How to Keep a Remodeling Project Running Smoothly
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.
Their telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is so easy to remember: 636-EDGE.
We will probably talk about some great recent projects posted on the website at some point during the program because it is always like that shiny thing. There are cool projects and great distractions out there.
Check it out online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com. They are always updating the website. There are also links there to Pinterest, Facebook, and a really cool one, Houzz. Again, just head over to EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
Mike, how are you doing this morning?
Mike:
Great, Sean.
Host:
That has to be great. You work in a business that provides shiny things — those beautiful distractions. Even if you are not necessarily looking to do a kitchen remodel or anything, it is always so much fun to scroll through those pictures, see the before and after, and just daydream.
That has to be pretty exciting and rewarding for you, Mike.
Mike:
I have friends who do not get to see the results of their work.
When you are in construction, everything you do every day is visible. You are watching this project grow up and up and up, and everything is going there.
I always think that is one of the greatest things about this job. You can never go home and say, “Well, I do not know. I feel like I just put another drop in the bucket.”
You make a big impact.
By the way, I know everybody in the world is saying they need employees, and we need good ones too. We train, and I think people underestimate how great these jobs are right now in the trades.
If you know somebody — maybe you have a niece, nephew, or somebody who is not sure what they are going to do — any of the trades, not just us, have a real need.
If you are the kind of person who is going to stand out doing whatever you are going to do, you are going to stand out in the trades too. It really pays off.
I always make fun of Dale, our master electrician. We will be in meetings, and I am talking about a stairway, beautiful cabinets, and all these things. I have everybody’s attention except Dale.
Then as soon as the conversation switches to under-cabinet lights, Dale lights up. That is all he thinks about.
I could not do it because I love the art side of what we do. If you are a carpenter, especially a finish carpenter, or one of our designers, there is an obvious art to that.
For those of us on the carpenter side, there is always another level. There is always a new thing, a new way to do something, a better way to do something, and you can add your artistic flair to it.
It is pretty amazing.
Host:
You mentioned adding your artistic flair, being a finish carpenter, and seeing those finished products.
It is amazing to have, as you mentioned, the progress and the completion. It is tangible. There is a start, a middle, and a finish.
We are going to be talking about going through that process and having a smooth-running construction project.
Of course, we have all seen TV shows or heard stories of projects that go awry. They do not all run smooth.
What is the line? The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Mike:
Yes, it can happen.
Host:
But the important thing is having a good process and a good plan in place to really minimize, and work to eliminate, as many of those hiccups as possible.
I think it probably starts with that upfront conversation.
Maybe folks say, “I have this kitchen. The drawers are sticking. They are not opening or closing like they want. The finish and hardware are worn. Some of the doors are maybe hanging a little crooked. We have those soffits we do not like.”
It starts with identifying a problem, and then saying, “Let’s start working toward a solution.”
That is where the conversation with you guys starts, isn’t it?
Mike:
Yes.
With some homeowners, it is reasons one through five why they hate their kitchen.
The doors are falling off, there are soffits, there is no place to entertain, and at some point, you do need to start over.
On the design side, from that first meeting, I guarantee the designer I bring along already has ideas and is thinking, “Okay, if we change this and this and maybe open this up…”
There are going to be ideas you just have not thought of.
It is a process to get all that stuff out and get through the design process, but I think it is so worth it.
On our remodeling side, we spend time on design. On average, we spend as much time in design as we do from the first meeting at your door to writing a contract.
One hundred percent of that time is not spent sitting down and doing things. A lot of it is that we change something on a plan, give it back to you, and then you have time to react.
We call it reaction time. It gives you time to go over it.
Host:
You and I have a mutual friend, and we will call him Greg B.
Technically, a lot of people know who that is.
This past week, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw he had posted something from Thanksgiving, including a picture of his kitchen.
I was looking at this kitchen, thinking, “Gosh, this thing is beautiful.”
Then I thought, “Wait, Mike did that kitchen.”
How long ago was that? A number of years ago?
Mike:
Yes, it must be five or six years ago, something like that.
Host:
It looks brand new still.
Mike:
Greg, on the radio.
That was an interesting house, and this gets to why it is worth spending time on design.
On our remodeling side, we are not in a huge rush.
When you build a house, by the way, it is fast. We pick on builders a little bit, but it is true. It is a fast process.
