(continued from The Homeowner's Guide | Summer 2009)

Materials: If you can be flexible with materials, you can achieve great savings and still get the look you’re seeking.  In this case, Gloria loved an expensive hand-made subway tile for the shower.  But we were able to find a mass-produced commercial tile with a very similar appearance for a fraction of the price. To inexpensively re-create the look of a costly Restoration Hardware unit we incorporated a salvage piece of marble for the vanity top and attached the legs ourselves. With these savings in place, Bill and Gloria splurged on a custom Walker Zanger tile border, which accents the floor tile and provides visual interest in the shower.

Services: Our standard services include having a Charlie Allen Renovations project manager on the job site from the beginning to the end of every workday, even when work is being done by one of our trusted subcontractors.  In this case, Bill and Gloria were home every day and waived that service, allowing us to reduce our staffing costs.  Of course, a Charlie Allen staff member was at the site at least once a day to make sure the job was running smoothly and we also held the usual once a week site meetings with the site supervisor and the homeowners to make sure any concerns were being addressed.

In the end, we were able to accomplish the bathroom and remodeling experience our clients wanted at a price they could afford.  Bill and Gloria were concerned that hiring a full service company would be out of their budget, but what they learned in the end is that there is compromise to be found everywhere, in design, product selection, and level of service. It’s just a matter of working with Charlie Allen Restorations to find the right balance for your budget.  Gloria says, “We were very impressed with the quality of the finished product and the courtesy of the crew. We especially appreciated the way Project Selections Coordinator Alyssa Moskos worked with us to find products we liked within our budget.”

If you’re thinking about a remodeling project, but are not sure how it will fit your budget, please let us know — we’d love to help you find the right balance too.

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return to The Homeowner's Guide | Summer 2009