WHAT MAKES A GREAT BUILDING CONTRACTOR?

What makes a great building and remodeling contractor?  Steve's got it all (and I do mean to brag!):

• architectural training   - He can draw and read plans, knows strength of materials, strong design skills.
• product awareness     - He can call out appliances, countertop materials and plumbing fixtures with the best of them.
• carpentry skills           - His knowledge of carpentry is vast and deep; some others are "paper contractors", strictly businessmen
• paperwork skills        - He has legally fine tuned and complete estimates, contracts, and clear and speedy correspondence.
• contracting skills        - Knows how coordinate subcontractors, employees, and timelines, and treat them all well.
• people skills              - Treats the homeowners like the king and queen of the castle.

The photo above shows Steve installing wainscotting along a wall for a bathroom remodel.  It came out beautifully because he's a perfectionist.

Despite the sprinkly, rainy weekend of June 4-5, the Sunset Magazine Weekend Celebration went underway and was a great success.  People streamed through the Sunset outdoors estate and tasted, sampled, touched and gazed their way through the myriad of vendors.

Here is Steve Schliff building the Entry Arbor designed by architect Steve Hinderberger.  This was down in San Jose.  This was a labor of love, all volunteer work, and one of the ways we keep On The Beam Remodeling visible in the Bay Area.   I'll post the finished arbor as soon as Steve H. sends me some photos.   

SUNSET MAGAZINE HOME SHOW THIS WEEKEND

Today Steve is constructing an Entry Arbor to display at the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend in San Jose the weekend of June 4-5.  It was designed by Architect Steve Hinderberger.  We worked with Steve Hinderberger on a delightful kitchen remodel in Oakland and got along so well, we decided to stay in touch and help each other promote our associated services.

Steve H. will be "manning the booth" this weekend, and will have a display rack of literature for On The Beam Remodeling.   Business cards, photo postcards and magazines featuring our company will be available.  If you're down in San Jose, don't miss it.

Here are details of the event:  It's called "Celebration Weekend", takes place at Sunset Mag Headquarters, 80 Willow Road, Menlo Park, and tickets cost $16.  There are sections to the event, and our display will be at the Home And Garden Exhibit.  You can find more information at www.sunset.com; click on "Events".  It looks like it'll be a lot of fun.

MY GREEN CLASS

I have been teaching as well as running On The Beam Remodeling with Steve for the past year.  Here are my students with me (center) from the spring class 2011 of VESL for GETS:  Vocational English as a Second Language for the Green Energy Training Service.  As an experienced ESL teacher and remodeling expert, I am in the privileged position of preparing this group for certification as Building Performance Professionals in our community.  As a group we are working to provide employment, improve our fellow citizens' English skills, and make the world more energy efficient.

The organizations involved include Richmond Build through the City of Richmond, Rising Sun Corporation, a private building performance business, and English Center of Oakland.

Why Are They Fighting With Us?

In 1972 I took an elective class at UCSB (because I needed one to graduate) called "Islam Sects and Movements".    Professor Wadi taught us a brief history of Islam, from which emerged the split between the Sunnis and the Shi'ites.  We studied the Whirling Dervishes and the Sufis, forms of mystic Islam, which were much more fascinating than the bickering that went on between the two major divisions.

Why am I telling you this?  Much of what I learned in the class has stayed with me over the years and has helped me to put in a certain historical perspective the events leading up to 9/11 and continuing today.  Since this is my Blog, I want to use it to share it with my readers because perspective is empowering.

What is the difference between Sunni and Shi'ite Islam?  Two major sticking points:

1. One sect believes that Mohammad the Prophet had no descendents.  The other sect believes he had a niece, Fatima, from whom descended a line of relatives.
2. One sect believes that Allah, Creator of the Universe, is unknowable and cannot be given attributes or described.  The other sect endows Allah with certain attributes that are part of its religious dogma.  

It doesn't seem that these disagreements would give rise to a bloody reign of terror in the 1000's A.D., but in fact they did.  Perhaps they were just an excuse for a grab for power, which is often the source of conflict.

