Looking to update or completely remodel your kitchen, bath, outdoor living space, or even your entire home? Highly qualified Memphis-area builders, architects, designers, and more stand ready to help make your space modern, cozy, and more functional. On the following pages, we feature two such projects — along with before-and-after photos — and talk with the happy homeowners whose dream homes have become reality with the help of local professionals.
— by Shara Clark
Chairman’s Message
John Heard, Remodelers Council
On behalf of the members of the West Tennessee Home Builders Association and our Remodelers Council, I want to welcome you to the first-ever edition of Remodel Memphis, a special editorial supplement that we hope will become a mainstay in this area.
It is the mission of the Remodelers Council to help homeowners find the right professional remodelers to make their renovation or new home construction project a reality!
It’s fun and inspiring to watch TV shows about home design and remodeling — everything from the latest looks in countertops to whole-house remodels. And YouTube and other online video sites are chockfull of helpful how-tos and demos to assist homeowners through countless do-it-yourself projects.
There are relatively simple home projects that can be completed by DIYers, such as hanging pictures, interior painting, caulking, and changing door knobs and cabinet pulls. And, homeowners with the correct tools and a higher skill level should be able to tackle some aesthetic work such as installing crown molding.
But it’s also important to know when to stop and hire a professional.
Remodelers can tell you lots of funny stories about siding installed upside down — and sometimes scary stories involving do-it-yourself electrical wiring gone awry. So before you buy the latest or trendiest gizmo for your home, ask yourself a few questions:
How much do you know? Replacing the exhaust fan over your oven with a built-in microwave looks like a reasonably simple swap. But if you notice your kitchen lights are dimming when you zap your popcorn, you’ve probably forgotten that the microwave, unlike the exhaust fan, uses a lot more energy and likely needs a dedicated circuit. A remodeling professional knows that.
What if it doesn’t work? That YouTube do-it-yourself video may make a tilework project look doable, but will YouTube give you your money back if you don’t lay it straight? Professional remodelers may not know everything, but they do take responsibility for everything they do.
Are there any unintended consequences? In today’s increasingly efficient and more air-tight homes, it’s more and more important to look at the house as a system. Your new windows are keeping out drafts, but how are they affecting your home’s air quality once the “natural ventilation” of the leaky old ones is gone? Do you need to look at mechanical ventilation systems? If so, how big? A professional can tell you.
How do you know if it’s right for your home? A professional remodeler can advise you on products, finishes, and appliances that match your lifestyle, location, house size, and budget and help you avoid spending money without a reasonable payback on either resource expense (energy and water, for example) or the sale of your home when you are ready to upsize or downsize.
If you are considering a remodel project, large or small, I encourage you to review the list of remodelers in this magazine or contact the West Tennessee Home Builders Association at 901-756-4500 or visit us online at www.yourhomebuilders.org. Doing this will help you find a remodeler with the experience, educational qualifications, and knowledge to do the job right — the first time.
President’s Message
Dave Moore,
West Tennessee Home Builders Association
I want to start by congratulating the Remodelers Council on their initiative to develop this important and interesting supplement. I also want to thank Memphis magazine for working with us to produce this high-quality editorial package that will serve the interests of Mid-South homeowners who are looking to upgrade their homes.
Remodeling is a billion-dollar business in America, and all too often homeowners don’t know where to start the process, whether it is a simple redecorating project or a major room addition. The West Tennessee Home Builders Association has the resources to help you get started by providing information for several professional remodelers. All of these companies have been scrutinized by our association, and all of them will issue you a warranty that is approved by our association.
There are some guidelines you should consider before you enter into a contract for remodeling services:
Price and payment
Don’t get pressured into signing a contract immediately. You should not be told that you need to sign a contract that day or risk a price increase.
Paying a deposit of anywhere from 20 percent to 50 percent is common; however, you should not be asked to pay the full cost in advance, before work begins.
Make sure you’re comfortable with the payment options. You should not be asked to pay cash to a salesperson instead of a check, money order, or credit card.
References
Confirm that the contractor has a verifiable mailing address for his business.
To ensure the company you are considering hiring doesn’t have any unresolved complaints, we recommend that you check with the local office of the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org/memphis, or call them at 901-759-1300.
