Before+After: Their Best Interests

Photo Credit: Doug Method Photography

Over the years, remodeler Bo Steed has found that the architects he has worked with usually have little to do with a residential project once the clients bring Steed Remodeling their plans. But that wasn't his experience when he worked on a kitchen-and-bath remodel near his office in Kansas City, Mo. “It was out of sync with what I was used to,” Steed says. How he worked with the architect, an interior designer, and the clients offers a lesson in diplomacy as well as some helpful insights.

Jeff and Cheryl Jernigan's major complaint about their 1950s ranch house was that it was dark and that the rooms were “chopped up.” “We were used to having the main living area connected and available to the kitchen,” says Cheryl, speaking about their much larger previous home. Yet at first, they were looking to hold down costs and didn't want the kitchen remodeled. “Once we finally decided to take out the wall between the kitchen and the living room [and completely redesign the kitchen], the plans came together,” says Jeff, whose goal was for “people to walk into the house and say ‘wow.'”

The previous owners were interested in Japan and had made the house an Asian-inspired showpiece — from the red concrete roof added in 1992 to the Japanese garden, shoji screens, and interior artwork and wallpaper. Situated on a corner lot on busy but prestigious Ward Parkway, the Zen nature of the house — the way it felt like a spiritual retreat — is part of what drew in the Jernigans, who have both battled cancer.

Steed, who had spent his secondary school and college years in Catholic seminary, has a strong spiritual side. He appreciated the Jernigans' needs and was drawn to what he says is their “positive mind-set to help heal themselves.”

Interior designer Michelle Fox (rear, left), met with remodeler Bo Steed and homeowners Cheryl and Jeff Jernigan (seated) weekly during the job.

Photo Credit: Doug Method Photography

The president and CEO of a bank, Jeff had worked with a commercial architect, Sonya Jury, in his business and hired her to design the plans for his and Cheryl's remodel. The architect hired Michelle Fox, an interior designer, to help with design specifics. Jeff then contacted Steed, a long-time acquaintance from the Rotary club, to run the construction side of the project.

Steed Remodeling is design/build, hiring architects on a per-project basis. Steed was used to being the “first” in overseeing a job. Now he was the production manager on the Jernigan project and was considered the “‘first' from the construction standpoint, but a ‘second' in design,” Steed says. “The architect was riding herd on the job and playing hardball for the homeowners. She was so involved because the homeowners thought that was the way to do it and because that's how commercial work is done.” (A side note: Steed Remodeling had no lead carpenter available for the January start date, but Steed wanted to service the Jernigans on their schedule. Steed hired out the lead position to a friend and former employee who had his own remodeling business. Steed, who normally is responsible for sales at the company, was best suited to work with his friend and so took on the role of production manager. In retrospect, Steed says, this took up too much of his time because the lead was not up to speed on the company's systems.)

Photo Credit: Doug Method Photography

Cheryl admits “there was some tension in who was going to be in control. But it was creative tension, not functional tension. The nature of the people involved and their relationship with us meant that we never worried.”

Steed, Jury, and Fox held weekly meetings with the clients once the project was underway. Steed, who is relaxed and easygoing by nature, sometimes got frustrated when Jury would question changes or ask for things such as mortar samples (common in commercial work). But because he — and the others — cared so much about the clients and wanted to work in their best interests, Steed was able to take a back seat.

“I had to pick my battles,” Steed says. “It was important to keep the whole team on the same smooth boat ride for the best end result, and it was best for me not to make any additional waves.” By way of example, he mentions the floating fireplace mantle installed in the living room at the front of the house. “The designer and the architect thought it was a great idea, but didn't know the details. I did. It wasn't going to be a $200 detail, and I relayed that information to them.”

Although the Jernigans liked the Asian style exterior, they wanted to tone that down on the interior and so had all the wallpaper — as well as doors painted with Asian designs —removed. Cheryl and the interior designer like the principles of feng shui and wanted to align decorating, colors, and placement of furnishings and design elements with the homeowners' lifestyle.

To that end, Fox designed a granite countertop that slightly curves into the living area, helping unite the rooms. The kitchen floor is bamboo laid at a 60-degree angle, adding depth. Where the bamboo meets the living room carpet, the edge is curved, echoing the curve of the countertop. The curve design is a principle of feng shui, Cheryl says. Steed installed kitchen counters at 38 inches high instead of the standard 36 inches because the homeowners are both tall. The kitchen is warm, with varied textures and a pleasant mix of wood — custom cabinets are cherry, and throughout the house Steed installed new fir five-panel doors stained cherry — stainless steel (handles, appliances), and glass (windowed cut-outs appear on several cabinets).

BEFORE

Photo Credit: Doug Method Photography

The Jernigans wanted to bring in as much light as possible. Interestingly, when the kitchen floor was removed, they found drawn on the concrete the Japanese character for “light.” It seemed an auspicious beginning. A subcontractor removed the shoji screens from windows not fronting public areas; they painted the remaining screens and attached fresh rice paper.

Steed removed the walls between the living room and the front entry and between the living room and the kitchen. To do this in the long, open space, he first had to install a 14-foot Microllam I-beam on one side of the living room and another Microllam I-beam across the front entry to shore up the roof, which had sagged under the weight of the concrete tiles. Fortunately, the front portion of the home was on a slab so the crew was free to position the jacks and posts wherever necessary.

To keep guests and cooks connected, Fox designed the granite counter to curve into the family room. Steed made the counter 38 inches high for the tall homeowners.

Photo Credit: Doug Method Photography

Steed also installed 30, 4-inch low-voltage recessed lights that can be directed toward the couple's extensive art collection, as well as 37 recessed can lights. The house was now open and filled with light.

The other major change involved removing the hot tub area — an earlier addition next to the master bedroom. It became the new master bath with a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a water closet. Steed Remodeling removed the exterior walls and rebuilt them using the same bricks; they poured a concrete slab for the new bath. Old skylights, were removed and new ones installed. The honed limestone floor tiles are heated, including those in the shower floor. Custom cherry cabinetry in the master bath matches that used throughout the rest of the house, and the limestone counter is, like the granite kitchen counter, 2 inches above standard height. In the old master bath, Steed created a walk-in closet and a laundry area.

As challenging as this project was, Steed says that he would not hesitate to do another project with an involved architect, albeit in a different way.

The old master bath was completely removed and replaced with a walk-in closet and laundry area.

Photo Credit: Doug Method Photography

“On this job,” Steed says, “I spent a lot of additional time and energy to make things happen.” In one instance, he spent several days dealing with a water issue — a $1,000 water bill — that arose simply because the city had misread the meter. But the architect had assumed the water problem was Steed Remodeling's fault.

Steed also ended up taking some responsibility for aspects of the job that were not under his company's contract but under its umbrella for the entire job — items that were contracted separately by the Jernigans such as extensive landscaping; carpet and audiovisual installations; shoji screen painting and restoration; and an artist painting a wall in a small bathroom. “This all took several months and had people around, in, and out of the house. I tried to avoid pointing fingers, pushing blame, or ruffling feathers, so that the process would not be eroded.”

Photo Credit: Doug Method Photography

Steed says that if he were to work again with an architect in this way, the first thing he would do is learn more about the architect from the homeowner. He would also take his pay out of job costs not overhead, plugging in about 5% in additional costs to afford production the time to deal with outside management. “This way,” he says, “I could happily respond to the cries of, ‘What is this?' or ‘Help!' with a smile.”

Having been through this experience, Steed feels that he is better able to communicate to the client that his company needs to maintain control, regardless of who is the architect. “I would have the client buy into our longevity and expertise in residential design and construction.”