Cathy & Kevin

featured client experience profile

CATHY & KEVIN

Project Background:

Cathy and Kevin had a good sense of what they wanted in the project from the start. Among their goals was a dramatic renovation featuring a chef’s kitchen, but they wanted to accomplish this within the existing footprint of the home. Cathy, a registered architect, had preliminary plans for the work but had been debating the project for seven years. BOWA’s in-house architects were able to build upon Cathy’s vision, suggest improvements and finalize her plans, making the best use of existing space while creating a welcoming, sophisticated home.

Why did you hire BOWA? “The high praise for BOWA really stood out”

Having heard many horror stories from others about past remodeling projects, Cathy recalled commiserating with one friend about the contractor she had chosen and his lack of professionalism. They debated the quality and whether the project would ever get done. “In contrast, another friend, who is very specific and has a beautiful renovation, truly loved working with BOWA,” said Cathy. “Nobody likes their remodeler, so the high praise for BOWA really stood out and we knew we had to call.” They respected project leader Jim Harris’ thorough explanation of BOWA’s process and commitment to schedules. “The three-year warranty was another huge factor that helped us make the decision.” said Cathy. The couple also appreciated that they could get further down the design process before having to make a large commitment they couldn’t back out of. Cathy stated, “If it wasn’t working, we didn’t feel stuck.”

What did you appreciate most? “Communication was very good”

When Cathy and Kevin were asked what they appreciated the most, their response came naturally.  “During construction, communication was very good and easy, which helped with timeliness and clarity,” iterated Cathy. “And we really enjoyed working with Bobby Han. His design team was very professional and everything was done properly,” The couple agreed that they also highly valued the weekly meetings where they could ask questions about the project.

What was unexpected? “I had very high expectations and BOWA exceeded them”

“I had very high expectations and BOWA exceeded them,” mentioned Cathy.  She even went on to tell a story about how a BOWA team member went above and beyond, “Larry noticed that a few columns outside of the kitchen were rotting, and I was surprised when he offered to fix them for us at no cost.” The family mentioned that they had heard of too many friends with renovation disappointments, but Cathy let us know, “We were not disappointed at all.”

Advice to others considering a project? “If you invest in quality, you’ll still have the item in 20 years”

Given her background in architecture, Cathy had several pieces of advice to share.  “Seek weekly meetings, which are a great opportunity to visit the job site, ask questions, and finalize small details,” said Cathy. She added, “Save your favorite design pictures or ideas on Houzz, then look for common trends to share with the designers.” Cathy also mentioned having inventoried her kitchen cabinets to make sure the plan included sufficient space. Lastly, Cathy shared that she always advises people to, “Spend the money upfront. If you invest in quality, you’ll still have the item in 20 years.”

Visit the Project Profile to see the beautiful photos from and learn more about Cathy and Kevin’s project.