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Posts from the ‘Client’s Eye View’ Category

Mar 13

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Starting Small

by Nancy Ranchel

Did you get to the Arciform house on the Tour of Remodeled Homes last weekend? It was amazing!

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The problem with wandering through a gorgeous house is that it makes me want to start a project at my own house. Does this happen to you? Did you look at the kitchen in the tour house and think – Forget the college fund, I need new cupboards (check out the custom island Arciform / Versatile made for this house). Those ungrateful kids can take out loans.

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Is this immediately followed by a mental calculation of costs versus your current budget, plus a guilty thought about how much you like your kids? Same here – except about the kids. After just finishing a large project, I will not be starting a new one for a while – but I can dream. And dreaming means planning. And the planning is what keeps me going. If you’re dying to start a new project but the time is not right, that doesn’t mean you cannot plan – and this has serious benefits.

Susan, another Arciform client, is spending her remodeling budget this year on repairing the concrete retaining wall that keeps her yard from falling onto the sidewalk. (Safety first.) It’s a ton of money, and there will be zero satisfaction with it. She’ll be able to point to a safe sidewalk for her efforts, but wouldn’t a new bathroom be a lot more fun? Hell yeah. So Susan is starting to plan the bathroom. She met with Anne for an Initial Design Consultation (IDC in the lingo), and Anne is drawing up the plans for a second floor kid’s bathroom / bedroom re-configuration. This not only allows Susan to plan and dream, but with the plans done, she can start buying some of the items she needs for the bathroom. Spreading out the costs of the remodel is a lovely thing! And personally, if I have the plans for a project I am far less likely to spend money on shoes. I save for the project. Mostly.

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An IDC meeting with Anne or Kristyn is an affordable undertaking. Arciform can help with the shopping too – when you are ready. Getting the plans done is exciting and motivating, and you can start the work when the time is right. If you need to feel you are making progress on your house, even if no project is being started, I recommend starting to plan.

About Nancy Ranchel

Nancy is an accountant who offsets the practicality of her day job with extravagant and outrageous remodeling projects, often involving massive amounts of scrap metal.  In her free time she can be found dreaming up new ways to turn her house into an art installation, digging through scrap heaps, and contemplating a world without plastic. Check out Nancy’s blog here: www.replaceinpdx.com/

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Mar 12

Renovation Advice from Pair of Inspiring Arciform Clients

We like to say that our clients are our inspiration and their homes are our teachers.

This is particularly true of two of Arciform’s current clients, Hoa and Nikhil. This family is funny, smart, and have just that little bit of an edge about them that make them really enjoyable to work for. They are in the midst of creating a master suite addition on their Beaumont home.

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We asked them to share their insights about family life, giving back to the community, and how to successfully navigate the home renovation process as a couple. Here’s what they had to say:
1. How did you meet?

We met while both living in San Francisco through a mutual friend.

2. What advice do you have for couples who considering a home renovation?

The best piece of advice we can give to other couples is to try and think ahead for big events such having children. Really think about the layout and specifications and what you will need before deciding to settle in on your longterm home. We’ve lived in a few different homes together and each time we’ve been at a different stage in our lives. Before having kids, had someone told us to go spend a weekend with someone who already has kids in their home, we probably would have thought it was a crazy idea but looking back, it makes sense. You’ll really see what life with kids is like and how the space you are in can make your life easier or more difficult on a day to day basis.

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Here’s a look at their project in process…

3. Tell us about your renovation with Arciform. What challenges were you hoping to address? And how do you feel it went (or how is it going, since we aren’t done yet!) ?

When we decided we needed to do a house renovation, our biggest challenge was finding a company to help us think up ideas and execute them. We had some general ideas but nothing specific and needed someone to do the thinking for us. We wanted our home to be a place where we want to be and something that would work for our active family and lifestyle.

