Dow-Pearce Design

Thank you C. for your review and I am only sorry that your experience with DPd was not completely satisfactory. Perhaps your expectations of the design and construction process were divergent from those of my own or the industry in which I practice.

As you indicate in your review, you were exposed to certain ideas and suggestions outside of your frame of reference, which is likely why you hired a designer. My design experience has led me to find materials, methods and techniques that work better than others and some that I will never recommend based on my own personal preferences or objections, and which were expanded upon whenever they were questioned. Rarely are these preferences and objections overlooked by clients who recognize that they have hired me for my design capability and not simply as someone to implement their vision. Designing a home is a marriage of visions and I always do my best to ensure that my clients are well informed of their choices and options within their preferences while also maintaining what I deem to be the standards and aesthetic of my own practice. It is this quality service which most of my clients seek. In the end however, it is always the client’s home, and the client has the final say in what materials or colors are finally implemented.

Your displeasure with much of the exterior color differences between components was well noted throughout the construction process and every possible effort to meet your eye for exacting color matches was made—including changing minor tint discrepancies noted between disparate materials. Many decisions in a renovation of an existing exterior cannot be made ahead and issues are addressed as they arise and within the budgetary constraints provided. Both the design and construction teams were acutely aware of your budget and all choices, both material and method, were reflective of this.

While all designers endeavour to foresee all ‘as-built’ conditions, the realities of wood frame construction, intermittent site visits and structural changes often preclude this objective. I apologize for any design intentions that did not mesh with ‘as-built’ realities, but this is part of the typical design process. The design principles which I employ to make changes to a paper design (thereby resulting in an improved condition) are sometimes (unfortunately) required to modify an intended architectural design to reflect what the built condition will allow.

I do not ever want a client to be distressed by any aspect of the processes of design and construction and have always, and will always, do my utmost to rectify any situation to their satisfaction, and within the reasonable purview of my profession. I believe that DPd has done so with respect to your project and which has been recognized in your overall rating of your experience. Thank you again for taking the time to review it.

Thanks, JoAnn! It has been--and continues to be--a pleasure to work with you. I am happy to have found you as a client!

Thank you L. and J. for your review and return custom over the years. It has been a pleasure to work with you and to see your houses change and your family grow.

Thanks L. for your lovely review. Anytime my friend...anytime.

Thank you C. for your review. It's always good to know that I can bring something to the table other than a bottle of wine. (Although I'm always good for that too!)

Thank you M. and S. (and P. and R. too). I am happy to have helped bring light and space to your house--although it is all of you that have brought it life and happiness. Thanks for letting me be a part of all that.

Thank you F. and J.! I am happy to have you as friends and return clients and look forward to helping you with wallpaper and carpet and whatever else you might need to give your elegant and welcoming home a renewal.

Thank you so much C. and W. for the review and all that you have done for me and DPd over the years. If it weren't for you, there might not have ever been a DPd! You were my first client and I'm happy to find that our personalities, design senses, styles and humour has meant that you have become much more to me than that. You deserve an equally glowing review. Many thanks.

Thanks R. and J.! I am happy to have helped make your renovation run more smoothly and allow you to carry on with your busy work and family lives with as little disruption as possible. Of course this was all helped exponentially by having you, with your easygoing personalities, as my client. Thank you!

Thank you Roseanne. Thanks for your years of support, and trusting my vision enough to allow me to put 20' of chain link fencing as a feature in the centre of your house! Thank you too for your and B.'s ongoing recommendations to friends and colleagues. I love knowing that your personality--playful, easy-going and strong--is summed up perfectly in your family-friendly and boy-proof home. Chainlink don't you think?!

Thanks Craig. I hope you are continuing to enjoy your new living space and office and that it is becoming a warm, welcoming, and comfortable home for you and your kids.