Harmonizing arches

Architectural elements are an essential part of bring character to a home or any building for that matter. Growing up with an architect for a father, I was exposed to things that most kids miss and or take for granted. Seeing the beauty in design like arches, corbels, roof lines, and massing gives one an appreciation for good work. It is not long till you realize what differentiates a good looking structure from a bad one.

Craftsman Head casing

Different architectural styles and influences from around the world are all around us. Functionality is another area of design that also turns me on but I will leave that for another time. Recently we were able to capture some examples of cool architectural we’ve been involved with and have influenced decisions that might otherwise get overlooked.

In one case a picture molding found in a foyer was carried throughout and adjacent apartment that might have been overlooked for crown molding.  We would have been introducing a new element not congruent with the era. In another case we influenced the owner to add harmonizing window arches above windows in a new addition.

the three amigos

Occasionally cool things just happen, I noticed a series of arches that just happened to align and reminded me of a mountain range. I especially like finding original elements in old homes that have been left original. That is as close to time travel as it gets for me. There are many other examples that I see all around me and as I capture them I will share. With my eyes wide open, there are so many opportunities to appreciate the work of others and add a bit of character to our own projects. One of our unspoken goals is to make it look like it was never remodeled. Obviously, much of my work is done in the historic districts of town. Unfortunate, for some bizarre reason the historic commission in Boise Idaho insists that we remodelers differentiate new from old with an offset.

Architectural plans

I understand that most design build firms prefer to do their own plans in house, Levco is no exception. There are some amazing drafting programs that allow us to do that but… When it comes to designing anything complicated I always defer to the professionals. Architects have degrees and experience with a myriad of theory and have the wisdom to help come up with workable plans on paper. As much as I enjoy just jumping in and executing a plan, I admire those that come up with a great plan on paper for me to execute.

the Scale of Justice

During my youth and evolution from lemonade stand to real business, there has always been an undercurrent of doing things right. Integrity was instilled in me early as was my work ethic by my parents and boy scouts. It was later clarified with the help of my best friend and business partner Howard Olivier when we simplified it into this condensed statement that is explainable and became a useful tool to guide everyone at Flying Pie Pizza. “Once you know what the right thing to do is … that is what you always do.” I recall telling the delivery drivers that we made a written deal with the Boise Police… We don’t break any laws…And they don’t write us any tickets. As it turns out that mantra has guided me successfully through many years and countless interactions. The law in my mind is an attempt to legislate that basic tenant evenly over the entire civil society. There are those who believe that nothing is illegal until you are caught, I on the other hand have friends that say jokingly ” WWJD, what would Joe do?”

In construction of any kind, including remodeling, there are as many laws as there are things to do. There are new ones that have huge fines or as we say ( big teeth). I have found that there are times that just doing the right thing and following those laws isn’t enough to avoid running into conflicts with others. That is when the court system and judges get into the mix and become the arbiter and dealer of justice. Let’s face it resolving conflicts is an art form that deserves a tremendous amount of respect. Court has been good to me, I have kept my winning streak alive in part by living by my mantra. That being said, it needs to be tempered with the fact that just because I “win” in court doesn’t mean that by winning you actually get something other than a warm feeling, sort of like peeing in a wet suit. here are some examples. With the help of neighbors, I caught a theft who stole a thousand dollars of materials from a job site. Once sentenced, he had to do community service and repay the court, I never saw a cent.

The Fair

I have done work for several people over the years and fixed their homes in good faith only to be stiffed. Sure I “won” in court but in one case the guy can’t be found and in the other, the lawyers fees have essentially eaten up the money I was owed. Principles are a double edge sword. In writing this piece I am reminded that I always try to be and play fair.  Fair…Oh, that’s the thing with fun rides that happens annually in late summer.

Here is another example. I was accused of not paying a bill, never mind that the company didn’t actually do the work. Then the the owner refused to talk with me about it and sent my claim to a collection agency. Naturally I lost in small claims court and appealed. Arriving in big boy court the company chose not to represent themselves and I “won.” Now the collection company can’t be reached to clear my credit, is that fair?

The take home for me is that not going to court is the only way to really win. I have included in my agreements a clause that encourages face to face conflict resolution and if that doesn’t work to go to mediation done by a local mediation group. I only suggest court as a resolution of last resort.

I will continue to live by my mantra and no doubt extend my winning streak. In the meantime I will engineer some more protections in place to reduce the odds of being dragged into court or having to drag others into court.

1) I will not do work without a bid.

2) I will not do work over $2,000 without a contract that includes a description of work.

3) I will not do work for people I don’t trust.

The bottom line is that if I decide to work for free, I will choose the charity of my choice, not the charity that chooses me.