Next Blog will describe the bloody reign of terror in Islamic lands.  Stay tuned.



 

Solar Lanterns

Steve and I have fallen in love.....with solar candle lanterns.  They are sturdy, attractive little columns with a flat-topped peak roof that contains a solar cell that is charged by exposure to the sun.  Inside the faux-concrete lantern is a "flickering" candle that sheds a surprising amount of illumination given how petite it is.  It takes an AA battery, which I just replaced in one of them after many years of use.  The other one still doesn't require a new battery.

I bought two at Costco about 12 years ago or so, and they're still shining away through the night.  I positioned one in our backyard garden and the other atop the retaining wall of our front walkway.  The ones at Costco cost me about $14 per lantern, and I just bought more through Amazon.com for around $16 each.

The best thing is their light is a warm yellow-orange hue like a candle, not that bluish-white glow of the typical outdoor solar light.  I will post a photo of my lovely candle lanterns here soon!  Check it out.

BACK TO THE FUTURE BATHROOM

We just started a kitchen remodel at a home in Wildcat Canyon.  That's the Berkeley hills for those of you who don't know that there's a canyon beyond Grizzly Peak Blvd., over the ridge.

Our very good client, Virginia, hired us to remodel her bathroom some years ago...could be six or seven by now.  I took some fine photos of the new bath, but back then I was still using a film camera and now I don't have any digitals of it to post here.  HOWEVER......!
The bathroom looks exactly like it did when we finished it in 2004 or 2005.  We can attribute this to two factors: 

1. Virginia has taken good care of the room, and treated it properly.
2. On The Beam knows how to create a new space that will endure.  We use strong, reliable and high-quality materials and install them with perfection.

I will be taking digital photos of her new kitchen, and while I'm at it, I'll take a few of the remodeled bathroom that we completed years ago.  Look for those photos here, SOON!

ARE YOU GETTING THE COMPLETE PICTURE?

Last year we got a call from an interior designer friend of ours, Cindy. She owns a home in San Francisco in partnership with two other women. She called because the deck of that house was deteriorating and allowing water to get into the interior of the house when it rained. Steve went to the site, investigated, measured and estimated the job at $50,000. The group of homeowners went with a much cheaper estimate from a different contractor: $20,000. Steve knew that number was extremely low and didn't sound right, but he had to respect their choice.

A year later we got a call from Cindy: the "lower bid" job was now at $75,000, and they were so unhappy. They wished they had gone with us. We've heard this story before, but like the mythological Cassandra, we can only predict and hope that somebody listens.

So LISTEN! The cheapest bid is not necessarily the best and often is the worst. Some contractors only bid low to get their foot in your door. Once you've signed on with them, they then ply you with "Change Orders" that you must approve to keep the job progressing. The next thing you know, your project costs way more than you believed it would with this imaginary great deal you think you got.

Steve estimates thoroughly and accurately and has 25 years of experience doing so. He includes everything that could possibly be involved in the job. It is an honest presentation of what the expense will be.

You've probably seen scaffolding as you've driven by job sites in residential neighborhoods, but have you ever stood on one? Here's a bird's eye view of our scaffolding set up on a two-story home in the Berkeley hills. The site is steep and there is potential for danger, so we are being supremely careful by using this professional, sturdy scaffolding to work on the exterior of the home.

The deck railing off the master bedroom is rotten at the base, so we're replacing the railing. The crew must work at at a height of 25 feet up.

We just finished a bathroom and closet remodel for the homeowners on the interior of the house. They called to say how happy they were with the results.

A WOMAN IN REMODELING AWARD

It was a bright and shining night for me and my family. Steve and our son Adam accompanied me to the NARI Leadership and Remmies Awards Banquet on November 10. I was to be presented with the Marilyn Thurau Women In Remodeling Award.

We dined at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel ballroom on the mezzanine level. NARI, by the way, stands for "National Association of the Remodeling Industry". On The Beam has been a member since 1996.

