What came in as a call to us for a small repair has turned into a dream renovation for Sean and Brittney Couch, two local professionals. This is the first post in a series that documents their story and the evolution of their lovely bungalow into their forever home.
When a burst pipe put a damper on their post-vacation bliss, Sean and Brittney seized the opportunity to remedy a few of the things that bothered them most about their master bedroom suite—namely the cramped master closet, poorly configured master bath, and the overall flow that had the public access to the backyard going through their master bedroom. Knowing that the repairs were going to be a pain no matter how large or how small, they decided to get the most out of the inconvenience and come out on the other side of the work with an improved home instead of just a repaired home. As a design professional herself, Brittney knew that her years of commercial architecture experience were not well-suited to the task at hand and started looking for help. Together she and Sean researched local firms before deciding that the design-build model was right for them and calling CG&S.
Scene of the broken pipe catastrophe
To them, the idea of a one-stop shop with designers and craftsman in the same firm was the logical choice. They asked around for reviews, toured one of our homes—which conveniently came up on a homes tour at just the right time—and finally talked with our Lead Sales person and President, Billy Guerrero.
Well prepared with clear lists of priorities, they listened intently as Billy Guerrero inspected their damaged home and made his professional recommendations for repair and upgrades. Excited and inspired by Billy’s insights, they were eager to get started and we entered into the early stages of design. The scope was to renovate their existing master suite by upgrading the flooring and repairing the skylights and to overhaul their master bathroom to not only fix the damage done by the burst pipe but also to bring it up to a level more in keeping with the rest of their charming home.
Equipped with their magazine clippings, Pinterest board and lists of their likes and loves, the schematic design process was a collaborative breeze. Throughout the process, Sean and Brittney were committed to quality and open in their communications—never shy about voicing their opinions, for better or worse. Their open, easy attitude and faith in the process of design was rewarded with a project that fulfilled nearly all of their design criteria. Now, with a schematic plan on the table and within the targeted budget, Sean and Britney took some time before choosing their next step. We anticipated a green light to proceed into construction but were tossed a curveball instead.
Coming up: Sean and Brittney confront the REAL project scope. Stay tuned!
