Style on a Shoestring (SOAS) provided complete design services and project management for a major renovation that totally transformed our house into one where visitors step in and proclaim "wow, this is really cool." First, owner/designer Tracy and one of her designers set up an afternoon of meetings with a group of contractors assembled through years of trial and error - contractors who do good work, are reasonably priced, reliable, and would comply with a tight schedule. Contracting would be directly with the contractors, who had no financial linkage to SOAS and with SOAS acting as project manager. The trades included cabinet maker, tiles, electrician, plumber, doors/window, painter, window treatments, closet shelving organizer, etc. We would never have known where to begin, let alone bring such a group together. Tracy and one of her designers exchanged ideas with the contractors - What possibilities are feasible? Will this idea work? How about this one? Tracy then developed a rough budget with costs for each potential component. Then Tracy and team met with us to review the possibilities. Once a direction and rough budget range was decided, they worked with the contractors to more closely specify the work and refine costs, including consulting with us regarding trade-offs and alternatives, and design versus functionality options and issues. Throughout, they provided design expertise with a flair, including many things we would never have even imagined on our own. When we became overwhelmed with choices for faucets, tile, shower hardware, etc, Tracy and company would meet us at vendor showrooms, arriving in advance to narrow choices or pointing us in the right direction for internet searches. Once we signed contracts for the various trades, Tracy developed a tightly integrated comprehensive time line - often with multiple trades working at the same time or one right after the other on the same day (made possible by the good working relationships developed with the stable of well-screened contractors.) The work began and Tracy managed the process, checking on progress in person almost daily. Tracy had required a 10% contingency be built into the budget for surprises - there were some, but all were well handled within the contingency by Tracy working with the contractors. We had heard renovation horror stores from friends - months to renovate a bathroom, massive cost overruns. But with Tracy's management, the work was tightly scheduled to be completed in 30 days: it was completed a day early and within budget. Tracy and her design team also selected interior and exterior paint colors and helped us select furnishings from good vendors, keeping in mind the things we had accumulated from 20 years of living overseas. The result is spectacular, transforming a ho-hum little tract house into a wonderful home, rich in design features and a pleasure to live in - a year later - we STILL look around the house and marvel! read more