When it was my turn to receive the award, Debbie Mackey, the previous recipient, gave a warm speech full of accolades about me. Much to my surprise, the entire room rose and applauded as I went to the podium. I was not expecting that.

This award is named after a dear lady who owned a radiant heat company, and we did business with her over the years until she died of cancer a while ago. We miss her, but her son and daughter-in-law took over the business, called Summitteers Radiant Heat, and so it goes on.

SAN BRUNO FIRE

When we read the news about the disaster in San Bruno, Steve quickly picked up the phone and called our clients from 2005, the Marquezes. Nobody answered, so he left a voice mail message: "Are you all right?" We waited several days until we finally heard back from Joaquin, who told Lisa the amazing story of their close call and great luck in escaping injury and serious damage.

Their house sits in the canyon only a block or so away from the outer edge of where many houses were consumed in the conflagration. Neighbors' windows cracked and broke, and paint blistered and peeled off exterior walls, Joaquin reported. However, their own residence suffered only minor singeing. The high-quality double-pane windows that we installed years ago are still intact, and the integrated color that we recommended for the exterior stucco job didn't blister in the heat.

We're very happy that the Marquez family is safe and sound and that their home is too.

CALCULATE YOUR OWN PROJECT!

You can calculate your own remodeling project. We have this pretty fantastic tool on our website to assist our clients and potential clients in getting an idea of what their project will cost. This information is basic and important to everybody who owns a home that needs work done on it. Simply visit our website at www.onthebeamremodeling.com. On the Home Page you will see a button at the bottom right labeled "What Will It Cost?" Click on that block and you will arrive at the estimate calculating tool: a series of charts with construction choices that you can sift through and click on at the appropriate level for the work you have in mind.

Be your own estimator! One caveat though: these estimates are rough and preliminary. Please contact us through the website so that we can provide a more accurate cost to construct.

We would love to have your email address so that we can stay in touch with you from time to time. Your email address is kept private and we respect your need to not be flooded with advertising.

It's a Beautiful Day for a Shower

It's not hard to imagine why the bathroom is the first room to go in a house. It is a room used frequently by the entire family (unless each has their own), and it is continually subjected to moisture. Rot and mold often develop both out in the open and behind walls and flooring. This is particularly true if the original bathroom was not built up to modern-day codes with water-resistant materials and techniques.

So......if your bathroom looks a bit ragged around the edges, there is a whole universe of beautiful bathroom designs and surfaces awaiting you. I've posted a shot of one of our client's choices for shower fixtures; ain't it a beaut? We installed it carefully in the granite tile shower surround. Standing in this kind of shower stall is truly a glorious way to start the day!

The Value For My Money Question

Time and again Steve and I run up against the same consumer attitude: What value can I get for my money? We would like to address that question in a roundabout way with another question: What is your budgetary upper limit for any given expense? For example, how much are you willing to spend for a relaxing, beautiful vacation in Hawaii? What's your top price for a car? These are very personal evaluations and we are well aware that there is great variation from individual to individual or from family to family.

Now we come to the question that is so very pertinent and close to our hearts: What is your upper limit for that remodel you've been dying to get started but keep delaying because of the economy? Rarely do people want to confide that upper limit to us, and we can only guess that this is due to lack of trust and fear of being exploited.

The fact is, we want to give you the best value for your budget. However, nine times out of ten we don't know that budget, and it remains a mystery as we struggle to arrive at a reasonable estimate to build the new kitchen of your dreams or that fabulous new bathroom.

We are not a "pricey" company, something we've heard others mumble about as they pick their way through numerous contractors and bids. We are reasonably priced and stand by our estimates. They are extremely accurate through years and years (25 to be exact) of estimate experience and up-to-date knowledge of the materials and subcontractors.

Will you get the same job for a lower price? Doubtless, no. A remodeling project is complex and detailed. We make sure the details are perfect and the complexity is our headache, not yours.

Congratulations, Shirley!

