The Beginning
Why has this taken so long? Well, it's a long story so have a seat and settle in. It all started years ago when I first bought my house. I had 4 requirements when I bought my house:
- It has to be inside Rt. 128/95
- It has to have an amazing kitchen
- It has to have a beautiful bathroom with a lot of counter space
- It must have an attached garage
And the house I bought? Has absolutely none of those!
A few years after I bought the house, I did update the kitchen but that is a whole story in itself and I'm not going to go into it now other than to say that while I do love my kitchen I regret not putting in a dishwasher and I'm not thrilled with my white ceramic sink. Nobody told me how easily it stains!
Anyway, a couple of years ago I finally decided to do this. I wanted an attached 2 car garage with artist space above. That doesn't seem like it is too much to ask, does it? That's what I thought at the time.
I found a bunch of contractors to interview but only 2 of them took me seriously. Nobody, not even these two contractors, would give me a quote though. I wish they had explained why. They all just kept saying that they didn't know what I wanted. I didn't understand at the time what they meant. It wasn't until I interviewed many contractors over a long period of time that my friend Susan offered the assistance of her sister Jane. Jane has done quite a few remodeling projects on her homes over the years and has this down to a science. She was the one who finally made the process clear -- you HAVE to start with an architect so the builders know what they are estimating. They are used to working from plans, and need the plans to be very specific and detailed. Thank you Jane! And Susan for bugging her sister for me.
I talked with several architects and finally settled on Michael. We met several times and he drew up the plans for me and I could now talk to the contractors in their language by showing them the drawings.