The builder says, “What size house do you want? Two-story or ranch? Okay, that narrows it down. Here are five plans to pick from. Each plan has two or three different kitchens. Which one do you want? Now we are going to have a selection where we pick out everything.”
It is like, “Oh boy, how much thought and design really went into that project?”
Not much. Not enough.
That house was built in the 1990s, and it was kind of a sign of the times. That is how almost every house built in that era looked — 1990s, early 2000s, maybe up to 2010.
It was a U-shaped kitchen, patio door, with a table in front of it. It was not good for entertaining.
There were a lot of corners in that kitchen.
We did a bunch of neat stuff there.
Aside from all the products, you can put great flooring and pick out a really neat backsplash in a kitchen that is poorly designed. But coming up with the ideas to make that kitchen work better is the real trick.
Host:
When we go back to the five things people hate about their kitchen, is it typically that people reach a breaking point?
Maybe that one sticky drawer, the one you have to use a butter knife to pry open, was tolerable for a couple of years. But then another pull came off, and finally now is the time.
Is there sometimes the straw that broke the camel’s back?
Mike:
There are kind of two things at work.
One is that the truck has bald tires.
Host:
Yes.
Mike:
You are not going to make it too many more miles. You are going to run out of gas. The doors are falling off.
We see that.
But what really bothers people more is poor design.
It is the family that cannot eat together in the kitchen. It is that it is terrible for entertaining. You just do not feel like you can have friends and family over and do a decent job of it. Nothing flows.
We would probably be surprised by the fantastic food people can cook in a terrible kitchen.
Go to Europe. The kitchens are six feet long, and they make great food.
So it is not necessarily that.
There are times where I walk into a master bath that needs to be remodeled, and we open up the shower and there is plastic taped to the wall because the tile has leaked and gotten rotten. The grout has gotten rotten, and water is passing through and making dirty spots in the ceiling underneath.
There are things where something just has to be done.
A lot of us do not want to throw good money after bad. You start combining those things together.
Families are tough on things. Kitchens get a lot of use. Think how much time you spend in there and what all happens in there.
Host:
That is a great point.
You mentioned poor design. I think of those U-shaped kitchens where you see that peninsula, and then they would put the cupboards hanging down above it.
It is like they really locked in that weird conversation.
Whether it is your home or you are visiting friends or family, you see that design and think, “What is going on?”
Mike:
They started to mirror that peninsula with upper cabinets.
You would be shocked, or maybe not shocked, to see how many houses we have walked into where homeowners got frustrated and actually took those cabinets down.
They unscrewed them, took them down, and tossed them just so the kitchen could join the rest of the house.
That is a big part of design.
We have remodeled kitchens that were not really that old, and the goal is always to get it to join the rest of the house.
That is an extreme example, with cabinets hanging down, but there are still quite a few of those out there.
Host:
What about bathrooms?
Soon we will walk through all the different areas that start to become red flags for folks.
You mentioned having to seal off a shower with another shower curtain against the wall or some type of tarp.
With bathrooms, if it is one that is out of the way, maybe on the second story that only the family sees, it probably does not get as much attention.
But the main-level bathroom that guests are going to use can really make an impression, whether it is a bigger space or smaller space.
Having a new design, modern sinks, and other features — there are so many cool things out there for folks, and it does not have to cost a ton of money to do a main-level bathroom.
That is generally not a big, expensive item, right?
Mike:
Right.
You are not going to do the same things in a powder bath that you would in a primary bath.
A powder bath is probably smaller. A primary bath has that deal where you really want to get it right.
For a powder bath or common bath, one fun thing is that you can let the creative juices flow a little bit. It can be more of a statement piece.
You can take chances on design. You can use products that are maybe a little fancier.
We have done several of those with more of a furniture-style vanity, and it becomes a neat thing because it gets seen by everybody.
It is not just a utilitarian upstairs bath or kids’ bath.
You can take some chances and do some things you would not normally do.
Budget-wise, they are pretty friendly because they are not big. They do not have the big soaker tubs. There is just not enough room to do a big stand-up shower, tile showers, and all of those things.
It is a smaller space.
Host:
The common thread through all of this is starting with good design.
I wonder, with the powder bath, do you often see that paired with something like a kitchen project?
We are doing the kitchen, so let’s plus this space. Or we are going to redo the basement or another bathroom, so let’s add that.
It seems like the perfect add-on to a project.
Mike:
We are seeing that a lot more, which is good.