We're very proud of Shirley Douglas, for whom we built a deck in the Oakland hills. She appeared in a feature story in the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday, March 26, 2010, titled "How older runners get on the right track." The story is on the front page of the Bay Area section, C1, and continues onto page C9, and includes several wonderful color photos of Shirley. Shirley ran marathon races when she was younger, and is going to start up again in her 60's. Her new deck, made with Brazilian Ipe hardwood, is featured in recent older blogs on this blogsite. Go Shirley!

THE FABULOUS THINGS WE DO FOR OUR CLIENTS

Some of the best people we know are our customers. We bend over backwards to please and serve not just because it's smart business practice, but also because we love 'em. Here are a few examples:

Dan's father, Alan, was having a hard time leaning over to file his important papers and retrieve those that he needed. We had just finished a second bathroom remodel for Dan, and now he was asking our assistance in building something for his father that would elevate the file cabinet so Alan wouldn't have to bend over. Steve went to Alan's home in San Francisco, measured, and constructed a nice solid maple box to lift up the cabinet a couple of feet. Our charge to Alan for labor and materials: $0! It's on the house, Alan.

There were some beautiful cherry cabinet doors in our woodshop destined for recycling. They were left over from another job. Meanwhile, Hoa was building maple cabinets for Irene and Michael's laundry room, and as it turned out, the cherry doors fit perfectly. We installed them instead of building new ones. Our charge to Irene and Michael for labor and materials on the doors: $0! Not only did the cabinet doors provide an opportunity for us to "gift" our clients, they were salvaged and reused, something near and dear to Irene and Michael's hearts. Their house is replete with green remodeling features, and we added one more.

Ipe On The Mountain

Can you guess what type of wood we used to build this fence and deck? Here are the clues: pest and termite resistant; fire-resistant; strong and durable; comes from South America.

The homeowner had endured long enough living with a very old, dangerous and dilapidated deck and fence perched on a steep hillside. It was time for an upgrade, and she turned to us after she heard glowing accolades from her neighbors about our work. The original deck and fence, made of painted wood, gave way to this stunning material. It is safe to say that she was delighted with the outcome. She placed a beautiful potted orchid in a cozy corner of the deck to accent the beauty of the wood.

The answer to the question in paragraph 1 is: Ipe (pronounced "EE-pay"). It is a Brazilian hardwood that is carefully "stewarded" so as not to destroy forest, terrain or sustainability of the tree.

PERMIT PARTY: NO ROOM, NO ROOM!

Just got back from the permit department of the City of Oakland. It's always an adventure in there, akin to falling down the rabbit hole and landing in Permit-Wonderland. I stood in three lines (one line twice), and spoke with three people, only to discover after almost two hours of wonderland wandering that the computers for the entire department had crashed and nobody had been issued a permit all week. It wasn't going to happen this day either.

"When will the computers be back to normal?" I asked, with little hope in my heart for a normal answer.

"Don't know," was the reply.

It hadn't occurred to a single soul in the permit department to post a sign letting applicants know that the computers were down, thus sparing them the waiting time to find out. The Mad Hatter couldn't have had a nuttier tea party.

IS IPE FOR YOU?

You are gazing at an ipe hardwood fence, matched in beauty and elegance by the frosted glass front entrance gate with brushed nickel hardware. Let me tell you a little about ipe wood: It grows in South America and is just about the densest wood available for building. Ipe is highly fire-resistant, given the same rating as concrete and steel. It is also resistant to decay, termites and fungus.

If you want to add class, elegance, durability and value to your home, use this wood. Our clients are very happy with the deck, fence and gate we built them. We recommended ipe and they love it.

This fence and gate are part of the project that was featured in the October 4th, 2009 San Francisco Chronicle, Home & Garden section. If you visit our website, click on "Press", then click on S.F. Chronicle 2009, you can read the whole thing. Let us know what you think of the article.

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Our Master Cabinet Maker Hoa Nguyen built this custom corner cabinet. It fits snugly into the corner and is flanked by two large oval mirrors that the homeowner selected. This was a complete 'gut and remodel' of a very old bathroom that now looks ready for a magazine feature ad.