The Growing Trend of Renovating

Yes, there is a growing trend toward home renovations. The sometimes overpriced, not to mention characterless box houses that for years have altered the landscape of the Calgary area are losing their luster. Discerning homeowners in need of a change are literally looking in their own backyards!

According to the most recent information available from Statistics Canada, renovations in 2007 were up 10% from the previous year. Since that time, residential construction has had a major slowdown, but renovation statistics continue to rise. While real estate pricing in new construction has softened over the past few years, mature estate neighborhoods have escalated in price and have felt little pressure…if at all, leaving significant equity intact.

When it comes to new construction, our dollars are not stretching as far, and sometimes the cost of building a new home can be significantly higher than upgrading the one we are in. Over the years we have come to love our home, the surrounding area, and the memories that have been created there. We know our neighbors, our children have made friends and gone to the nearby schools, and we have come to appreciate the advantages of an established and mature neighborhood.

We have all heard the adage “Location, location, location” and there is no truer application of this than in reference to our own home. When we have a spacious yard, complete with mature trees and landscaping, located in an area of the city that is close to the amenities we are familiar with, why would we want to sacrifice all of that to ‘start over’ in the ‘Burbs’? Oftentimes all that is required is an update of our existing home to bring it to a design and caliber that would easily rival that of any new home on the market, all the while staying in the neighborhood we love.

We are beginning to value the opportunity to enjoy our homes for longer. Our families are more important to us than they have ever been, and now that the needs have changed, our homes must also change to meet the demand. More than just replacing cabinets or installing new flooring, a renovation must serve the needs of your family, enhance your lifestyle, possibly provide ‘aging in place’ solutions, and as an end result create a haven for you and those you love.

Your task now becomes an interview process whereby you ascertain which renovation firm truly creates solutions for these trends, and embodies your personal ideals.

© Pinnacle Group – Renovations by Design Ltd.
January 1st, 2010 | pinnacler | Calgary, Pinnacle Renovations, Renovators | No Comments »

Choosing a Renovator is About TRUST.

Whether dealing with a renovator, or just going about our lives as usual, trust is perhaps the most important ingredient in our personal or business relationships.

When was the last time you heard someone say “Trust Me”? Did it make you want to trust them? Probably not. We tend to have a lot more faith in people that don’t ask to be trusted. People who just do things that prove they are worthy of trust.

 And trust has two parts to the equation. For a person to be truly trustworthy, they must be a person of integrity to have earned trust, and they must be able to get the required job done.

If your best friend, a person you trust implicitly, is an accountant; you probably would not trust them to give you a root canal! When you trust someone, you wouldn’t be so foolish as to count on them to perform a task they were not capable of, would you? But misplaced trust is all too common.

That is probably why there has been an entire cottage industry built on cleaning up after poor renovators. With TV shows like Holmes on Homes, and the abundance of media attention on homeowners who have been burned by renovators with shady business practices, the message keeps coming across to be careful about who you hire.

No matter what the job is that you need done, in whatever industry is represented, why do so many people take the perceived easy way out? A quick decision made on the basis of price or convenience could turn out to be inconvenient and incredibly costly down the road. Here are a few tips to make your life just a little more painless.

  1. When researching a company or an individual to see if they have earned the right to be trusted, one of the first things to look for is a sense of establishment. Has the company gone to great lengths to create permanence in their image? Are they easy to track down and find their place of business? The last thing you want is a fly-by-night outfit skipping out with funds before a project is complete, and unfortunately it happens every day in many industries.
  2. What is their reputation like? How easy is it to find information about their business online? Again, a company that has gone to work to be accessible, above board and legitimate in their efforts to communicate with past, present and potential clients indicates a desire to please.
  3. Finally, and perhaps most importantly; once you have narrowed down the type of company you believe can fill the scope of your needs, interview them. Do you ‘click’ with them? Are they the best people for the job? It is amazing how easy it is to get a sense whether they are the right company for you and you are the right client for them.

By following these steps, you can make the best decision possible using your head and your heart, and not just one or the other.

A wonderful result of trust is that in the fast paced world we live in, it is the one ingredient that once established, can make a process move along quickly. Trust creates synergy and understanding, attributes that are not present when there is distrust in the mix.

Yes, trust takes commitment and effort to establish, and you can generally tell when a company is committed to a strong relationship with their clients. We hope that this blog has given you a few simple insights to make your next decision easier and based on the things that matter.

© Pinnacle Group – Renovations by Design Ltd.

November 3rd, 2009 | pinnacler | Calgary, Pinnacle Renovations, Renovators | 1 Comment »