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“The only source of knowledge is experience.” –Albert Einstein
The quote above reflects the My House Design/Build Team to a tee. Graeme Huguet, managing director, has been renovating houses for over fifteen years and also went through a renovation on his own home.
Graeme and his wife Tammy, have been sharing their renovation experience with the public all throughout British Columbia. Their presentation, “How to live through a renovation” has been presented at several home shows and seminars.
After living through their own renovation with their three young children, they have gained knowledge and experience, and have a few recommendations to help others during a renovation.
“When we talk to clients’ prior to the start of the renovation or doing a public presentation, we use ourselves as an example of what they are going to go through. Whether they are going to have a bathroom renovated or – which is the most common – kitchens and family rooms. People just don’t realize the impact it has on their family, on their relationships, and on their budget.” Graeme says.
He and Tammy give the presentation together, because they share solid information from both perspectives.
“My wife talks about what it means when you stay in the home for the duration of the renovation and the difficulty of having to juggle between different rooms while certain rooms are being renovated,” says Graeme.
“The bottom line she recommends is, if at all possible, don’t go there. If you move out, you’ll save yourself a lot of stress and a lot of money. Your relationship with your spouse or children won’t be strained either. Renovations cause a lot of strain.”
Renovations can also take on a life of their own…as you see what’s possible in a home, what started as, ‘Sweetie, I need a new linoleum floor in the kitchen’ turns into a kitchen island, a new tile floor, a garden window,” she says, and adds that last-minute changes are a part of any renovation.
“There are always going to be things that don’t happen the way you want. No matter how well planned out, that’s just the way it is.”
Graeme feels that going through his own live-in renovation has given him invaluable experience as a designer/builder when he talks to clients. He did have control during his own renovation, which he admits was much easier during the process. He talks about the importance of due diligence when picking a contractor, because clients are dependent on their contractor to actually follow through with the renovation.
The first thing Graeme recommends to new clients is to talk to other clients who have gone through the same process that they are about to go through.
The next thing to take into consideration, he says, is the family make-up; if you are a family of two people with no kids and no pets, then it’s easier to stay in place during a renovation than if you are a family with three kids and a dog. It’s about all the dynamics of the particular household, he notes.
“Families can live in the house through most of the renovations, but the hardest ones are when the kitchen is being renovated. And as with most television home makeover programs, they do not give an accurate picture of how long renovations take, so many homeowners think it will take a shorter amount of time than it actually does. [Television] shows a whole house being built in seven days, but what they don’t show is the previous months spent organizing everything … and the hundreds of people working 24 hours a day to complete the project.” says Graeme.
In order to accommodate the families who do stay in-house, My House Design/Build Team sets clients up with a temporary living space, within their home, that is separate from where the renovation will take place.
Tammy notes that if you are planning to live at home through a renovation, it’s a good idea to plan for the “unforeseen budget” – the takeout food, the hotel for a few nights to get away from it all, and perhaps, putting the dog(s) in a kennel for some of the work.
“If we kept laughing and talking about what [the renovation is] going to be like when it’s finished, it helped.” She speaks from their experience, and adds some advice: “Being flexible enough with each other…giving each other the grace to know that what is said [during renovations] isn’t necessarily meant.”
During a full-house renovation in Port Coquitlam, the homeowners vacated the house for the six months it took to complete the project.
This stunning, re-designed home, including the landscaping, garnered My House Design/Build Team three Georgie Awards.
The Georgie awards are the coveted awards of excellence given by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of British Columbia, and the Port Coquitlam renovation netted the team three accolades.
The Kitchen was also awarded Best Kitchen Renovation in Canada by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association.
Then, to top off an amazing year, the company was awarded Best Landscape by the B.C. Landscape and Nursery Association. While the praise from their peers is great, a letter from the homeowners, post renovation, likely gives the Best kudos of all: they praise the excellence of the work, the time and effort taken to understand the family’s vision, and the high standard work ethic of all the sub-trades.
And that is the level of satisfaction that My House Design/Build Team strives for every time, says Graeme.
This article, along with many others, is featured in the Febuary 2010 edition of BC Renonation. You can find it at news stands all over BC or click the picture above for an electronic PDF version. (Requires Adobe Reader)
Graeme and Tammy were also on Radio Real Estate to talk about their seminar and give additional tips on the air.
If you want to listen to it in person, the next one is scheduled for the GVHBA Home Renovation Seminar, on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at the Croatian Cultural Centre (3250 Commercial Drive, Vancouver). Doors open at 6 p.m. and the seminar is from 7 – 9 p.m. This is a free seminar, and seats will fill up fast, so please register at the GVHBA website.
Tags: Renovations
