Renew Connections Remodel

Covid changed a lot, including how many of us work from home. With technology making remote work easier, this trend isn’t going away anytime soon. However, many homes weren’t designed for multiple people needing workspaces.

That’s exactly what this family is facing. Both parents work from home at least part-time, but with only one office, someone ends up working out of the kitchen—not ideal.

The other change that’s not so new to our society, is kids getting older! The two young ones currently share a room, but they’re realizing this won’t be sustainable much longer. With the extra bedroom serving as the office, they’re at a crossroads, needing a new layout.

In the end, they’ll have a workspace that suits both parents and an additional bedroom so the kids can have their own space. And Bonus! They will be getting a larger kitchen in the process!

We often think we must either fit into our homes as they are or move on. It’s surprising how much your home can change to meet your needs!

If you feel like your family is growing out of your home, and don't want to go through the moving process, book a consultation with the link below to explore the options outside of moving!

https://www.elcentrobuilders.com/contact

Why are Wendy’s burger patties square?

Because they don’t cut corners…

A few months ago, a homeowner started noticing cracks forming in the walls of their garage. At first, they thought it was just normal settling, but as the cracks spread and deepened, they were concerned something more serious was going on. So, they reached out to us for an inspection.

When we arrived and took a closer look, we uncovered a frustrating issue. The previous contractor was no Wendy’s. They had laid rebar only halfway through the concrete, leaving the rest of the garage floor unsupported. Without the necessary reinforcement, the concrete began to shift, causing the cracks to appear.

Unfortunately, this kind of corner-cutting isn’t uncommon. Some contractors might take shortcuts to save time or money, but those decisions can lead to significant problems down the road.

In this case, the only way to fix the issue properly was to tear up the entire garage floor and start over. We replaced the concrete correctly and ensured the building was fully supported.

It's frustrating to see so much of this in my work, but it's also one of many inspiring reasons to keep doing what we do!

When a client calls us with concerns about water damage and potential mold in their home, what do we do?

Our first step is to inspect all the usual suspect spaces—floors, showers, behind appliances, and near gutters. Finding the damage gives us the first clue to where the water might be coming from, but this is where it gets tricky. Water can travel through materials, so the source might be far from where the damage appears.

Instead of jumping straight into fixing the damage, we focus on identifying the root cause--holistically. This means checking the entire home for any missed signs of damage or potential future issues. We repeat this process as many times as necessary to ensure your home is safe, healthy, and not on the path to further problems.

I know I might sound like a broken record, but this step is often overlooked and is the most crucial part! We’re not here for a quick fix. We’re here to provide a comprehensive solution that addresses the real issue and prevents it from recurring.

Having grown up in a home with similar issues, it’s incredibly important to me to do this right. If you suspect damage in your home or want to learn more about this process, book a 15-minute consultation with me. Let’s ensure your home and family are fully protected.

https://vist.ly/3frpi

I posted about this story recently. It was an absolute honor to save this client and friend so much time, money, and stress on this foundation repair project.

In my response to his extremely kind review, you can see I said “Your project was like solving a mystery. Evaluate. hypothesize and then execute”.

This is how we come at every project. We are there to look at every side of the “mystery” that is happening in your home. Some projects are more straightforward than others but we arrive ready to evaluate, hypothesize and then execute – to look at the entire picture from different angles, and perspectives and find the best solution that can leave you with peace of mind, safety, and save you from time and money thrown at unnecessary steps.

Each house is unique and we want to treat them that way! Homes aren’t all the same, therefore the solution will not be the same with every symptom.

We are here to be the company you can trust to take care of your home as if it is our own.

Our home’s health really does affect our health… and mental health.

Let me tell you a story.

The porch in this photo was once used as a sanctuary for a working mom. This is where she did her morning yoga to clear her head and get moving – something most of us could use more of.

This was also the area where she spent a lot of time with her family– eating dinner together in the evenings and sharing stories about their days.

Then life happened– as it tends to do in one form or another over time. The maintenance of the sanctuary fell to the back burner. In the climate of the Bay Area, that can be detrimental to a wooden deck like this if termites and dry rot aren’t caught early.

Then the project of getting it fixed on top of the life happenings became bigger and bigger… more and more overwhelming, and eventually unsafe to use.

