We did it! We closed on our funky a-frame in Manchester, Vermont in January of 2022. Little did we know the adventure was just beginning! The lovely sellers wanted to stay in the home until June to wait until their grandson graduated, so of course we agreed. It gave us time to plan our renovation schedule and put together a team. We immediately started reaching out to contractors and vendors and were told time and time again despite calling 6 months before our project start date, that they were booked!
As a busy NY design firm, we were accustomed to long lead times and crazy contractor schedules, but Vermont took it to an entirely new level. Some of the contractors we met with were booked 18 months (about 1 and a half years) out! We interviewed at least six different contractors/construction firms for our project, and for various reasons not one of them was meant to be our partner on Dragonfly Cottage. We were quickly becoming discouraged and concerned. We needed a true construction partner; someone we could trust and help manage the project as we would be traveling between NY and Vermont to supervise and make selections.
After lunch in charming downtown Manchester, my husband and I wandered into a local shop to browse. As we were lamenting about our difficulty finding a local contractor, a charming young man overheard us and introduced himself and his wife as local craftsman and contractors. We chatted with them for a bit, exchanged numbers and made an appointment for them to come take a look at the project.
[Another Before Shot]
Nik and his lovely wife Samantha came by to see the space and we loved their honesty and enthusiasm for the project and their excitement at the chance to be involved. As the owner of a growing design firm, I loved their hustle and hunger, and their enthusiasm resonated with me. We reviewed our modest scope of work and desired timeframe and was told “No Problem”. It was GAME ON! We had our valued partner and a game plan! Everything should run smoothly now, right? HA!
By mid-June, our now tenants had moved out and we were ready to demo. I love demo day! There is nothing like the blank canvas of a space to encourage big design dreams! However, we were in for more than a few surprises.
Our first surprise was that that all the ceiling tiles under the sheetrock were asbestos, so the entire ceiling had to go. Once we started on the ceiling, we removed the 1970’s wood paneling from the walls and discovered layers and layers of mouse nests and other icky things that did not belong in the walls.
So, now we had to rip out all the existing sheetrock, clean out the very Vermont things in the walls, reinsulate and install all new sheetrock. All manageable at this point, but frustrating.
Then our electrician came by and promptly told us all the wiring was faulty and not up to code. So, next up was all new wiring and upgraded electric panels. Nik and Samantha very capably handled all the change orders and curveballs with grace and ease. However, they had several of their crew members leave and were finding it hard to replace them. As our scope of work grew, their team was shrinking...
We then discovered that the deck with wonderful views of two mountain ranges and big selling feature, wasn’t actually attached to the house. Opps. At this point, what was supposed to be a quick coat of paint and some cosmetic changes was turning into a full gut renovation. As I tell my clients, it is easier to make changes to your home when it is already a construction zone. My husband was dubious, but it is true!
We then added new bathrooms, plumbing, tiles, wood floors, a new front door, and all new interior trim. Yikes. Nik & Samantha brought in a wonderful vendor named Eamonn to help with the finish work and the tiling. After a few more hiccups with their team, it ended up being just the three of them for our entire project! They could not have done a better job! They were so accommodating, meticulous, honest, and helpful. Despite the scope of work changing 10-fold, they rose to the occasion, and delivered an incredible final project! We all got along so well; it was a true pleasure to partner with them on the redo of Dragonfly Cottage. The finished project exceeded all our expectations, in fact, Stratton Magazine did a story on our team and the incredible transformation of our little cottage! We can’t wait to share the article in our final installment!
We did it! We closed on our funky a-frame in Manchester, Vermont in January of 2022. Little did we know the adventure was just beginning! The lovely sellers wanted to stay in the home until June to wait until their grandson graduated, so of course we agreed. It gave us time to plan our renovation schedule and put together a team. We immediately started reaching out to contractors and vendors and were told time and time again despite calling 6 months before our project start date, that they were booked!
As a busy NY design firm, we were accustomed to long lead times and crazy contractor schedules, but Vermont took it to an entirely new level. Some of the contractors we met with were booked 18 months (about 1 and a half years) out! We interviewed at least six different contractors/construction firms for our project, and for various reasons not one of them was meant to be our partner on Dragonfly Cottage. We were quickly becoming discouraged and concerned. We needed a true construction partner; someone we could trust and help manage the project as we would be traveling between NY and Vermont to supervise and make selections.
After lunch in charming downtown Manchester, my husband and I wandered into a local shop to browse. As we were lamenting about our difficulty finding a local contractor, a charming young man overheard us and introduced himself and his wife as local craftsman and contractors. We chatted with them for a bit, exchanged numbers and made an appointment for them to come take a look at the project.
