The prospect of remodeling should be exciting for a homeowner, but Philip and Marsha Wallace of Virginia Beach, Va., approached the idea with trepidation. “We had done a couple of little projects over the years, but we kept putting off a big remodel,” Marsha says, noting that her husband uses a wheelchair. “We felt that put us in a situation rife with vulnerability, and that we were in a bad position to be ripped off.”
After putting off siding and window replacements and interior upgrades for seven years, the opportunity arose to host a close friend’s wedding. Remodeling became a must-do.
The Wallaces started their remodeler search by calling a roofing contractor they had worked with before. At his suggestion, they contacted a local remodeler, Scott Dickey, who owns K&B Construction. Dickey and the Wallaces clicked right away. “After Philip and I read Scott’s letters of recommendation, looked at his business philosophy, and talked with him, it was like all that pressure was taken away because of the great attitude of the people we would be working with,” Marsha says. She highlights a few things Dickey and his crew did just right during the project:
- Being present. Marsha says Scott answered his phone every time she called, or he called back immediately. She adds, “if Scott is talking to you and his phone rings, he lets it ring. He always gives you his full attention.”
- Respecting the home. Marsha was won over by K&B’s friendly and pleasant crews and how thoroughly they cleaned up at the end of the day.
- Communicating. Rather than taking liberties on the project and charging for the changes in plan later, Dickey and his crews always checked in. “Any time there was a question, they communicated with me,” Marsha says.
“Sometimes in service situations you find yourself working with difficult people, and this was the complete opposite,” Marsha says. “I would do it again in a heartbeat.” —Lauren Hunter, associate editor, REMODELING.