We are in a trend where people are waiting a little longer between remodels, and when they do it, they want it to flow better.
It is not just a flip-type remodel where we pull cabinets out and put cabinets in, then worry about other things later.
It is, “How do we really want this whole first floor to look? Because now is our chance to get it all.”
This week, we did another job just like this where we pretty much remodeled the whole first floor. A lot of that remodel was refinishing wood floor and adding on to wood floor that was already there.
That is something we do in-house.
I was helping Kyle there a couple of days ago put the finish down. We use this really great Bona product, and to me, that is a really rewarding thing.
Instead of this flip idea where you can clearly see where somebody did the kitchen and then later did a powder bath, flooring in the hallways, and the entries, it all happened at one time.
It really flows, and now you can decide what you really want it to look like.
Host:
Are those also some of the projects people are surprised by?
Maybe they had not thought of including the smaller powder bath as part of the project.
They might say, “We want to redo our kitchen.”
Then the conversation starts, and as they look at some of the possibilities, they say, “This may be something we had not thought about, but it certainly fits with what we are going to do.”
Since you already have the guys there, it makes it very cost effective at the same time.
Mike:
That is something we will always bring up because not everybody realizes that if we are there for the primary project — say the primary project is the kitchen — we know that is going to happen.
If we can price some other things in just to get a look at doing them at the same time, that helps.
It cannot be that we do the kitchen, then later come back and do the bathroom.
But if we can do it all, I always figure on that secondary project, you are getting a 20 to 30 percent break because it is the same people.
If we are doing drywall in the kitchen and we do a little more in a bath, I can give you a really good deal on that.
Same for installing cabinets and flooring.
When we just add another area, our cost is a lot less. It is a lot more efficient to do it that way.
So it is a great time to do it.
Sometimes designers will draw this stuff and give you different looks.
Homeowners are ahead of us on this sometimes too. They will say, “We know we have to do the kitchen, but can you please show us what it would take to do this other space?”
Host:
It is a really good time to start that conversation today.
If you have been thinking about remodeling, Mike and the team would love to talk with you.
Just pick up the phone and call 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
The website is EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is all one word, Edge Construction Company dot com.
Edge Construction brings you the Home Remodeling Show 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. Also check back there regularly. They are always updating with new projects at EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
There are also links to Houzz, Pinterest, and Facebook. Houzz is a great place to get ideas. Head over to EdgeConstructionCompany.com, click that link, and you can see more projects they have been working on.
We are talking this week about a smooth-running construction project — a guide and roadmap to that.
Mike, the word design has come up a few times in this conversation.
Good design leads to good results, doesn’t it?
Mike:
It does.
I think that is the start of everything.
I am thinking back to most of my career. I enjoyed the glory of being the carpenter who put everything together and did not really think much about designers. In fact, they were kind of a pain. They always wanted you to do something different and change something.
But that was before I had designers working for me.
Now I do not get to say that stuff anymore. They are not a pain. They do not give us weird stuff to do.
It would be great for the carpenters to take all the credit for these fantastic pictures online, but we know without great design, we do not really have a job to do.
From a homeowner standpoint, there are a ton of benefits, aside from being able to see an end result that was better than you could have possibly hoped for.
We hear that quite a bit.
Most people do not enjoy wading through 10,000 different options for tile and 500 different options for faucets.
Good designers get to know you and your style. With this animal that is CAD, they know great ways to filter out some of those things and narrow down choices.
When you come to our showroom, our people are not going to show you every tile in the world. They are going to show you five, or more if you really need that.
We pull from just about every place in town.
Our showroom is constantly updated, so we do not have things in there that are out of date. You can go fancy, but the challenge for our designers is to find all the cool stuff that also fits into the budget.
Instead of $50-a-foot tile, it is $5- to $10-a-foot tile.
All of those things go into it, and it really does need to be somebody’s job. It is just a lot of work to do this.
Homeowners have jobs in this also, by the way. You do not get off scot-free.
You should be going online to places like Houzz. That is the clearinghouse now for design in our industry.
There are a tremendous number of pictures and things on there that you can see. If you are searching for a certain thing, even if you do not quite know what it is but have a picture in your head, a lot of times on Houzz or Pinterest, to a lesser extent, you can find those things.
That can really help you, and in turn, it gives your designer more clues about how to make you happy in the end.
Host:
When you are working with a designer, one of the important things is helping narrow down the infinite selections.
