My father began teaching me about managing time when I was about 5 years old.  He was very much from the old school of work hard, earn your keep and keep your mouth shut.  I vividly remember him stopping me in mid stride and asking, “Where are you going?”  I replied, “I’m going outside to play.”  He said, “Well, take something with you when you go.  Don’t ever go anywhere without thinking about what you could take with you to save a trip or what you should get done before you go.  Always be thinking two steps in front of where you are.  If you do that, you’ll never waste time or energy”.

I thought he was crazy!  I heard him say that same basic phrase at least a thousand times over the next 10 years and I still thought he was crazy.

It wasn’t until I went to work for him as a laborer that I really started to understand the importance of “keeping two steps ahead”.  He had me carry wall framing materials from the drop site onto the sub floor where the carpenters were going to build the outside walls of the house.  He took a red marker and drew lines on the floor and told me, “I want the wall studs right here and the plates right here. Put the sheathing right here and don’t let any of the lumber get outside these lines or I’ll make you do it again.  When you carry lumber in, stack it like I told you and when you go out for more, don’t go empty handed.  Grab some trash or debris and throw it in the dumpster.  You’ll note it’s right next to the lumber pile out there.”

I thought he was crazy!  All I was doing was stockpiling lumber for the carpenters.  What difference did it make if I stayed within his lines?

The next day, when the carpenters showed up, I got to help build those walls.  The foreman started laying them out and we started building them.  As we were working, it came to me that the subfloor was cleaned off so we weren’t stumbling over a bunch of junk that would slow us down. I also noticed my lumber pile wasn’t in the way of building any of the walls.  There was room to swing a hammer, raise them up and brace them off.  Not one stick of lumber had to be handled twice!

Maybe he wasn’t so crazy after all.

You see, his business depended on how well he managed his own time and how well the carpenters he employed managed their time.  He taught his men never to go anywhere empty handed and to make sure that every step they took was thought out far enough in advance that they wouldn’t work their way into a corner.  He would say to them, “Think first.  Think about the big picture, then think about the steps you need to get there.  If you do that, it will be right the first time, every time and you won’t have to work so hard.”

That is time management the old school way.

Tom Life In General, remodeling building, jobsite management, remodeling, time management

In previous posts about basement finishes we’ve talked about the challenges of egress and moisture.  There is one more design challenge - headroom.  If you live in an older home you are already aware of low basement ceilings and HVAC ductwork or bearing beams that are potential head bumpers.  The floor structure at the bottom of your stairs is another place you may have to duck or you wind up with a knot on the top of your head!

To maximize headroom and minimize the expense we at Riggs Construction & Design start a finished basement design by determining if we can give our clients the room they need and still build as much wall as possible directly underneath the bearing beams.  This not only covers the beam and columns but allows us to rout all the HVAC trunk lines on the unfinished side of the basement.

Other items such as electrical lines, A/C refrigerant lines and gas pipes can be covered by firing the joists down with a 2 x 2 before we hang drywall.  This will lower your ceiling by 2” but it is higher than a suspended ceiling and gives the room a much more finished look.  Remember that all electrical junction boxes and shutoff valves have to be left accessible so with a drywall ceiling and walls, you will have to put removable plates over the electric junctions and an access panel for shut off valves, meters, plumbing cleanouts or other items that need to be accessed.  Fortunately, these access panels are readily available at any supply house, are low profile and can be painted the same color as your walls or ceilings.

Basement stairs can be a bit of a challenge in older homes depending on how they are configured and what is above the bottom of the stairs.  The stair opening can be made longer thereby increasing the headroom and still not affect the floor above with some creative structural design.  In fact, the existing stair opening structure can be supported with new piers under the concrete floor so that the structural integrity is not compromised and it even furthers your options.  If you are lucky enough to have a closet on the first floor that is directly in line with the stair opening, that closet floor can be raised enough to allow you to build a new staircase with the proper tread depth and riser height and still leave you with enough headroom to meet codes.  No matter how nice your finished basement is, if it starts with a steep staircase where you have to duck to get down them, it will take away from the pleasure of using your new space.

Tom basement remodeling, remodeling finished basements, finished lower levels, remodeling

Downsizing one’s home is becoming a very popular trend with the Baby Boomer generation.  Multiple bedrooms, bathrooms and larger living spaces just aren’t as necessary as they once were when the house was full of kids.  Of course, there are the grandkids but that’s planned as a short stay during vacations or overnight visits.  Energy costs and general maintenance and cleaning are much easier with a smaller home, so downsizing makes sense.

But there is an interesting phenomena taking place with the downsizing of this generation.  Whether it’s buying an existing smaller home and remodeling it to fit their lifestyle or building a new home, this generation is not doing things halfway.  There might only be two baths and one kitchen but they are magnificent rooms with all the accommodations one could imagine.  Counter tops are marble, granite or other high dollar products while appliances are top of the line, energy efficient, designer units that will do practically everything.   Flooring, plumbing, electrical fixtures, paint, roofing and other owner selected products are being researched on the internet and chosen based on their reputation, good looks, desire and the effect they have on the environment much more than by what they cost.

