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
We are talking this morning with Mike Twohig of Edge Construction.
Of course, we talk about smaller projects like kitchens and bathrooms, which are not small, but smaller on the scale of things because you guys also do a lot of big projects at Edge Construction.
Whole-home remodels are where we have started our conversation this week.
There are great benefits to doing multiple things at once and doing that whole-home remodel, including savings, right?
Mike:
Yes, if you are grouping projects.
Our bread and butter has always been kitchens and baths, and we do a ton of those.
But if we are there doing your kitchen or your first floor, and your primary bath needs it at some point and you can swing it, I always figure you get about a 25 to 30 percent discount on that second room or second project — whatever that tagalong project is.
It is all the same people.
If you saw behind the curtain on how things get budgeted, if I can add on our trades to do more work in another room, it is much less expensive than if I have to price it all separately, like we are coming there the first time to do that one job.
You are grouping demo, plumbing, mechanicals, and drywall. It makes quite a difference on the price.
Host:
It feels to me like every time we talk about a kitchen or a bathroom project, it is always, “Oh, and they did a laundry room.”
Is the laundry room always one of those things people add on to their current project?
That seems to be a popular one.
Mike:
It is popular, and I do not blame people.
If you go on a place like Houzz and search for a laundry room or that area by the garage, in newer houses, that is where the laundry room is.
If that is not finished out or is looking pretty dated, there are so many cool things you can do and so many great ideas online that I think it is an easy one for people to ask for.
Host:
Do people ever ask for just a laundry room as the only project?
Mike:
Sure. We have done several where we just came in to do laundry rooms.
It is not unheard of.
Sometimes it is because you built your house before you had kids, and you had this nice laundry and everything was organized.
Then you are in for a rude awakening, Sean.
Host:
Yes.
Mike:
All of a sudden, you have these kids making messes, there is nowhere to put anything, all your laundry is on the floor, and you do not know how it got there.
You need some organization, I think. That leads to a lot of it.
Host:
We are going to talk about some of those big projects next.
In the meantime, head over to the website, EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
Their telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
More of the Home Remodeling Show is next here on 1310 WIBA.
Host:
This is the Home Remodeling Show, brought to you by Edge Construction. You can find them online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is all one word, Edge Construction Company dot com.
Their telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
We are talking this week about doing a whole-home remodel.
Mike, we left off in the last segment about to start the conversation on whole-home remodels, and I went to the other end of the spectrum and started asking you about laundries, which are probably on the smaller side.
But whole-home remodels can bring savings.
I have to guess, for the homeowner, your designers, and everybody else, there is also something nice about starting with almost a clean slate.
You can say, “Across this house, what are the pinch points? What are the pain points? How can we make this whole area work better?”
Mike:
Right.
You have the advantage of not being hemmed in by anything other than, of course, beams and loads we have to carry. That is always going to be there, no matter what house you are living in or what era.
But if you are to the point where you are doing a whole-home remodel, meaning we are tearing stuff off and ripping it apart, that generally means you probably really do not like the original design, whoever did it or whoever built it.
Maybe it was dated, a sign of the times, small rooms, or maybe the kitchen is in the wrong spot. I am sure the kitchen is too small.
Even in houses that are fairly recent, when we remodel kitchens, I always think in terms of getting that room to join the rest of the house.
So it will have those problems.
But yes, you do get to start off with kind of a clean slate and ask, “Pie in the sky, what can we do here? How many of these issues can we fix?”
I will guarantee you it will not be 100 percent.
But if you can get to 80 or 90 percent of fixing the issues in that home, is that enough to stay there versus maybe building a new house?
It is very hard to find even a used house that fits the bill nowadays.
Host:
Before the break, we were talking specifically about laundry rooms.
You mentioned how things differ before and after kids.
People’s lives change. Maybe they have been in the house for 20 years, and now the kids are grown up and starting to move out.
As your lifestyle changes, updating your house to that lifestyle makes sense.
Maybe where you were 10 years ago when you moved in is not where you are now.
You have identified problems, but you also want to say, “Let’s make this house more conducive to who we are, what we are, and how we want to live our life.”