You think about how many variations of tile are out there, then different faucets, and all the other choices.
Having a designer who can narrow that down matters.
The other thing is Houzz. I know with Edge Construction and your Houzz page, you obviously get a lot of local people on your page, but also people from around the world.
I guess that probably goes both ways.
There are probably times where somebody brings in a photo of a kitchen or has it in their Houzz profile and says, “I really like this tile,” but maybe the picture was taken from a kitchen remodeled in Scotland.
Having a designer with knowledge of what that is, where to find that type of tile, that type of style, or that type of design that is available domestically and through your sources, is a great thing.
There are so many options, and having somebody who can help you narrow it down and acquire those things is a big skill that might be underappreciated.
Mike:
It is.
It is really cool when a homeowner invests in their project like that, when they are willing to get out there and pound the internet and find some looks they like.
Sometimes it is not perfect. Maybe you are not even sure why you like it. You just like it.
But a good designer is going to help and say, “Okay, I see where you are going. We can get you that look with products we have here.”
Another great benefit on the product side is that a designer is not just wading through all the options.
There are a lot of options we probably do not want to install, whether it is a quality thing or maybe it is not as accessible as you think. Maybe we cannot get that product very easily.
Especially now, with supply chain issues, things have gotten better and a little more predictable, but they are still not where they need to be.
We need to think about that.
If we order this product, we are not going to show you a product we cannot get. We are not going to show you a product that does not fit your budget. We are not going to show you a product we have quality worries about.
That seems to be the next thing coming in our industry.
A lot of these products are made out of the country. They show up here, the price point is really good, and they look good, but maybe they are not holding together over time.
That is another thing we are always looking at.
Host:
Something too with CAD and other tools is that design is much more real than it ever used to be.
I look at some of the renderings you guys have up on EdgeConstructionCompany.com, and it is staggering how much realism and detail go into them.
For homeowners going through the design process, having that image they can rotate and actually picture how everything comes together is helpful.
We talk about all those different options and concepts. To actually have them come together before any demo has begun, before anything is put together, has to be really helpful for the homeowner.
Mike:
I think it is.
Increasingly, we get homeowners who say, “I just cannot picture this. I need help.”
We have that.
Our CAD programs have gotten so good. I like looking at the renderings and seeing how close we got.
There are a lot of times we look at our finished rendering, whatever we went to contract with, and if you hold it up in front of this kitchen, it is really close.
I think what can really help is the combination of holding those products in your hand and having the rendering.
If you have that rendering there and you are thinking, “Okay, I can almost visualize this,” now you can hold a cabinet door in the color you are interested in, along with a good-sized countertop sample, the flooring, and whatever else goes in.
Some of these colors and textures are going to end up on the job, including the backsplash tile.
Then it really helps. It really brings that rendering home.
Host:
We are talking this morning with Mike Twohig, owner of Edge Construction.
The website is EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is Edge Construction Company dot com.
If you have some ideas and want to bring those ideas into your home, all you have to do is pick up the phone and call 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE — E-D-G-E.
We will continue our conversation with Mike and talk more about putting together a smooth-running construction project next as the Home Remodeling Show with Edge Construction continues right here on 1310 WIBA.
Host:
You are listening to the Home Remodeling Show with Edge Construction. Email your questions to EdgeConstructionRadio@gmail.com.
Once again, here is 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.
Their telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
We are talking about a roadmap and guide for a smooth-running construction project. So far this morning, we have been talking about design specifically because it is such a major part of the remodeling process.
Mike, I have to guess you and the designers work with a variety of personality types.
Some people, like my wife, want to be very involved with every step and almost take themselves on as a team member.
Other people say, “These are our ideas. Let’s see what you can do.”
I am guessing it runs the gamut as far as how involved people want to be in the day-to-day design.
Mike:
It does.
There are people who are not comfortable at all making decisions on that kind of stuff.
We always hope, if there is a couple involved, one of them likes to make decisions because it is hard.
When we have somebody who is fully vested, very interested, and really buys into the process, I think it is great. It is easier for the designers because you are getting feedback, and it is easier to figure out what somebody likes.
When somebody comes in and says, “I want to remodel my kitchen,” I ask, “Have you done any homework? Have you been online?”
If they say, “No, I have no idea,” then I am going to give them some jobs.
You need to have some skin in the game also.
