Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Who Do You Trust With Your Home, Family, and Things?

Can I brag a little, please? Not about myself, about the Santosuosso's!
I love working for Lenny and Lisa!  They do not compromise quality or customer satisfaction. They tell you the truth, price competitively, and follow through. The finished product will be as agreed. You will be happy and proud of the results. You will enjoy the peace of mind working with honest, committed, hard working professionals brings. You will trust that your home, family, and belongings are safe.  

We all want to be work for people our integrity and sensibilities are aligned with. That can be hard to find, unfortunately. I am so grateful to be employed at Apple Wood Kitchen and Bath for that very reason. I am Cynthia, the girl answering the phone and greeting you when you visit our showroom after 1 PM Tuesdays through Thursdays and all day Friday. 

I have been a Design/Sales professional in the remodeling and design industry in Southern California, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire for twenty years.  I began to learn kitchen bath design at Lowe's Home Improvement Centers in Orange County,CA.. I wanted to provide more excellent Customer Service to clients, so I began to pursue positions in privately owned Kitchen and Bath showrooms. Growing in expertise prepared me to design for exclusive Design Build firms in Boston and Southern New Hampshire. I am very blessed to work with Lenny and Lisa who epitomize excellence on design,craftsmanship, and building acumen surpassing many I have been previously employed by. My experience has taught me how the industry works, who is skilled and trustworthy, who is not.    

The title of this post, who do you trust, is very important! Why? Selecting the professional you award a remodeling project to impacts your life very personally. It is easy to get tunnel vision in your excitement about upgrading your home, especially if all you are considering is cost. The cost versus value percentages are extremely important while considering any projects you want completed in your home. Please stop and think about this! You are trusting this person and their employees in your home, around your mate, your children, pets,and all your belongings.

Projects take months. There is a  common mistake made by busy homeowners. Perhaps you had some plumbing, electrical, or carpentry issue happen. You needed someone to come fix whatever needed attention. A local handyman or carpenter took care of it in less than a day. It is only natural to consider them again for more work. However, the scope of a design and build remodeling project requires a much higher level of experience, most handymen do not possess.

A new kitchen, bath, basement finish project has multi steps that require sophisticated applications. They are not the same thing as taking a few hours or a day off from work to have a handyman to fix something in your house. The choice you make about who you award a big project to has to be accomplished very purposely. Here is why. Can you trust them to care for your home, be interacting with your family, children and pets? Are they part of the community, dependable, and available for any issues after the job is complete? What is their reputation?

Rather then a enduring an upset to your normal schedule and functionality in your house for a few hours, a remodeling project takes months. Do they take pride in workmanship and leaving your home as neat as possible every night when they leave for the day? Are they bonded and insured?
What is their reputation with local inspectors and the community building license board? Are they known to complete the jobs they start? We have all heard the nightmare stories of homeowners being duped by supposed  professionals who take a large deposit, show up a few days to start the job, then disappear! Yes, unfortunately, this is common. Homeowners must seriously and research anyone they consider awarding their project too.

Every homeowner MUST ponder and seriously consider who they will hire to remodel their home.  Yes, price is important! I am not minimizing the importance of cost.  Apple Wood Construction and Apple Wood Kitchen and Bath are competitively priced. If there is any business where the old adage, "You get what you pay for." , is true, it is in the design and construction business. The products are important and often drive price. Beautiful kitchens and baths can be designed and built in many price ranges, depending on product selection. The selection process is daunting, especially for us gals. When you walk into the the tile, appliance, granite or quartz, or lighting showroom, practicing self control is the only way to stay on target for your budget.The quantity of choices is overwhelming when you see all the options. It is very easy to blow your budget if controlling your emotions and practicing self control is difficult.

Here comes the bragging! Details plus organization are key to producing excellent results. The comparison between awarding your project to a Design Build Firm such as Apple Wood versus a 
big box retailer or Handyman type carpentry business is critical. Peace of mind during the months it takes to begin and complete your project will have stress filled moments. If you are acting as your own general building contractor expect to be frustrated and stressed out. As a Design Build
company we handle all the scheduling, ordering or supplies, and management of installations for you.

As a Designer, handing over my clients and the paperwork to the build team was hard for me.
This was especially true when working at Lowe's. Why? Well, they rely on whoever approaches them claiming they are experienced installers, etc. They are not Lowe's employees, they are 
freelance carpenters, handymen, plumbers, and other sub contractors. Sometimes they were not as skilled as they claimed. This is very scary for the Design Sales person and the homeowner. You lose your interaction with the designer your confidence was established with. The other weaknesses I have seen in the industry includes good contractors who take on more work then they can handle excellently. Money can become the focus rather than craftsmanship.  Cutting corners is tempting when you have made contracts with more homeowners than you have time or adequate crew to handle the load.  Hopefully none of these scenarios happen to you. However, I could tell you stories! 

Lenny is a straight shooter and a perfectionist. He will not promise something he cannot follow through with. He does not tolerate sloppy work. He is very precise and demands precision and excellence from any subcontractor working in your home to complete your project. He is neat and fast! Lenny hates clutter and messes. He will tidy up the work area every night  in your home. 
His stamina, craftsmanship and skill is unsurpassed. He is an excellent time manager who knows what he can handle and will not compromise. He does not take on more work than he can handle to the best of his ability. He is dependable, thorough, and a perfectionist focused on details.

As I said, I love working for Apple Wood Construction and Apple Wood Kitchen and Bath. I love the confidence I enjoy recommending Lenny and Lisa to clients. I know they will keep their word and take care of every family and home as if it was their own.  



  











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