As a family, we spend the most time together in our kitchen but since our house is an older home, we really wanted to create an open concept so we could all be in the kitchen without feeling like we are on top of each other. Additionally, our days are so chaotic and having our own master suite that we can escape to at the end of the day was also important (hence our decision to build an addition).

So far, our renovation is going great! We couldn’t be happier. Having two young kids, we expected the worst. But, it hasn’t been bad at all. Arciform has been able to help us in all aspects.

4. Tell us about some of the causes you are most passionate about- where do you like to contribute your time, resources and talent?

We think it is so important to love where you live including the neighborhood and community. We’re really lucky that we feel this way about our house and community which includes our local schools and small businesses. As owners of Mosaic Property Management, which we started two years ago, and parents of two young children there is not much free time but we try to be as involved as we can by volunteering in our schools and know that our contribution is making a positive impact in our community. We also make it a point to support our local small businesses. As small business owners we truly understand the importance and the impact that this has on our community.

We’re so delighted to be working with the Thayers. We hope you find them inspiring as well!

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Mar 6

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The Guys!

by Nancy Ranchel

I often speak about the guys – the guys who work on my house – those wonderful guys responsible for bringing my ideas to life. As I have no hand-eye coordination and no useful abilities of my own, I rely on these guys. And Arciform guys do not disappoint.

Which isn’t to say they are normal or regular or something you’d see on a network sitcom about construction guys. No, in real life, these guys are as weird as snot. Since weird is right up my alley, I make good use of having them in and around my house. It’s a chance to learn. Learn about the mind and life of construction workers.

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If you are planning another project, I encourage you to do the same. Don’t “keep it professional” with these guys. Chat ‘em up. Here are some pointers.

  1. If they’re working outside, keep the windows open. This is a no-brainer, but don’t overlook it. The guys will soon forget you’re in the house and they’ll speak freely. They will speak about their wives and kids, Anne and Richard, politics, office gossip, everything. It’s a fantastic opportunity to pick up tidbits for use at the next Arciform party. For example, at Builders and Butchers you will meet some of these spouses. You’ll have inside info and can use it how you see fit.
  2. Encourage them to play music as much as possible. I work at home, so sometimes they have to turn it off while I’m on the phone, but otherwise I try to enjoy it. The guys often rotate day-by-day who gets to pick the station. You will hear all kinds of music plus talk radio, and probably sports radio. Your crew will discuss the talk radio and sing along to the regular radio. They will tell stories about what a certain song reminds them of – sometimes quite interesting stories. It’s fun and annoying and something you won’t normally hear. You might miss it when they’re gone, or maybe you won’t. But enjoy it while it lasts.
  3. Listen to them fight. And they will fight! The on-site lead will carefully instruct his team to do something, and will probably repeat the instructions three or four times. (At this point I am thinking to myself – for God’s sake, they’ve got it, already.) The team will agree – three of four times. They will then do the exact opposite, and the yelling will start. This is enjoyable because it’s not your business.
  4. Have a drink with them at the end of the week.  Ask them about their weekend plans. This always gets me reminiscing about the things I did when I was young and had energy.
  5. Give them a hard time about their bad habits (smoking!). This is fun because they really don’t feel they can do the same with you.
  6. If they ask to bring family or friends over to see the project – do it! Encourage it! Then pump the friends and family for information about the guys. Embarrassing tales are the best.

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All right, enough for now. What do you think – should we ask the guys what they think about the clients (me and you)? NO – we’re perfect, right? Nothing to tell. And if there is, I don’t want to hear it.

About Nancy Ranchel

Nancy is an accountant who offsets the practicality of her day job with extravagant and outrageous remodeling projects, often involving massive amounts of scrap metal.  In her free time she can be found dreaming up new ways to turn her house into an art installation, digging through scrap heaps, and contemplating a world without plastic. Check out Nancy’s blog here: www.replaceinpdx.com/

Explore the Arciform Photo Galleries | All About Arciform | Schedule a Design Consultation

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