The Mess

Stucco is not the cleanest or easiest or fastest product to install, in fact it has been the cause of a cluttered disorganized building site for several weeks. Stucco takes time to dry properly prior to the top coat being installed. Lots of hairline cracks appeared in the base coat, Worried I reached out to the manufacturers representatives and Rodger Purcell our installer who says, “I want it to do all the cracking it is going to do prior to installing the top coat” So we finally got the top coat installed and it looks remarkably good.

The clean up is going to be a real job. I often ask potential clients to visit a job site to see how neat the job looks. I used to think that seeing the project in action will give a decent representation of the contractors organizational skills. I am eating my words now, if this is as good as it gets we flunk. With any luck the disappointing aspects of a messy job site will wear off long before the positive aspects of a great stucco finished product.

Top Coat With Arches

Gutters were also installed on the same day to protect the finish. Paint will be applied to the entire structure soon and we ought to have a nice harmonious finished product.

Here in Boise Idaho remodeling older homes like in any other part of the country is a dynamic challenging process that has it’s ups and downs.

Having the project neat and tidy is the ultimate goal, but occasionally a difficult one to achieve on a daily basis. On a side note I have recently given sneak peaks to the neighbors and it is extremely rewarding to show what we have accomplished in such a short period of time.

These next few weeks will be filled with activity as painting, flooring, cabinets and counter tops as well as tiling slide into place.

entrance

toilet

This project is a typical 1968 home with an outdated master bathroom. The goal is to update and freshen the look while opening up site lines without changing the floor plan dramatically. Improvements include removing a pocket door, adding new plumbing fixtures, lots of tile, and a walk in shower. New cabinetry will add function and new lighting as well as solar tubes will brighten up the space. Challenges include the electrical panel is on the other side of the home and the current shower is sunken into the floor. Being older than 1978 Lead Testing will be required. this project is expected to take approximately 4 weeks a little longer than normal because several of the design ideas will be done on the fly. This method is not unusual for visual thinkers that like to see the space before final decisions are made. This example of the flexibility in process with Levco is one of the things that sets us apart from most that would insist upon locking in prior to construction.

This toilet and matching sink were apparently new on the market at the time and a high style feature.

back yard proposed addition area

Introduction: This project is all about adding and additional family room to a starter home in Columbia village.

The Challenge: The Laumann’s are settled in their beautiful home, have a new baby on the way and running out of space. They love their home’s features and location and don’t want to move.

The Solution: After some sole searching and weighing the loss of some back yard space, the Laumann’s decided on adding a family room to their home, so they contacted Levco Builders.  The simplicity of the plan married well with the budget of time and investment. The HOA was very cooperative and the building department approved the plans as well.

Job site meeting

One of the most important phases of the job is site work. Rarely a day goes by when a meeting isn’t held on site. It may be a five minute meeting with the Owner or a subcontractor. Often times decisions are made on the fly to enhance efficiency or extract the value out of some “situation” we’ve discovered. The cost VS. value of these meetings is not lost on Levco This job is being expertly managed by Diane Ferguson,

Diane Ferguson

my project manager of three years now. A wile veteran of construction and a beloved member of the team. Diane has the uncanny ability to befriend everyone and walk that fine line between slave driver and client advocate. This has earned the highest praise among clients and Sub-Contractors alike.

Kitchen South wall

As any Professional Remodeler knows, proper pre renovation documentation is vital to show prospective clients, and remind the owners what the project looked like prior to starting the job. Otherwise when the big tour happens at the end, no one has any idea what you started with

Kitchen North wall

(This has happened on more than one occasion I am sad to say). As we say, a picture paints a thousand words. You can see this was a cramped situation. We are fortunate enough to have the home to ourselves allowing us to work on all aspects at the same time. We also have the

The only bathroom

luxury of having the ability to turn off utilities. This seems like the harshest winter in recent history which added another element of courage.Occasionally we need to do our work and have the home back to being occupied nightly.

Lead paint on window frame

As many of you are aware, The EPA made April 22nd, 2011 (Earth Day) the start of the RRP rule a program that mandates that all homes built prior to 1978 shall be considered leaded until tested otherwise. This in turn inspired Levco Builders to invest in additional training of employees and the purchase of two Innov-x XRF analyzers. Lead Locators was born. Lead Locators was contacted by the Owner to test the project in anticipation of remodeling the home. The test found a heavily leaded home primarily on the exterior which was not uncommon. Lead based paint was often used as an exterior coating because of its ease of application, colorfast properties and longevity.

Lead paint

The RRP rule mandates that properly trained individuals conduct disturbing of lead based paint with the overall coal of dust free demolition and involves extensive steps to protect owners occupants the environment and employees. The report essentially saved money in the long run because much of the home was not leaded therefore traditional demolition techniques were able to be employed on much of the renovation.