Mike:
Yes.
The kid thing probably drives over half of these kinds of projects for us.
Generally, people do not always go out and buy a house until they have gotten together with somebody and maybe had a child — maybe that first child.
You do not know what the future holds.
I think most people are not saying, “We are going to buy a house with four or five bedrooms just in case.”
It probably has more to do with what you can afford, what is in the budget, and what you have.
Now maybe you have a couple of kids.
We are doing a project like this right now. We are in the final third of it. We tore off the roof of this house over in Middleton and are going up a floor. We are redoing pretty much everything on the first floor and expanding the garage.
That was the only real addition with concrete.
We did go up and add three more bedrooms and a couple more baths upstairs.
I think that had a lot to do with this family’s size changing.
They had more kids, and there was nowhere to go anymore.
There are a lot of modest, smaller houses in Madison. They are great, but they are not great if you have five or six people in your family.
Host:
Do we see this becoming more common because of real estate?
I have looked at real estate, and my jaw drops every time I see it.
Maybe 10 or 20 years ago, people would have been on the market looking for a bigger home or a different home.
Now people are saying, “We love this neighborhood. We love this area. We love the mortgage we have.”
Interest rates are a factor.
Is some of that fueling this as well?
Mike:
I think all of that plays in.
Then add the scarcity of housing.
I remember being in business in the early 2000s, when it was all about the move-up place. You start off in a 1,500-square-foot house, and a couple of years later you can afford 1,800, maybe 2,500.
Those days are gone.
It does not seem like there is enough product out there for sale or enough on the market.
If you do not like your house, you may not be able to find another house in the same area.
Even in some of these more desirable spots, anywhere in Dane County, I do not think there are a ton of for-sale signs.
So you couple those things in: I love my neighborhood, my kids, the school we are in, or I just like living here. I am not going to be able to find what I need just around the corner.
Even if you did, if you remodel your own house, you get to pick things out. It is your choices, not moving into somebody else’s choices.
I think there is an advantage there too.
Host:
Let’s talk about that process.
You mentioned making your choices and making your decisions.
How does that differ from one of the smaller projects, or is it very similar to how everything gets initiated?
Mike:
I think it is similar to doing a smaller project, like a kitchen or bath. It just takes longer.
That initial design phase, just getting it into our office, takes longer.
If there is any kind of change to the exterior of the house, it takes longer to get the initial designs done because we draw it and price it. We build it in CAD before we even get to our first pricing.
There is quite a process there.
I notice that when we are doing a bigger project, there is a lot more to pick out.
Now you have flooring in the whole house, not just one room. You have cabinets in the same way.
I notice more people saying, “We are going to come in and work on the kitchen and maybe one of the baths, then take a little break for a week or two, and then come back in and hit the primary bath and some of these other things.”
That ongoing design process for some of these bigger projects can take six months very easily.
That is not our timeline. That is the homeowner’s.
You have to push it.
We like spending that upfront time. I think that is where you get the great pictures — when you spend your time on design and do your due diligence up front.
Host:
With the whole-home remodel, you mentioned there are a lot more decisions that need to be made.
With a kitchen or bathroom, there are already a lot of things to decide. But now you are replicating that across each space.
Also, with that design conversation, you mentioned doing it in CAD. Rather than looking at one space or one room, you are looking at multiple spaces, aren’t you?
Mike:
You are looking at multiples.
I like it when we can make basically all of those main decisions before contract. I think that is still a little unusual.
I hear it all the time from homeowners that they went into contracts with allowances, meaning they are going to put off picking out countertops until the kitchen is drywalled, and then they are going to pick something out.
When I talk to homeowners about that, it seems like they always went over on their allowance.
So if they had $10,000 in an allowance in their contract for countertops, can you buy countertops for $10,000? Yes, but you might not be able to buy the one you want.
I disagree with that kind of thinking because now you have to make decisions on design piecemeal. It is one at a time, instead of doing it all at one time where it should be.
You also have the stress of construction happening at the same time.
