Choices, Choices, Choices

by Bill Ernst

The home featured here is in Seminole County and is still under construction, which will nearly double its original size. This issue deals mainly with the structural and exterior building process. The next issue will deal with interiors and landscaping.

Publisher’s note: The owners of the home featured in this article asked not to be identified to protect their privacy.

If you’re like most people when you start on a home remodel, renovation or addition, you want everything laid out exactly the way you imagine it. After all, it’s your house, your needs—it’s what you want! But that’s not always the way it happens. Be prepared to field a lot of questions from the pro’s who will be turning your dreams into reality. And they work with precise measurements, concrete materials, and the laws of physics and chemistry. In other words, you have to have a plan.

Architectural plans, that is. Having a good set of architectural plans help get the big pieces laid out and answer many questions and alleviate many concerns (the builder’s as well as yours). But there are still plenty of small choices for you to make. Making them will ensure that what you end up with is what you want. Is making all those choices fun? Exciting? Confusing? Frustrating? All of the above.

That’s where a good general contactor comes in, to help guide you through the myriad options that are available. An experienced contractor will make your life easier by explaining those options, making suggestions, and just letting you know what’s customary or best or, in some cases, within code (very important to stay within code). The little extra you might pay for a knowledgeable, experienced contractor can be made up for in the money you save on changes and fixes you’ll never have to make later.

For the addition that’s featured in this article, the homeowners worked with many qualified sub-contractors who did top-quality work. The contractor, AC Ernst Building Corp, Inc., and/or the homeowners had worked with these companies in the past and selected them based on ability and track record. And when the dirt starts to fly, trusted relationships can really matter.

“When you hire someone you already have a working relationship with, you know the quality of work they do, their punctuality, and what they’re going to do to get the job done, ” says building contractor Andrew Ernst. “They have an expectation of what you want done, and you have an expectation of what they’re going to provide.”

On the Job . . . In order of Appearance These are the subcontractor companies that worked on this project: General Contractor: AC Ernst Building Corp. 407.718.0303 Architect: AB Design Group, Inc. 407.774.6078 Surveyor: Grusenmeyer-Scott Land Surveying  407.277.3232 Clearing & grading: Thomas Campbell & Associates, Inc. 321.436.3445 Footing, concrete pumping: CBM Construction, Inc. 407.509.1974 Masonry: Larry McDonald, Inc. 321.624.0100 Plumbing: Millennium Plumbing Works, Inc.  407.294.9900 Concrete: Mayfield & Tate Construction, Inc.  407.509.5339 Framing, siding: RAM Enterprises of Orlando, Inc.  321.231.8398 Roofing: McFadden’s Roofing, Inc. 407.682.9082 HVAC: Air Comfort of Florida, Inc. 407.339.2636 Electrical: Integrity Electrical Enterprises, Inc.  407.721.1929 Drywall: Vatos Drywall, Inc. 407.365.3303 Painting: Paint the World, Inc. 407.340.9860 Stucco: Jesus Masterpiece, Inc. 407.467.0435 Cultured stone masonry: Central Florida Lath & Stucco, Inc. 407.448.2350 Flagstone masonry: Tropical Waterscapes, Inc. 407.230.6600 Soffits and Screened Patio: Ed Senez  Aluminum Specialist, Inc. 407.323.2219 Flooring: D & M Flooring, Inc. 407.719.5495 Fountain: Michael G Pools, Inc. 407.678.3878 Granite: American Granite Factory 407.339.4565 Marble: American Marble 407.321.7709 Shower doors: Dixie Shower Doors 407.831.3383 Closet system: California Closets 407.865.5440 Custom office: Maple Star Woodworking, Inc. 407.256.1460 Finishing trim (baseboards/doors): Arrow Trim Carpenters 407.361.8892 Finishing trim, front door: Above & Beyond Framing & Construction Services, Inc. 321.251.0827

Highlighted here are some of the subcontractors who provided guidance and expertise, and stood out for their professionalism and craftsmanship. Each highlight starts with a few of the typical (and often numerous) choices they asked the owners to make, followed by the homeowner’s comments:

Electrical: Where do you want these light switches? Do you want these lights on a dimmer? Where do you want to control this from? You can’t hang that there. You need another outlet here . . .
These were just some of the questions from James and Randy of Integrity Electric. In addition to their punctuality and pleasant personalities, they always listened to our wishes and advise us on how best to achieve them. They always went above and beyond, looking ahead and ever-mindful throughout the process of how things would tie into their electrical system.