Finally, it was time to get their sanctuary back. A whole new one that is used for the essential things in this family’s life.

Ensuring the logistics of maintaining and repairing your home are taken care of really is a building block for a more abundant life– for this family, for a life that includes creating memories and prioritizing self-care! Two things that can take you so far!

How We Saved a Homeowner from a $150,000 Nightmare

When you’re not the expert, it can be tough to know if you’re getting the right advice. One of our clients faced this situation with a unique foundation issue in their Palo Alto Eichler Home. They received quotes from foundation specialists who all planned to remove and replace the entire problem section, which would have demolished three rooms and required extensive planning, logistics, and cost—adding up to an additional $150,000 in labor.

Not to mention the stress of having a home under construction for weeks or months.

Unlike our competitors, we empowered our client to make the best decision for their family. Instead of presenting them with costly, disruptive solutions, we took a different approach—what we call our holistic, scientific method. Through our pre-construction service, we analyzed the situation from every angle and found a way to repair the issue without tearing up the entire area.

The demo and repair took about a week, involved multiple teams, and saved our client $40,000.

While the other contractors weren’t necessarily wrong, by investing in our pre-construction service, this client removed uncertainty, avoided unnecessary work, and achieved peace of mind—all while saving a significant amount of money.

The answer to this is fairly simple. GET TO THE ROOT PROBLEM. Just like our health, symptoms are feedback that something is wrong. You can put a bandaid on a rash but that isn’t going to prevent it from getting worse or coming back.

To find a true problem, it almost always take a home professional. You may see mold, but that is the symptom, not the problem.

Calling a professional first, can save you months or years of feeling awful in your home as well as unnecessary repairs that don’t actually have to do with the problem (see my post about my home growing up).

Schedule a home health assessment for us to get to the root problem on the first try!

https://calendly.com/mike-538/15min

These renderings give a great sneak peek into what the kitchen will look like when it’s complete.

The new kitchen will have a breakfast nook area with tons of natural light and a very modern feel as well as a functional, open design.

This has been such a great project working with 35th Collective and we love being able to take care of our clients to the highest standards while they enjoy life, travel, and come home to a remodeled home.

We will be posting updates soon so keep your eyes open for the new dining room design and the kitchen details that have recently been installed!

This San Fransisco multi-room home remodel is going to be so good! The kitchen was feeling outdated with a clunky flow.

As for the dining room, it is a beautiful shape but has a raised section by the bay windows that minimizes the usage of the room. It prevented the family from hosting large groups and made decorating the room extremely hard! We will be lowering this step and installing bench seating with storage space.

This is the extra great part... the clients got to go on vacation for the whole thing! After the planning phase was done, the clients left on multiple vacations. We organized movers to pack and move all of their belongings out of the way numerous times so they were protected during the construction process and enjoy their trips!

During their trips, we make sure to take utmost care of their home and stay in constant communication with updates, changes, questions, and answers.

This is the white glove service we love to provide for our clients from start to finish while they get to enjoy life and continue doing the things they love. Then they get to come home to a remodeled home!

Design by: 35th Collective

What has happened in these photos may not be obvious to everyone, but it is actually a very disappointing situation to us.

In these photos are a structurally unsound wall and an improperly plugged pipe that could have allowed sewer gasses into this home. Both of these things are due to taking short cuts by previous contractors. The reason for these shortcuts is unknown, but no matter, unsafe.

These kind of things are what inspired me to go into the contracting business. When I was young my parents had their house remodeled and it took years for them to finish even just painting a wall.

I knew then, that I had to make this a better, safer, more trustworthy experience for people!

Whether you’re doing DIY home renovations or having a contractor price out a project for you, shortcuts are almost never the answer and can have huge consequences later likely costing more than if they were done correctly the first time.

It’s time for another Design Build Leaders Roundtable! Our next Roundtable is next week on Wednesday, June 5th.
This amazing community gathers once a month to share best practices and tackle the challenges of a business owner in the Design Build industry.
Last month, our topic highlights were:

1) Collaboration between clients and the design + build team. What's Working?

2) Modification of Marketing and Sales Strategies This Year

3) Accountability: How Can We Help You Stay Accountable?

If you’re interested in joining us for this Roundtable or future events, please Direct Message me for details!