I know it can be stressful to do it upfront, but I think it is much less stressful. You make better decisions when you are not feeling rushed and do not have that stress of construction.
Host:
Think of the big picture. We are talking about projects that are going to last generations.
You may think, “It took us a few extra weeks in the design process to get it right.”
In the big picture, you will not even remember that. You will just be happy with the results.
I have to ask too, when we talk about whole-home remodeling and additions, whether going up or going out, that creates questions depending on the neighborhood or community.
There are going to be different rules, guides, and, in some cases, approvals before you can do those things to your very own home.
We will save that for a side thing, but you do have to work through that process as well.
Mike:
You do.
There could be covenants in your neighborhood.
We are very familiar with dealing with those situations.
Anybody who is in this business has to be able to provide you with all of the information you need to inundate your local board with, so they have answers to all those questions.
We have never had a problem, and I think good design leads to not having an issue with these projects.
Now, if you want to paint your house green and gold or purple and yellow, let’s not do that.
Host:
Please, at least not next to our house.
Mike:
That might have problems.
The permitting process can also have a lot of hoops to jump through. I am sure it is extremely tough to go through that if you are not experienced.
Even for us, we get surprised once in a while by a rule change or going from one municipality to another, even within Dane County or the communities surrounding Madison.
Sometimes we say, “When did this one pop up?”
But you have to expect that stuff.
Host:
I want to ask about tying in that addition.
We started this conversation this week talking about a recent log cabin remodel, and one of the most impressive things is how you tied the design together.
Especially if you are adding, going up, going out, or anything like that, you do not want to feel inside like you are leaving old construction and entering new construction.
On the outside, you do not want people driving by and saying, “Oh, look, they added that part onto the home.”
You want it to look fantastic, tied together, and like it has always been there.
That is also part of the process, isn’t it?
Mike:
You are a This Old House fan, right?
Host:
I am a huge fan.
Mike:
Did you ever see the magazine?
Host:
A whole library.
Mike:
I hope you can still get it.
My favorite page of that magazine was a back page titled “Remuddle,” and it was basically an acronym for “you messed up.”
It was that sore-thumb addition.
Those were the easy ones to pick on, and I can tell you how easy that is to do.
All of this design is happening in CAD. You need some vision to make this work.
Sometimes we have been asked to do additions that are going to be the remuddle. They are just trying to accomplish the addition.
I do not really want to do that. I want it to look like it should have always been there.
My idea with additions is that the house should look like it should have been built like this before that addition.
That is a very tough thing to do. It takes some design talent.
Host:
We always talk about the slider feature on your website at EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
One of the great things is that, even before you had the slider, I remember many times saying, “I do not see how this finished product connects with what it was before.”
That is a testament to the work and design.
You literally have to have those pictures to see the connection because it is so seamless.
That is one of those areas where, when you do it right, you know it. If you do it wrong, you really know.
Mike:
Yes.
Host:
We are talking this morning with Mike Twohig, owner of Edge Construction.
We will continue our conversation with Mike and talk a little more about whole-home remodels, additions, story additions, basements, and some other areas folks are using to maximize space.
We will do all of that next.
In the meantime, if you have been to the website, EdgeConstructionCompany.com, head over there now.
The telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
Edge Construction brings you the Home Remodeling Show here on 1310 WIBA.
Host:
This is the Home Remodeling Show, brought to you by Edge Construction. You can find them online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
That is all one word, Edge Construction Company dot com.
It is a great website and resource to learn more about Edge Construction.
There are also some great links to Pinterest, Houzz, and Facebook, all at EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
If you have not seen Houzz yet, by the way, it is an amazing tool and a great resource to get ideas.
Again, just head over to EdgeConstructionCompany.com, click that link, and then give them a call at 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
We are talking whole-home remodeling this week and how to start getting that process rolling.
As we talk about how to start and when to start, right now is a really good time, Mike.
Timing-wise and big picture, as I look at the forecast and what we have all experienced, it is a good time of year to start these planning conversations for a remodel, isn’t it?
Mike:
It is.
I will tell you how construction goes, at least here in Dane County.