[Another Before Shot]
Nik and his lovely wife Samantha came by to see the space and we loved their honesty and enthusiasm for the project and their excitement at the chance to be involved. As the owner of a growing design firm, I loved their hustle and hunger, and their enthusiasm resonated with me. We reviewed our modest scope of work and desired timeframe and was told “No Problem”. It was GAME ON! We had our valued partner and a game plan! Everything should run smoothly now, right? HA!
By mid-June, our now tenants had moved out and we were ready to demo. I love demo day! There is nothing like the blank canvas of a space to encourage big design dreams! However, we were in for more than a few surprises.
Our first surprise was that that all the ceiling tiles under the sheetrock were asbestos, so the entire ceiling had to go. Once we started on the ceiling, we removed the 1970’s wood paneling from the walls and discovered layers and layers of mouse nests and other icky things that did not belong in the walls.
So, now we had to rip out all the existing sheetrock, clean out the very Vermont things in the walls, reinsulate and install all new sheetrock. All manageable at this point, but frustrating.
Then our electrician came by and promptly told us all the wiring was faulty and not up to code. So, next up was all new wiring and upgraded electric panels. Nik and Samantha very capably handled all the change orders and curveballs with grace and ease. However, they had several of their crew members leave and were finding it hard to replace them. As our scope of work grew, their team was shrinking...
We then discovered that the deck with wonderful views of two mountain ranges and big selling feature, wasn’t actually attached to the house. Opps. At this point, what was supposed to be a quick coat of paint and some cosmetic changes was turning into a full gut renovation. As I tell my clients, it is easier to make changes to your home when it is already a construction zone. My husband was dubious, but it is true!
We then added new bathrooms, plumbing, tiles, wood floors, a new front door, and all new interior trim. Yikes. Nik & Samantha brought in a wonderful vendor named Eamonn to help with the finish work and the tiling. After a few more hiccups with their team, it ended up being just the three of them for our entire project! They could not have done a better job! They were so accommodating, meticulous, honest, and helpful. Despite the scope of work changing 10-fold, they rose to the occasion, and delivered an incredible final project! We all got along so well; it was a true pleasure to partner with them on the redo of Dragonfly Cottage. The finished project exceeded all our expectations, in fact, Stratton Magazine did a story on our team and the incredible transformation of our little cottage! We can’t wait to share the article in our final installment!
Our Journey To Dragonfly Cottage: Part Two (Also Known As 'Now What!?')
We did it! We closed on our funky a-frame in Manchester, Vermont in January of 2022. Little did we know the adventure was just beginning! The lovely sellers wanted to stay in the home until June to wait until their grandson graduated, so of course we agreed. It gave us time to plan our renovation schedule and put together a team. We immediately started reaching out to contractors and vendors and were told time and time again despite calling 6 months before our project start date, that they were booked!
As a busy NY design firm, we were accustomed to long lead times and crazy contractor schedules, but Vermont took it to an entirely new level. Some of the contractors we met with were booked 18 months (about 1 and a half years) out! We interviewed at least six different contractors/construction firms for our project, and for various reasons not one of them was meant to be our partner on Dragonfly Cottage. We were quickly becoming discouraged and concerned. We needed a true construction partner; someone we could trust and help manage the project as we would be traveling between NY and Vermont to supervise and make selections.
After lunch in charming downtown Manchester, my husband and I wandered into a local shop to browse. As we were lamenting about our difficulty finding a local contractor, a charming young man overheard us and introduced himself and his wife as local craftsman and contractors. We chatted with them for a bit, exchanged numbers and made an appointment for them to come take a look at the project.
[Another Before Shot]
Nik and his lovely wife Samantha came by to see the space and we loved their honesty and enthusiasm for the project and their excitement at the chance to be involved. As the owner of a growing design firm, I loved their hustle and hunger, and their enthusiasm resonated with me. We reviewed our modest scope of work and desired timeframe and was told “No Problem”. It was GAME ON! We had our valued partner and a game plan! Everything should run smoothly now, right? HA!
By mid-June, our now tenants had moved out and we were ready to demo. I love demo day! There is nothing like the blank canvas of a space to encourage big design dreams! However, we were in for more than a few surprises.
Our first surprise was that that all the ceiling tiles under the sheetrock were asbestos, so the entire ceiling had to go. Once we started on the ceiling, we removed the 1970’s wood paneling from the walls and discovered layers and layers of mouse nests and other icky things that did not belong in the walls.
So, now we had to rip out all the existing sheetrock, clean out the very Vermont things in the walls, reinsulate and install all new sheetrock. All manageable at this point, but frustrating.
Then our electrician came by and promptly told us all the wiring was faulty and not up to code. So, next up was all new wiring and upgraded electric panels. Nik and Samantha very capably handled all the change orders and curveballs with grace and ease. However, they had several of their crew members leave and were finding it hard to replace them. As our scope of work grew, their team was shrinking...
