Blue Diamond took on a huge project on our small house. We called it the a great House Fixing. Our 924 sq ft 3 bedroom 1 bath house was built in 1958. And it had never been updated. With prices in Austin rising, we were able to refinance and finally fix ‘er up! After years of neglect by the previous owners, it needed basically everything. Starting with new sewer lines (ours were ancient and thoroughly blocked by roots), new water lines, all the old galvanized plumbing inside was junked up and needed to be replaced. All the ungrounded unsafe electrical needed to be replaced, the roof needed replacement, the old carpet had to go, we needed insulation in the walls and ceiling, we needed new HVAC and water heater, a working vent for the stove, new Coretec Plus vinyl plank floors to replace the ugly ancient shag carpet. All this meant we also needed new counters and backsplash, and sinks and toilet. We left the fifties bathroom intact, since it still was basically in good shape.
We didn’t have funds for any structural changes, such as an open kitchen or adding a bath. We just wanted our house brought up to code and livable. After consulting with a number of contractors, most of which were Into house flipping and wanting to just ignore or bypass the code things and do a bunch of cosmetic work, we chose the good ones, Blue Diamond.
And we were very glad we did. In just over two months, their in house plumbing, mechanical and electrical crews disassembled and reassembled our house, just about down to just the bricks, beams and walls, including having to widen the sewer trench through the limestone. The crews worked together well, and were able to accommodate us staying on site in a trailer, with our cats in a separate utility room. They were very accommodating of the critters and there were no escapes.
Any hiccups along the way were promptly addressed by Max and his team.
Shout outs to Zach the plumber, Hayk the electrician, David the carpenter who had his work cut out for him and did an amazing job, and all the other fine people who made our retirement home into our dream house.
The team also worked well with our outside contractors. To save a bit, we had Window World do the windows and a friend did the interior painting. This caused no problems.
Everything was done in tandem with the Austin City Code inspectors, so we will have no unpleasant surprises in the future.
These are not the cheapest contractors, but they do quality work and are courteous and fun to work with. We now have a beautiful house we can be proud of and finally, everything works and looks lovely, too!
We were so pleased that we picked a place in the hall and had everyone sign their work. Craftsmen are not appreciated enough these days, and we are very proud to have your names in our house.
My husband adds: “I commend them for their flexibility in accommodating our requests, especially in regards to our cats. Their scheduling work to minimize stress on the cats was much appreciated. Also, they were quick to respond to questions. Their workers were always willing to explain what was happening. Any problems that came up were addressed without delay.”
Thank you so much, Blue Diamond. The Great House Fixing was a huge success!
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