When people really start rolling on looking at doing projects is right after the holidays. That is great. It is a good time for us. We are looking at a lot of jobs, starting to plan our year, and getting into design.
But on the bigger projects especially, that is one reason I wanted to talk about these today.
This is when things get rolling for next year, especially on bigger projects.
If you are looking at doing one of these bigger projects, whether it is an addition or a whole-home remodel, now is the time.
I think we do more than anybody, and we limit ourselves to three or four a year.
We have a heck of a workforce. We do almost everything in house, so we have a lot of capability. But any more than that, I think everybody would quit at Edge Construction.
So we have to make a limit because we are not able to do that many of those types of jobs.
I talked about how long it takes to plan them.
We do have time for next summer, and some of the reasons are that things are going better.
We have heard nothing but gloom and doom on the production side of construction for the last few years, dealing with material shortages, price increases, and labor shortages.
I will tell you that it is turning around for us on our end.
Our materials have gotten more predictable. Even the workforce is firming up a little bit.
We are really happy about that.
All of that means I can take some time out of schedules and make things go a little better. It also affects our pricing.
If we do not have to figure as much extra stuff in, and we have more stability, then our pricing gets a little better.
That is where we are headed.
I think this is going to be a great year to do projects, but please get it rolling.
Host:
It is a great day to pick up that phone.
Give them a call at 608-636-3343. That is 636-EDGE to start that conversation.
As things are stabilizing, one great thing that works well is having the space to do staging, to get stuff in, and to get all the pieces put together at Edge Construction.
When the construction process begins with actual demo and that work, having that stuff ready to go really expedites the physical remodel as well.
Mike:
Right.
If you look at our back shop at Edge Construction in Monona, we have a pretty good capacity to store things.
The reason we need it is to make things run better.
We are not going to start your kitchen until we have the cabinets in our hands.
If you go in our back shop right now, I think we have five or six kitchens back there. One is rolling out this week.
I think pretty much one a week is going out, sometimes two a week, depending on whether it is an easier job.
That is a great thing for us to have.
Occasionally, we have tile sitting there for three or four months because we ordered it at contract time, set start dates once we had the cabinets, and now it is there when we need it.
Eli does all our tile for us in house.
It is great for him. I can say, “Is the tile for this job in the back?”
“Yes.”
“All right, just load it on the truck, and let’s go. Let’s get rolling.”
Host:
I feel like we are just getting started on this, but we will probably have to do a couple of programs on whole-home and significant remodeling projects.
One of the areas we mentioned is that when you go through the design process, one nice thing about giving yourself lead time is it gives you time to think.
There are so many different options and so much out there.
We talk about smaller projects and all the things available to the homeowner for that remodel, but with a whole home, there is even more.
Having time to think, “Is this the flooring we want? Are these the fixtures?” is a huge benefit.
At the end, you have a project that is absolutely perfect in every way.
Mike:
Yes, and we call that reaction time.
If you pick out a tile, we are probably going to send you home with a sample of it, and you might not call us back for a week or two. It gives you a chance to get used to that product.
Occasionally, somebody will say, “You know what? We want something a little bit lighter. We are not sure if we like it.”
Okay, we will go back to the starting board.
You mentioned the choices and how overwhelming they can be, and they are.
But we have cabinets, countertops, and flooring choices in our showroom. Our designers also pull from other showrooms around town.
We pull the things we like, the things that are in style, and the things that work in our designs, which means they fit well into budgets and are available.
Those things strip out a lot of options.
You may think, “I have to look through 10,000 tile samples.” You really do not.
You might have to look through 10 or 20. We will help you.
That is a big advantage.
Host:
The other great advantage, as we talk about technology and folks using Pinterest and Houzz, is that your design team can quickly pick up on what homeowners are going to like based on experience and understanding.
We have mentioned Houzz, Pinterest, Facebook, and all that great stuff from Edge Construction.
All you have to do is head over to the website, EdgeConstructionCompany.com, and get some great design inspiration and remodeling ideas.
Then just pick up the phone and give them a call at 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
Edge Construction brings you the Home Remodeling Show right here on 1310 WIBA.