Plumbing: Where do you want this spigot? How high do you want this showerhead? What type of faucet are you getting for this sink so I can lay the pipe . . . ?
For an addition, much of the plumbing work is done in the dirt, even before the slab is poured. With years of new construction and home-building experience under their belts, Juan and Joe of Millenium Plumbing knew what would need to happen next and do their job right the first time to make the jobs of the next-up subcontractors easier.

Painting: Did you come up with a trim color yet? Do you want the inside of the exterior sills to be the trim color or the body color? How about this door? Do you want satin or semi-gloss?
When it comes to a quality paint job, Paint the World’s Chris Ford is among the best in the business: the most knowledgeable, dedicated and downright finicky painter we have ever worked with. He always put in a full day, and always masked and tarped everything. He was always meticulous, whether taking precautions spraying outside or being careful and clean inside. From hand-sanding drywall for imperfections most painters just paint over, or scraping grout from high windows that no one else would see, and caulking with care, Ford is a perfectionist—and it shows in his work.

Flooring: Hardwood or laminate? Which direction do you want the boards facing? What type of padding? What sort of transitions? Will the flooring go under the baseboards, or up to them?
D&M Flooring exceeded expectations. Marty and Donny of D&M were always a few minutes early, so they actually started at the time they said they’d be arriving. They vacuumed the site before laying the flooring, they put furniture-protection pads on . . . and they left the house cleaner than when they arrived. They even put pads on the furniture legs, whether the furniture already had them or not.

Roofing: A flat roof or shingles? What type of shingle: dimensional? architectural? ceramic roof tiles? What color? What color drip edge? Do you want a 20, 30 or 50-year warranty?
We almost forgot about the roofing. Although it was a big part of the overall job, once we chose the type of shingle we wanted, we didn’t need much interaction with McFadden Roofing. They just went to work and got the job done right. It’s a 7,800-sq.-ft. roof (78 “squares”), yet they completed the job in a matter of days from start to finish. They also gave us advice on how to integrate a new roof into the old one, and putting a Sun-Tek Tube (tubular skylight) into the art studio roof. They stand behind (if not under!) their products and installation, and they were great to work with.

Stone: Do you want cultured stone or natural stone? What color mortar? What color for the hearth stones? What sort of cap stone? Do you want it sealed? What about the edge: do you want a cut edge or rough edge?
The decision to use stone for the back patio and entryways, and cultured stone to the fountain, wall, indoor fireplace, entry columns and mailbox, added the greatest “perceived value” to the look of the house. Manuel Quilli of Central Florida Lath and Stucco and his team of hard-working, talented stone masons gave our home an upscale look at an affordable price. And George Brown of Tropical Waterscapes, Inc., helped us incorporate Pennsylvania irregular bluestone into the patio flooring and the stone on the fountain. Both of these stone masons were true artists in the way they carefully selected each stone and expertly applied it.

Stucco: What type of finish do you want: knock-down? trowel? Venetian? old-world? sand? What type of stucco band? How large a band: 4'', 6'' or 8''? Do you want to incorporate decorative foam?
We can’t say enough about the job Chico Hernandez of Jesus Masterpiece, Inc. and his dedicated team did on the exterior stucco. Instead of the usual flat stucco treatment, the organic, hand-applied Mediterranean treatment that Hernandez and his men came up with gives the home much of it’s warm character, and is totally unique.

It Starts with the Big Picture
One of the first decisions we had to make—and in hindsight, one of the best decisions we made—was choosing Andrew Ernst of AC Ernst Building Corp. as our general contractor, and Thomas Vayko of AB Design Group as the architect. Vayko took our rough sketches and sketchy ideas and transformed them into dynamic working plans. The plans passed our community’s architectural review board’s muster the first time out—no small feat. Vayko was always energetic and full of creative, even money-saving ideas—a godsend.

We were also pleased with our decision to use AC Ernst Building Corp. He was the one who introduced us to AB Design, and who walked us through the early steps before the plans were created: marking off parameters in the backyard in the grass so we could see; and creating preliminary budgets so we could decide to go forward with the project (or not). And once we decided to do it, he helped us figure where to cut back and stay within budget.

Then once building work started, he kept us updated with weekly schedules so we knew what to expect. And of course he was always there with more of those pesky “choices” questions—but we’ve forgiven him for that.

S

©2008 Seminole magazine