Ron has worked on the two homes I've owned since 1991. The first project, in the early 1990s, involved renovating a 1914 Victorian and building a carport/storage area in the backyard. The second, in summer and fall 2007, involved updating a home built in 1988 -- adding a couple of windows, modernizing the look of two brick fireplaces, designing and building box ceilings in the family room, kitchen and dining rooms, updating the lighting throughout the home, renovating the master bathroom and changing either the flooring, mirrors or both in the other two bathrooms, designing and building an upstairs deck that replaced a rotting and overly large extension of the master bedroom, and painting all interior surfaces. Ron works with his two brothers, one a skilled and creative electrician and the other a master craftsman who built the box beam ceilings like handcrafted furniture.
The three men could not be more delightful to work with. They are just lovely, interesting people and easy to have around the house. They dedicate themselves completely to each project, generating far more creative and great ideas than I could afford. It's hard not to be seduced by all of the wonderful possibilities they can envision, and create. But, all three are detail-oriented and the finished product is beautiful, functional, and very satisfying to live with.
Ron also sets high standards for his subs and provides itemized billings and receipts for all project activities. His complete dedication to a project and his artistic vision of its possibilities, I think, makes it difficult for him and an owner to predict total project costs. Like any creative endeavor, greater involvement and knowledge produces a wider range of options and often better solutions to a given problem. So, as Ron inhabits a space, his construction and architectural skills generate multiple solutions -- ones that might not be apparent at the beginning of a project.