We try to coax them along and get them involved in the process because you are going to have to live with it. We want you to want to live with this for a long time.
It should not just be somebody making decisions for you.
Host:
It is an important relationship being established up front.
When you think about remodeling your home, your biggest investment is your house. If you are blessed enough to be a homeowner, you want to make sure that is a good, solid relationship.
One of the things you guys experience a lot at Edge Construction is people who have you come in — maybe you did their basement or primary bath — and then a couple of years later they say, “Mike, we are looking to do the kitchen.”
Having that relationship is not just for one project. It generally leads to people saying, as years go by, that they will either recommend you to others or call you back when it comes time for other spaces.
Those repeat clients are the best kind.
Mike:
Yes.
Before we went on, we were looking at Houzz. Our first project on Houzz is actually a repeat customer. It is the green kitchen with the unbelievable little pantry behind the kitchen that we got in there.
We had actually done this couple’s two upstairs baths a couple of years before that.
I am not saying remodeling is not a tough process. It is.
I am not saying nothing went wrong on those baths. I am sure something did.
But the homeowners got the end result they wanted. I think they were pretty happy, and I know they love their new kitchen.
That is very satisfying for somebody in our business.
The process is never perfect, but we need to overlook that a little bit, get through the project, and really get to the end result.
If there are going to be hiccups along the way, we have to realize that stuff happens.
It is very satisfying for us when somebody calls us back after a year or two.
Host:
It is so cool to have people not only call you back, but also tell other people about their experience.
One of the big things I hear from people who have worked with you guys at Edge Construction is that they tell other people about their experience.
If it is done right, it is one of those things that, in the history of living in your home, you are probably going to remodel that kitchen once, and you want to make sure it is done right.
Having people say, “We worked with Mike. We worked with Edge Construction. If you are going to do it, these are the people to go with,” has to feel rewarding.
Mike:
It is very nice.
Believe it or not, about half of our business comes from repeat customers and close referrals. I would like to say it all comes from the radio, but about half is repeat customers and close referrals.
A lot of people are in their house thinking, “I cannot envision what to do with this place.”
If you get into somebody’s kitchen that was remodeled, and a lot of times it is a similar house, it gets the juices flowing.
Host:
We are talking this morning with Mike Twohig, owner of Edge Construction. The website is EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
If you are thinking about doing that remodel, check out the work on the website and then pick up the phone and call 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
One of the less glamorous but most vital parts of a remodel is the B word: budget.
That is an area where working with a good designer who understands your budget and looks at price points is important.
It is amazing what can be done.
We have been talking about design. There are different types of materials that can achieve the same look at different price points.
It is important to have that conversation and say — and I know at Edge Construction this is important — let’s talk about the money and the budget in order to accomplish the goal of that beautiful remodel job everybody wants.
Budget really makes the world go around on this stuff, doesn’t it?
Mike:
It does.
If you are not talking about money, you are not really talking about anything.
You probably would not believe me if I said most of our homeowners come in and say, “We have an unlimited budget, and you can take all the time you want.”
Host:
That would be interesting.
Mike:
They would probably have to pick me up off the floor.
People tend to say the same things. They do not want to overinvest in their house. They want to do what makes sense.
We are totally on board with that.
We live in normal land. I like to say most people live in normal land. If you are trying to keep a lot of craftspeople busy in this business, you have to work in normal land.
When it comes to budget, the discretionary money — the money you have to play with — is not in the stuff behind the wall: plumbing, electrical, heating, and all that stuff.
You really do not have much choice there.
It is in the things you can see.
If you are going to save money or need to push the budget, it is going to happen on countertops and, to a lesser extent, cabinets. It may happen on some flooring choices.
We have a really good floor that we will not go beneath. If you are going to spend this money, and I have to stand behind the product, I do not want to put stuff in your house that I am nervous about or that I know is going to fail.
We do not really go below that line.
I say we do not really because occasionally we have been pushed if somebody says, “I have used this product before, and I really want it.”
Usually, that is a mistake.
Right now, I think we are headed for a little minefield in some of the products out there. I talked about it just a little before.
I think a good designer and a good remodeling company are worth their salt because they will try to steer you around some of those pitfalls: products that look great but really are not going to last.
Host:
You mentioned living in normal land.
As Midwesterners, we are very practical.
When it comes to design, there are trends, and then there are trends.
Sometimes you see things on TV flip shows or other remodeling shows where they do bonkers, far-out, weird things, and you wonder if that is really going to stand the test of time.