The overall result is that the downsizing taking place might be smaller in size but is turning out to be as much, or more, of an overall investment.  Baby boomers still feel that the best investment they can make is in their home.  They plan to truly live there and they want to be comfortable with low monthly expenditures on utilities and maintenance.  They are thinking about their own comfort and feel that they have worked long and hard to get to a place where they can spend some of those earnings on themselves and what makes them happy.  Retirement is right around the corner for this generation and they have been saving and doing without for the benefit of the family and with the hope of living out their “best years” in style and comfort.

Even with most 401K and IRA accounts in the dumps because of the economic recession, their hopes & dreams remain alive.  This generation has lived through tough times in the past and has seen the market come back even greater than before.  They believe in the system and are banking their future on not only their own ability to pull through but on the younger generations that follow.

Tom Uncategorized downsizing, luxury amenities, remodeling

Having a remodeling company that has been based in Kirkwood for 50 years, we have participated in many historic renovations.  We have also done dozens of projects in other communities such as Webster Groves, University City, Soulard and downtown St. Louis.  In fact, Riggs Construction & Design won a Chrysalis Award for the best historic renovation in the nation on a home on South 9th Street in the City of St. Louis.

There is a secret to historic renovation that I learned by serving on the Landmarks Commission in Kirkwood.  First, you are restoring the home, not remaking it.  And second, any additions to the home must be built in such a way that the original structure is still recognizable.

During an historic renovation, demolition of existing moldings, architectural details and other parts and pieces must be carefully monitored and documented.  Digital photography has helped tremendously in this endeavor. From a green perspective, it is best to reuse those pieces if possible.  If they are water or termite damaged - or just plain worn out - a little footwork to the local antique shops or recycled building material shops is the next best solution.  If you can’t find what you are looking for at these places or the internet, there are many millwork shops that specialize in wood moldings and the better ones will already have the special knives it takes to make them.  There are specialty shops that can make anything you may need and in certain instances, you will find that some of the more common items will be in stock or readily available.

Restoring a home to its original architectural glory is a labor intensive project and is not suited for many remodeling companies.  It is not just the materials that need to be duplicated but the care and respect that was originally put into the home by the old world craftsmen as well.  Pride in workmanship and genuine respect for the work of years past really do show up in the final product.

It is true that we build a much better home than 100 years ago because of the structural and mechanical engineering that has improved dramatically.  The products are better, more energy efficient and do more for the homeowner than ever before.  We have improved indoor air quality and are finally beginning to lower our carbon footprint.  But in same respect, the care and quality of the building trades has lessened due to the pressure of labor costs and speed of production.  Patience is a lost virtue in the construction industry and it’s driven by the consumer wanting it sooner rather than later.

In restoring an historic home, we as Remodelers have to produce a product and be competitive in doing so.  But we must also find it within ourselves to be the patient, confident, old world craftsman that did things the right way, knowing that it may take a little longer, but it will last a lot longer.

Tom Historic Renovation, remodeling Historic Renovation, kirkwood, remodeling, st. louis, university city, webster groves

Welcome to the Riggs Construction & Design Blog!

With the launching of our new web site comes this new feature, our remodeling blog.
I’m Tom, the president of the Riggs Construction & Design team.  We hope this blog will be entertaining, informative and read by all of our clients, future clients and anyone who is interested in remodeling.  I’ll be writing many of the blogs but I’ll also bring in other members of our team who are the experts in their field; from architecture, interior design, kitchen and bath design, production gurus, product selections, financing and estimating.

We hope that our blog is interesting and interactive.  Our goal is to give and receive as much expertise as possible to better educate you and the Riggs team.  I’ll post things that I am well versed on such as green building, the design/build process, the remodeling experience and the business of remodeling. We’ll talk about how to design your existing home to fit your needs, using the space you have, or adding on.  Product trends, handyman tips and tricks, remodeling budgets or construction methods are all on the agenda.

We hope to inspire and excite you by providing and receiving insightful and creative ideas.  Remodeling your home can be a fun and creative experience if approached with the team concept in mind.  We realize your home is an extension of who you are and how you want to live your life.  It’s more complex than just creating “space,” it’s about creating the right space for you and your family.  That means listening to you and your dreams.  We hope this space will give you the opportunity to do just that!

If you have any topics or questions you would like addressed you can leave them in the comments section or email it directly to me here.

Welcome and enjoy!

Tom Riggs, Certified Green Professional; Certified Graduate Remodeler

Tom Uncategorized commentary, housing market, kirkwood, remodeling, st. louis, webster groves