Despite the slowing down of all aspects of life for the time being, builders, remodelers, designers and construction companies continue to be able to provide their clients with help on the projects they might’ve been putting off until now.
“Right now, we’re doing a variety of projects, from a new home to a second-floor addition, a couple of whole-house remodels, a sunroom, and many kitchens and bath,” says Kathy DeMeyer, owner and general manager of Encore Construction Co.
DeMeyer says most of the jobs they’re doing for clients include kitchen and bath remodels that are part of a larger remodel. For example, the client might be taking down the wall between the kitchen and dining area. The open concept, she says, continues to be very popular.
Current trends, she adds, are often dictated by the age of the home. Sometimes the older homes tend to have smaller rooms, so the open concept continues to be a desired aspect for those types of homes.
Getting an estimate, even during a time of social distancing, is no problem at Encore.
“We’re not doing any on-site meetings right now,” says DeMeyer. Nor are they going into any owner-occupied properties. “We’re very lucky that we have a lot of second-home owners as clients, so we can arrange to get a key to a property and go out there ourselves and get an estimate for a job.”
If they’ve already met with the client and given them an estimate, they will continue to work on their design projects through completion. Encore uses an app called ‘Builder Trend’ that allows clients to see and keep track of the progress of the schedule and their project. Conference calling, she adds, has been a great tool, as well.
“It’s been an eye opener,” she says. “A lot of people haven’t done conference calls, as we have in the past. In today’s age, with the virus, conference calling has just blossomed amazingly.”
She adds that people are definitely not putting off projects right now, despite the pandemic. They want to move forward with home projects. And with more time being spent outdoors, outdoor projects will be a big trend in the year ahead.
“I think you’re going to see a lot more people interested in doing a three-season room or a screened porch,” DeMeyer says. “Screened porches are so popular on the Cape. We get to use them spring, summer and fall. It’s really something that’s extremely popular.”
Another trend she’d been seeing, even before the pandemic began, is people installing bidets in their bathrooms.
“Even before this pandemic, we were already seeing more bidets being put in, especially for somebody who’s aging in place, some of our older clients, even some of the younger people. Bidets are definitely becoming more popular. Anyone that’s doing a big remodel, they want that comfort. So we are seeing more of them.”
DeMeyer advises that, if you have a project that you want to get on the schedule, you should make that call now.
“Get us in there and see the possibilities of what can be done,” she says. “It’s amazing what we can do via phone conferencing, video conferencing and having those conversations.”
For more information on Encore Construction, visit them at encoreco.com.
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