Thank you Ferguson Showrooms, for hosting us last month!

We can look at a beautiful kitchen or bathroom and admire the details and the end result, but there is a story behind every project.

The original 19050s 3 bedroom, 1 bath house started out as a 1,000 square foot home, that was extremely unloved. There were truckloads of items left over from the previous owners and were much too small for modern-day living.

We demolished the original house and developed the property into an 1854 square foot home with 4 bedrooms and 3 ½ baths fit perfectly for modern family living.

While designing and building this home we focused on vaulted ceilings to bring natural light into the home via skylights throughout the home– even in the hallways. We also incorporated an indoor/outdoor living flow and a modern farmhouse design style.

Though the details came together beautifully, the best part was returning this property and home to something someone would love and enjoy again!

It’s time for another Design Build Leaders Roundtable! Our next Roundtable is next week on Wednesday, May 1st.

This amazing community gathers once a month to share best practices and tackle the challenges of a business owner in the Design Build industry.

Last month, our topic highlights were:

- Q1 Economy Review + an optimistic future prediction for the rest of the year
- Managing projects remotely
- How to set expectations for clients
- Different aspects of marketing

If you’re interested in joining us for this Roundtable or future events, please Direct Message me for details!

Picture this: springtime rolls around and you’re out on the patio having a glass of wine. You notice there are a few small pieces of paint peeling off the side of the house and a couple on the patio. You think “Oh well–who would notice that anyway?”

This may come as a surprise to some, but paint isn’t only for aesthetics. Paint is also there to protect your home’s materials from the outside elements. When paint isn’t maintained correctly, it starts to crack and peel allowing water to come into contact with the wood, metal, stucco etc. causing it to rot, rust and decay.

It may seem like a large task to repaint the house or refinish the deck, but the damage that can come from the decaying of your home can threaten the structural integrity of your home, and therefore you and your family’s safety.

As a rule of thumb, your home should be repainted every 5-10 years (on the lower end for wood siding, and higher end for stucco). A deck should be refinished every 2-3 years to prevent unnecessary damage.

If you haven’t had your house re-painted in the last 5 years, or maybe don’t even know the last time your house was painted, direct message me to schedule a professional inspection that could save you huge problems later.

From accessory to statement! This fireplace alone transformed this living space to make it feel modern and luxurious.

🚨Attention Bay Area Home Owners! 🚨
Building an ADU in California is now easier and more beneficial than ever!

Several laws have been passed in California set to bring opportunity for Bay Area residents. Previously, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) otherwise known as in-law units, granny houses, or carriage houses, could be built and then only used for personal use or rented out.

With the new legislation, AB 1033, homeowners can now buy and sell ADUs as separate condos, so long as their local governments opt in.

ADUs can vary quite a bit stylistically but can often be built cost-effectively, providing a great opportunity for a return on the building investment

To make this as easy and predictable as possible, we will be partnering with a team of architects to provide a turn-key solution to building your ADU whether you want to sell or keep it.

This is new, so let me know what questions you have about this! Message me or ask them in the comments below!

No different from ourselves, sometimes issues with our homes don’t always show on the surface. Walking through a home can tell a lot about what’s going on and what needs to be fixed or maintained, but when you look inside, a whole new story is told.

We use a thermal imaging camera to provide more pieces to the puzzle. Thermal imaging tells where the temperatures change in your home. Cooler areas can be caused by multiple variables. The most common reason is air leaks around windows and doors. Other reasons could include:

- wetness - water entering, pooling and evaporating can all cause cooler temperatures
- lack of insulation - if there is an area in your home where there is less or even no insulation, the temperature will be lower in that spot.

Any of these issues can cause your utility bills to rise, but over time that could be the worst of your worries. When there are leaks that air can get in, that means water can also get in causing all kinds of issues.

If you notice an area of your home that feels cooler or like there is a draft, schedule a consultation with us so we can ask deeper questions that could prevent a large issue in the future.

Mold and wet time of year in the Bay Area go hand in hand. Are you sneezing more than normal?

Because the Bay Area has such a moist climate, (hopefully you don’t hate the word ‘moist’ because we will be using it a lot in this post) mold is a common issue. Mold rarely grows anywhere without moisture. The bad news is that it grows in most areas WITH moisture.