We then discovered that the deck with wonderful views of two mountain ranges and big selling feature, wasn’t actually attached to the house. Opps. At this point, what was supposed to be a quick coat of paint and some cosmetic changes was turning into a full gut renovation. As I tell my clients, it is easier to make changes to your home when it is already a construction zone. My husband was dubious, but it is true!
We then added new bathrooms, plumbing, tiles, wood floors, a new front door, and all new interior trim. Yikes. Nik & Samantha brought in a wonderful vendor named Eamonn to help with the finish work and the tiling. After a few more hiccups with their team, it ended up being just the three of them for our entire project! They could not have done a better job! They were so accommodating, meticulous, honest, and helpful. Despite the scope of work changing 10-fold, they rose to the occasion, and delivered an incredible final project! We all got along so well; it was a true pleasure to partner with them on the redo of Dragonfly Cottage. The finished project exceeded all our expectations, in fact, Stratton Magazine did a story on our team and the incredible transformation of our little cottage! We can’t wait to share the article in our final installment!
Our Journey To Dragonfly Cottage: Part Two (Also Known As 'Now What!?')
We did it! We closed on our funky a-frame in Manchester, Vermont in January of 2022. Little did we know the adventure was just beginning! The lovely sellers wanted to stay in the home until June to wait until their grandson graduated, so of course we agreed. It gave us time to plan our renovation schedule and put together a team. We immediately started reaching out to contractors and vendors and were told time and time again despite calling 6 months before our project start date, that they were booked!
As a busy NY design firm, we were accustomed to long lead times and crazy contractor schedules, but Vermont took it to an entirely new level. Some of the contractors we met with were booked 18 months (about 1 and a half years) out! We interviewed at least six different contractors/construction firms for our project, and for various reasons not one of them was meant to be our partner on Dragonfly Cottage. We were quickly becoming discouraged and concerned. We needed a true construction partner; someone we could trust and help manage the project as we would be traveling between NY and Vermont to supervise and make selections.
After lunch in charming downtown Manchester, my husband and I wandered into a local shop to browse. As we were lamenting about our difficulty finding a local contractor, a charming young man overheard us and introduced himself and his wife as local craftsman and contractors. We chatted with them for a bit, exchanged numbers and made an appointment for them to come take a look at the project.
[Another Before Shot]
Nik and his lovely wife Samantha came by to see the space and we loved their honesty and enthusiasm for the project and their excitement at the chance to be involved. As the owner of a growing design firm, I loved their hustle and hunger, and their enthusiasm resonated with me. We reviewed our modest scope of work and desired timeframe and was told “No Problem”. It was GAME ON! We had our valued partner and a game plan! Everything should run smoothly now, right? HA!
By mid-June, our now tenants had moved out and we were ready to demo. I love demo day! There is nothing like the blank canvas of a space to encourage big design dreams! However, we were in for more than a few surprises.
Our first surprise was that that all the ceiling tiles under the sheetrock were asbestos, so the entire ceiling had to go. Once we started on the ceiling, we removed the 1970’s wood paneling from the walls and discovered layers and layers of mouse nests and other icky things that did not belong in the walls.
So, now we had to rip out all the existing sheetrock, clean out the very Vermont things in the walls, reinsulate and install all new sheetrock. All manageable at this point, but frustrating.
Then our electrician came by and promptly told us all the wiring was faulty and not up to code. So, next up was all new wiring and upgraded electric panels. Nik and Samantha very capably handled all the change orders and curveballs with grace and ease. However, they had several of their crew members leave and were finding it hard to replace them. As our scope of work grew, their team was shrinking...
We then discovered that the deck with wonderful views of two mountain ranges and big selling feature, wasn’t actually attached to the house. Opps. At this point, what was supposed to be a quick coat of paint and some cosmetic changes was turning into a full gut renovation. As I tell my clients, it is easier to make changes to your home when it is already a construction zone. My husband was dubious, but it is true!
We then added new bathrooms, plumbing, tiles, wood floors, a new front door, and all new interior trim. Yikes. Nik & Samantha brought in a wonderful vendor named Eamonn to help with the finish work and the tiling. After a few more hiccups with their team, it ended up being just the three of them for our entire project! They could not have done a better job! They were so accommodating, meticulous, honest, and helpful. Despite the scope of work changing 10-fold, they rose to the occasion, and delivered an incredible final project! We all got along so well; it was a true pleasure to partner with them on the redo of Dragonfly Cottage. The finished project exceeded all our expectations, in fact, Stratton Magazine did a story on our team and the incredible transformation of our little cottage! We can’t wait to share the article in our final installment!