Ask the contractor for references for past work and be sure the references can be reached. Don’t overlook the need to check with the references to ensure they are satisfied with the work performed.
Contract and completion
Be cautious of anyone that tells you that “a contract won’t be necessary.” Insist on a complete and clearly written, contract signed by you and the contractor.
Ensure that the final payment is not due until the job is completely finished and you are fully satisfied with it. Find out if any of the work requires city or county inspection, and make sure that is done and you have paperwork to prove it before you make the final payment.
Following these guidelines will help you select a contractor who will do quality work, and stand behind it. To learn more about finding a reliable contractor with an established business in our community, contact us at 901-756-4500 or visit us online at www.yourhomebuilders.org.
From House to Home
This large-scale remodel brought an older house up-to-date.
BEFORE
PROJECT 1
Builder: Ryan Anderson, RKA Construction
Architect: Mark McClure, McClxure Architecture
Interior Designer: Missy Steffens, M. Steffens Interiors
AFTER
In 2014, our first featured homeowners found the house they wanted in the Belle Meade neighborhood, but it wasn’t quite up to par. Built in 1942, the space had great bones but needed a bit of work to fit the needs of this growing family.
“The whole house was solid, but it was very dated,” says the homeowner, a wife and mother of three. “The kitchen had been updated at one point but not to current standards. Really the whole house needed touching.”
The couple, native Memphians in their late 30s, put a lot of thought into what would need to be done to make the space work for them, their three children — today 8, 6, and 3 years old — and their dogs.
A great deal of focus was placed on the mudroom and the kitchen — “That was the most transformed space,” she says — however each room in the house received attention. With the help of builder Ryan Anderson with RKA Construction, architect Mark McClure of McClure Architecture, and Missy Steffens of M. Steffens Interiors, the entire house was reimagined.
“There were a lot of old doors that really didn’t need to exist and there were too many entry points, so we closed off a lot of those and made things less awkward,” the homeowner says. To make the most sense of the space, a second stairwell was added, which “was a game changer for the flow of the house and access to upstairs.” The home’s original staircase came through the den but was on the opposite side of the house as the bedrooms. Adding the second, she says, “was probably the most important thing we did.”
In this large-scale project, every wall was opened — for things like installing new electrical or reconfiguring halls. While each room essentially maintained its original footprint, slight tweaks were incorporated “to make it all make better sense,” the homeowner says. “We totally redid the master bathroom. We left the master bedroom where it was but took one of the other bedrooms to become my master closet. We didn’t fully renovate every single room, but everything was touched.”
One idea the homeowner had prior to moving in was to establish a neat space for their dogs. “We are big dog people,” she says. Today, they have two Labradors, puppies at 1 and 2 years old. “We like having our dogs inside and like to have them contained at times, so I had this concept in my head because the kennels were always in the way.”
She thought, “Why aren’t they under a cabinet?” So, in the new home, kennels were built into the mudroom, with storage space above for keeping items like leashes and other supplies. Instead of an open floor with kennels sitting out, “It looks like a finished space where the dogs are — their little home. I knew that would help with our daily life, having the kennels out of the way,” she says. “That same space is where the kids walk in the door and throw down their book bags, and we were lacking that in our other house.”
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The homeowners purchased the Belle Meade home in August 2014, demo began that December, and they stayed in their old home while the work was being done. The entire process took right at 11 months, with the family moving in November 2015. “Ryan [Anderson, the builder] was really good at staying on his time schedule and he was very on top of it,” the homeowner says.
For the project, the homeowners met with a handful of potential contractors and ultimately went with “who we thought we matched up with and could communicate best with,” she says. “And our architect [Mark McClure] helped us choose [RKA Construction]. He had a lot of confidence in Ryan and the [previous] work that he had done.”
Missy Steffens helped with all aspects of interior design — hardware choices, doors, cabinets, all of the paint colors throughout the house, countertop choices in the kitchen and bath, light fixtures, and interiors like rugs and furniture. “I relied on her ideas for a lot of these things,” the homeowner says. “Missy was very crucial to have. For some of these decisions, you hope it’s a lifetime choice, so she took on a lot and worked through it with me.”