A good designer will not only design something that looks great right now, but as you build for quality and longevity, that design should hold up through that lifetime as well.
Mike:
Yes, that is a great point.
How long is that poor design going to last?
If kitchens are being remodeled because the tires are bald, that means you have worn it out. That could have happened prematurely because poor products were put in there, or it could have happened because it has been 50 years.
How long is a bath supposed to last? It is going to die at some point.
What is painful is when you have a poorly designed space and then nobody likes it, so it gets remodeled.
Now it is wasteful. We are throwing away good products because we did not spend enough time on design or did not work with somebody who could help us navigate that part of it.
It is also very expensive.
Doing things twice is never the way to go.
Host:
It is important to work with a good designer and a good team.
The folks at Edge Construction would love to talk with you if you are looking to do some remodeling.
Check out the website, EdgeConstructionCompany.com, and then pick up the phone and call 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
We will continue our conversation with Mike Twohig of Edge Construction 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. The website is EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is all one word, Edge Construction Company dot com.
Their telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
During the break, we were talking about vacation things and how people all have their own lifestyle, their own things that make them unique, and things they love.
Does that come into the design process?
For example, if somebody is way into nature and the outdoors, or maybe they love lighthouses, does that come into the design process?
If you are very into woodsy, natural things, maybe that means more natural looks and natural design.
Do lifestyle interests come into the conversation?
Mike:
I think a little bit.
If you have that interest in something, you should definitely talk to your designer about it.
It would be a great idea to discuss it and say, “Listen, I like this.”
Now, it does not mean you have to design lighthouses into the space.
We had a house we worked on a long time ago. It was a great big house in the hills southwest of Madison. Beautiful house, fantastic house.
I remember coming back. We did this fantastic, huge cherry kitchen.
At some point, I came back and the homeowners had taken this fake grape-leaf vine thing and put it all over their walls around the kitchen.
I thought, “Wow, that did not pass the designer stage.”
There are things where you should let your passions influence the design, but probably not design around them. I do not know if that makes sense.
Host:
Absolutely.
You do not want to build a replica lighthouse in the middle of the kitchen.
Mike:
It would be fun.
Host:
What about something more subtle, like lifestyle things?
For example, how do you cook, or what do you like to cook?
Mike:
That definitely comes into it.
There are people who are gourmet-level cooks at home, and they have very specific needs. They want a kitchen that performs in a certain way, and products are important to them.
I always approach it from the other side and say, “Okay, we want to do all that stuff. It has to work well for that level of cooking, but we also want it to be beautiful. We want you to be able to entertain in this kitchen.”
If you have kids, they might be doing homework in there.
You also want it to join the rest of the house.
All those goals we have on every kitchen are still there.
We have not talked about universal design today, or lighting, or all the things we should talk about.
Host:
As usual, you and I start, and then we realize we had 15, 16, or 20 other things we should have touched on.
I wanted to ask about something. Correct me if I am wrong, but not too long ago, you guys literally designed a kitchen around a range, right?
Was there some very specialized cooking appliance?
Mike:
It definitely influenced the design.
It was right on Lake Monona. We tore part of the house off and started rebuilding it back on.
We had a great big Sub-Zero fridge and a four-foot-wide Wolf oven that we basically had to build the addition around. We did not have a good way to get those in otherwise.
I think they can probably get them out if they are really motivated at some point in their life, or if they need to for some reason. Hopefully, I am retired by then.
But it was easier to build around them.
That was kind of a fun thing.
You cannot put those kinds of products in a normal smaller kitchen because it is going to look weird. That was a pretty good-sized kitchen, so I would say it got designed around those products.
I was actually in that kitchen last week because now that homeowner wants to do their primary bath.
Those products look like they fit. They look normal in that kitchen. In my kitchen, they would look kind of weird and oversized, but in that one, they look pretty good.
Host:
That goes back to the design process, scale, and proper size.
That is the art of design.
We were talking about a construction project, and I think we just touched on the very initial part of this. We may have to do a complete series on it.
We are talking with Mike Twohig of Edge Construction.
If you are thinking about remodeling, it is a great day to head over to the website, EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That is all one word, Edge Construction Company dot com.
Their telephone number is 608-636-3343. That number is 636-EDGE.
Edge Construction brings you the Home Remodeling Show right here on 1310 WIBA.