When moisture enters an area, it only takes 24-48 hours for mold to start to grow.

How do you detect mold? To detect mold, you can use a lot of the tactics I’ve shown in other posts about how to find water damage or leaks in your home. Other signs you may have mold are:
- If you feel like you have allergies or a cold in your home but feel better anywhere else
- Constantly feel like you’re getting sick all of a sudden
- Musty smells
- Staining on the wall
- Headaches
- Your water bill has gone up suddenly

Mold can be on the inside of your home: walls, showers, under cabinets etc.
It can also be on the outside of your home. The sneakiest, but not the most rare is inside the walls of your home.

Mold can be taken care of (no that does not mean just cleaned or painted over) but the best solution is prevention. Keeping up on the maintenance of your home when it comes to water leaks, air leaks, updated plumbing, and protection from flood damage are key aspects to preventing mold in your home.

Letting these things go can create a much larger problem that you may not pick up on until it gets severe enough to be unsafe.

We now offer a service with year-round seasonal maintenance services so you can feel confident that your home’s maintenance checklist is completed every season of the year. Comment below or message me to schedule a consultation to see what it would look like for us to check all of your maintenance and home safety boxes for you.

January’s Bay Area Design & Build Leaders Roundtable continued the trend of being an amazing gathering where friendships were created, business issues were solved, and new business opportunities were brainstormed and created!

As this community grows, we are shifting the structure to ensure each attendee can get the most value and have a safe space to share.

It’s such an honor to host such a great group of people and to serve the Bay Area community as well as create a safe and productive community within the industry!

January’s gathering was hosted by Ronbow Showroom in Cupertino. If you would like to host one of our events, please direct message me. It is a great opportunity to show off your company, building and meet amazing people in the Design Build+ industry.

During my nearly 20 years in the home remodel and maintenance industry, and owning my own homes, I can say that it’s rare to buy a home that you love every single thing about– whether that be the paint color, the layout of a certain room… it makes so much sense! You just bought a home that someone else lived in and “designed. You don’t want it to feel like them… You want it to feel like YOU like YOUR family.

That was the exact case with this family. A couple with 3 young kids. They had just bought this home and loved it, but knew it didn’t quite scream “them”.

In the end, that’s exactly how it felt. Walking into the living room, you knew right away that they were a family who loved music and gatherings. The modernized style fit their taste, and the function of the kitchen fit all their needs, from the placement of the microwave to the blackboard in the kitchen for the kids and family to use.

Our homes can function as an expression of who we are, and they should as a space we keep all of our special things, and spend time with our special people!

What do you think would make your home feel more like YOU?

Now that’s the kitchen island and counter space of someone who loves to bake and spend time with family. Previously, none of this was easy for this family because of the setup of their kitchen. There was not enough counter space to cook and bake– much less having kids doing homework and other activities there too!

This family wanted to update the look of their kitchen, but most of all they wanted it to work for their lifestyle. Before even looking at the aesthetic details, we went through all of the logistic details that would help their daily routines go more smoothly. For a baker, this means including a specific storage space and mechanism for her mixer! If you have baked before or watched someone, you know getting those things in and out are no easy feat!

Once we had all of the logistics figured out that would make their lives easier, then the aesthetics came into play!

Yes, we want you to love how your house looks, but most of all we want your house to be designed around your life and what you love to do!

This project is officially finished, so keep your eyes our for final photos!

If you feel like any room in your home is adding stress to your daily life, schedule a free consultation with us to discuss what solutions could work best for you and your family!

Did you know that about 59% of homes in the US were built before 1980? That’s 44 years ago!

(We’re talking house age… not people age… it’s different 😉)

Although it may not seem like that long ago, many things have changed in how houses are built to make them safer and more efficient.

If your home was built before 1980, here are a few things to check:

1. Old Panel and Bad Wiring - Did you know that your electrical panel lifetime is 50 years? Many of my client’s seem to think it lasts forever. 11% of all home fires are due to defective panels or wiring.

Specifically, if your home was built in the mid-50s to the mid-70s, this could be a key to preventing a house fire! During this time, it was common to switch from knob and tub to aluminum to copper. Due to high corrosion and curious rodents, this can easily lead to a fire in your home.

2. Little to no insulation - Are you wearing a Patagonia jacket inside your home? It may be due to poor insulation in your home.