As for advice for those setting out on a major remodel, the homeowner says to be as firm as possible with decisions on things that might seem small, like hardware, because those choices can set the tone for a project and its total cost — and can affect the level of carpentry that’s going to be involved. “I know everybody’s ready to just get going on a project, but it’s really important to think through some of those little things beforehand to minimize the surprises financially.”
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Be prepared to be flexible with your spending, and have a cushion, she says. “There will be things that come up that you want to add; it’s just inevitable. And it has nothing to do with the builder or the architect — it’s things you look at differently once you start working. If you decide to make one tweak, that might cost $10,000, but to do it, you have to do XYZ first or XYZ after. There are multiple layers to changes that you’re going to make.
“But the quality of being where you want to be and making an old house really what you want makes it all worth it.”
The homeowners are thankful for the “good team” they worked with. “I had a lot of confidence in everybody on our team and the outcome that we were going to get because of them, so that made the process easier,” she says. “I’ll never forget walking in the day before we were moving in and I texted Ryan and said, ‘I can’t believe this is my house!’ We love having friends over and entertaining, and we have plenty of space for the kids and whole families to come over. We can really spread out. And the house isn’t untouchable either; it’s very lived-in and just a warm space. We’re very happy with it.”
Upgrading Space
A few changes modernized an older kitchen.
Pete and Maria Williams have lived in their East Memphis home for 17 years, and while the house, which was built in the 1920s, had been updated in the past, the kitchen needed a bit of work.
“Initially, I was just going to do one wall of the kitchen,” Maria says, “and add cabinetry to one side.” But after consulting with her interior designer, Lana Zepponi with Kitchens Unlimited, she realized a complete kitchen update would make more sense, so that everything would match and be more aesthetically pleasing — and much more functional.
“Maria’s house is a hundred years old,” says Zepponi. It’s a fabulous house, and the other rooms in it were more grand feeling. They have taller ceilings and big windows and all the marks of an older home in this area.” Originally, Maria wanted to address an “awkward nook” in the kitchen where the dining table sat and turn it into a breakfast bar or beverage center.
As they set out on the project, they found that the ceiling had been lowered over time, in part to accommodate recessed lighting. “There were actually two dropped ceilings in her kitchen, and furring strips. There were standard overlay cabinets and a short window,” Zepponi says. “And as we went through the things that Maria really wanted to achieve and her desire to make her kitchen feel as important as the rest of her home, it seemed like the right thing to do to go forward with the full remodel.”
Reconfiguring a few things made for an open, brighter space. “Raising the ceiling made a huge difference, too,” Maria says. “Adding [ceiling] beams gave it more texture, and we also added a bigger new window.”
Raising the ceiling and adding new cabinetry that climbs all the way to the top contributed to the openness of the redesigned space. But there was a surprise in the process. “This is one of the treasures, the discoveries you can find in older homes,” Zepponi says. “We found this beam in the ceiling that could not go away, and we had to figure out a way to turn an obstacle into an opportunity, to make it into a desired design element, not a work-around.”
They decided to “celebrate it” by wrapping the beam in reclaimed cedar and adding a “twin” beam across the room. “It ended up being a really unexpected, wonderful element in the design because when you design a white kitchen you always have this line that you dance in making sure that it’s not cold,” Zepponi says. “The whites that were chosen in this kitchen are warmer whites, and we added a custom stainless-steel hood.”
They refinished the original hardwood floor and incorporated brass in the light and plumbing fixtures and hardware. “With the wood, the brass, and the warmer tones, we were able to achieve the warmth we were looking for, and the beams were a great addition to that,” says Zepponi.
Maria wanted to reconfigure her original “odd” dining space, as there was no window where her table sat. They moved the table to the breakfast room and added cabinetry to the former dining space. A larger marble kitchen island, with built-in electrical outlets and more space for seating, replaced the old island.
The Williams’ daughter, Martha Kay, was in her final years of high school, and, says Zepponi, “It was important to Maria that her daughter could do her homework in there, so we made a bigger island and made sure there was electricity under there for her laptop and that it would be comfortable for Martha Kay to be in there with her parents. Function is very important.”