Insulating new homes didn’t become a requirement until the 60s. Even if your attic is insulated, but your walls are not (or have very little), this could be causing an unnecessarily high energy bill!

3. Plumbing - It’s likely that your pre-1980 home was built with galvanized steel pipes. This material is very susceptible to rusting. Rusting can cause clogging, and cracks both leading to leaks… that’s where big problems start.

If you think your house might fall under this category, message me to ensure your home is truly in the best shape it can be.

What year was your home built?

After a break for the holidays, I am excited to start our monthly Roundtable meetings back up!

We will be hosting our first Roundtable of the year on Thursday, January 25th.

This community has been so fulfilling and helpful for so many industry leaders. I can’t wait to have all of you back together again, and to see some new faces!

If you are interested in joining us, please message me!

In Palo Alto, converting a patio requires a permit. Our client wanted to convert the porch to an office, allowing them to have an overview of the mountains and their yard.

We worked with the client from start to finish. During the design phase, our architectural partners, Stoecher and Northway helped our clients get the permits.

Once the permit was approved, the client ordered the windows which took about 12 weeks from the factory. After the arrival, we prepared for construction for the client base

From start to finish the project took about 2 months with inspections and product delays.

Keep your eyes peeled for more updates on this project!

When we say custom remodels, that’s exactly what we mean. This project is an old friend of mine who has young children. Their home just wasn’t fitting their life anymore which wasn’t leaving any space (literally and figuratively) for the things they loved to do– which in this case was bake – my favorites are her cookies!

We built this kitchen with a very large island so the kids could eat, and do homework here while mom does her baking. This gives everyone plenty of room to do the things they want comfortably, and we also optimized the storage specifically for her mixer so it is easily accessible.

Sometimes our homes can feel like they can put us in a box, but that does not have to be the case. Making sure you can do all of the things you love in your home is so important!

If you feel like your home is putting you in a box, message me and we can talk about what the best options would be for you to not feel this way anymore.

Last month, we had our biggest Design & Build Roundtable yet! There were 25 industry leaders participating in problem solving, brainstorming, and being there for each other. All of this has led to creating such a great community already.

We will not be holding a roundtable in December due to the busyness of the holidays (We may Comment start still Comment end have a smaller gathering - TBD), but if you would like to join us in January, message me to get the details!

Thank you Stoecker and Northway Architects Inc. for hosting & sponsoring us!

This is not an exaggeration. Although it seems like the list never ends, I promise it's worth it to keep up on your home maintenance projects.

We have been called to so many home repair projects that would have saved them up to $200,000 if the issue had been prevented through maintenance, or even just caught in earlier stages.

A rule of thumb is to save about ~1% of your home's value every year towards home maintenance, but here's the catch.. You have to do ALL of the maintenance for it to stay in that budget. That is the budget for home MAINTENANCE not for home repairs when things are not maintained.

This may seem harsh, but I have seen families' schedules and normal lives be uprooted due to home damages and repairs. Not only by the cost, but by the time, and lack of safety in their home once an issue was too far gone.

With all of that said, I think we are all guilty of skipping or procrastinating on projects... Life is busy!

What is the maintenance step you procrastinate on the most often?

Last month, we had our biggest Design & Build Roundtable yet! 25 industry leaders were participating in problem-solving, brainstorming, and being there for each other. All of this has led to the creation of such a great community already.

We will not be holding a roundtable in December due to the busyness of the holidays (We may still have a smaller gathering - TBD), but if you would like to join us in January, message me to get the details!

Thank you, Stoecker and Northway Architects Inc. for hosting & sponsoring us!

Accidents happen!

And when they do, we're here to help. This family had someone accidentally run into their garage with their car. They called us, and we came out to assess and got the ball rolling immediately to rebuild that part of the garage to make it feel safe and look good as new again!

Keeping our clients feeling safe, taken care of and able to enjoy all parts of their home is our top priority!

Of course, we love to make our clients' homes look nice, but more importantly, we make your home SAFE and HEALTHY. It's no secret that the quality of your drinking water can have a huge impact on your health. Often, the quality of our drinking water starts to decline before we realize it... if we don't know what to look for that is. Here are some things to watch for to ensure your water pipes are not rusting.