When setting out on a remodel project, Zepponi suggests to think about not only how you want it to look and feel but how you use the space — now versus how you wish you could use it.
Along with an overall updated space, Maria incorporated all new appliances with Zepponi’s help. “Kitchens Unlimited took care of everything,” Maria says. “I just said this is what we want and Lana was able to do it, so I didn’t have to go a ton of different places looking for everything. I found pictures of things I loved, and she would come back with something that was even better than the picture.”
From start to finish, from the first design meeting to completion, the project took five months, with two months of construction. Today, the Williams family enjoys their new, upgraded space. “We have quite a few people in and out, lots of family and our daughter’s friends,” Maria says. “Lana did such a great job on my kitchen that I used her for my bathroom also [about a year later]. I love my bathroom as much as I do my kitchen.”
West Tennessee Home Builders Association Remodelers Council
- John Heard, Chair
- Ryan Anderson, Immediate Past Chair
- John Catmur, Liaison
Builders Members
- Barry Barnett, Barnett General Contractors - 901-578-9307, barnettllc@aol.com
- John Catmur, Catmur Development Company - 901-680-8200, catmurdc@comcast.net
- Frank Herdzina, H & H Construction - 901-218-4543, fherdzina@hhcustomquality.com
- John Heard, John Heard Company - 901-756-6167, jheard3980@aol.com
- Keith Allen, Keith Allen Custom Builder - 901-754-4044, keith@keithallenhomes.com
- Pat Mahoney, Remodeling Consultants, Inc. - 901-757-5471, pat@remodelingconsultantsinc.com
- Ryan Anderson, RKA Investments, LLC - 901-674-5522, ryan@rkainvestments.com
- Tommy Byrnes, Byrnes Ostner Investments - 901-681-0499, tommy@byrnesostner.com
- Jimmy Moore, Homes by J Moore - 901-335-7273, jimmy@homesbyjmoore.com
- John Hisaw, Delta Restoration Services - 901-213-6379john@deltarestorationservices.com
Associate Members
- Ned Savage, Savage Tile Company - 901-363-9607, savagetileco@bellsouth.net
- Mike Ralph, Designer Cabinets - 901-452-2100, mike@designercabinets.com
- Lesli Bryan, E-Box, LLC - 901-850-9996, lb@eboxeplex.com
- Erin Carlson - Falk Plumbing Supply, 901-372-7860, ecarlson@falksupply.com
- Leslie Shankman-Cohn, Jill Hertz Interior Design - 901-767-8616, leslie@jillhertz.com
- Bob Westmoreland, Bob Westmoreland Cabinets - 901-327-7900, bob@westmorelandcabinetry.com
- Alan Hargett, Central Woodwork - 901-363-4141, ahargett@cenwood.com
- Mark Wakefield, Cenwood Kitchens - 901-737-4343, mwakefield@cenwood.com
- Rusty Jackson, Coburn Supply Company - 901-372-1589, rjackson@coburns.com
- Ross Braithwait, Ferguson Enterprises - 901-759-3820, ross.braithwait@ferguson.com
- Casey Dugan, Ferguson Enterprises - 901-759-3820, casey.dugan@ferguson.com
- Russell Roberts, Jimmy Whittington Lumber - 901-757-2800, robe6883@bellsouth.net
- Joe Kassen, Kitchens Unlimited - 901-458-2638, joe@kitchensunlimited.net
- Danny Bernard, Jr., Mid South Flooring - 901-494-2030, dbenardjr@yahoo.com
- Phil Wade, Pella Window & Door Co. - 901-316-0166, pwade@pelladirect.com
- Bill Boring, Roy May Heating & Air - 901-752-1982, billboring@bellsouth.net
- Joan Wren, Screenmobile - 901-383-2555, memphis@screenmobile.com
- Jackie Butler, Siano Appliance Distributors - 901-382-5833, jackieb@sianoappliances.net
- Dustin Smith, Smith’s Plumbing Service - 901-238-5000, dustin@smithsplumbingservice.com
- Mike Reilly, Southern Screens/Phantom Screens - 901-758-2121, mike@midsouthphantom.com
