We Want to Stay in Our Home
A love of their community was the impetus for Tory and Paul’s call to us. As their family has grown, the home that they love needed to grow and change as well. A first floor remodel will open up the rooms, provide much needed sightlines, and provide them with family time. Read on to hear what Tory had to say about the process and working with the RDS team.
Proposed Design
Why did you decide to remodel your kitchen and living spaces?
We love our community here in Worthington and our neighborhood! When we bought this home in 2017, we could envision our family here in the years to come. Over time our family grew, and we started to notice that the layout of a separate kitchen, family room, formal dining room and formal living room wasn’t working for our family. We envisioned a more open concept where the kitchen was bigger. We considered moving to another home in the community that had this type of lay out, and it wasn’t financially viable, so we began to brainstorm what it would mean to remodel our space. Additionally, remodeling meant we could stay in the neighborhood we had grown to love.
Casual Dining View
Current view into what will become the view from the casual dining.
Why did you choose RDS to design your kitchen and living spaces?
Originally, we reached out to RDS because they are well-known in our neighborhood and we had also seen their name around Worthington. This gave us a good deal of confidence they would be able to design what we wanted that would be appropriate for the market here and that they would understand what would work in our neighborhood. It was important to me to keep the history of the house and have it fit into the community, but make it work for us as well.
What really sealed the deal was when RDS came out to meet with us. Hylas was the one that came to the house and talked with us about our wants and needs. He asked questions about our family, how we are currently trying to function in the space, what bothers us, and what we would want in a new space. He really listened to the way our family lives and functions in our home.
We also had an open conversation about our budget during this first meeting. We discussed how much money we were willing to spend, and he was honest about things that we should keep in mind to stay within that budget. So many people are afraid to have a money conversation up front, but with him, it was easy. He helped us understand our expectations and what we could reasonably accomplish within our budget. He didn’t shy away from this topic, and we really appreciated that. In our experience, not all firms are willing to really discuss money in the initial conversations. He also explained the timeline so we would understand how long it could take. His ability to respect our time throughout our conversations was important to us.
“They are so invested in our house, our family and our growth. There is no way I would trust anyone else.”
Rear Door View
Another reason we chose RDS for our design was that I had in my head what I thought it should look like. Hylas was able to show us some other options and ideas with a new set of eyes. We thought we knew where we wanted the kitchen to be and he shared other ideas with us. It was interesting to go through that creative process, all while being completely transparent with the cost and timeline. His years of experience in all parts of the process kept it productive and moving forward. It was fun to have someone go through the creative process with us in a very transparent way.
How was the process from start to now?
It has been good. We have the construction documents now and construction will start as soon as the windows and doors arrive. We had a few delays (as everyone is having now) from the initial rough sketches to the final design, but they were open and honest about the time it was taking. Hylas did 3-D renderings for us and that has been so helpful in understanding and visualizing the design. As the process went on, it was a bit scary as it was a big financial decision, but one we needed for our family.
I never felt like I was being a bother when asking questions or suggesting other ideas. With every draft of the drawing Hylas sent over, he would always answer my call and talk me through different components for well over an hour. I liked that he was so easy to get in touch with. I know I can call Hylas even now, as the construction starts, and ask for his thoughts or ideas from a design perspective. Hylas is even planning to come out after the demo is done so we can decide where our bourbon bar is going to be. He wanted to see the space opened up before we decided where to put it. His ability to reassure us, work with us, and answer all of our questions has made the process a good one.
Why did you choose a design firm and remodeler instead of just using a remodeler with a design team of their own?
We didn’t want to be rushed during the process and we wanted to hear different ideas for the space. There is value in approaching a remodel both ways, but for us, we wanted the separation of the design from the remodeler doing the actual remodel. We felt more in control with the pricing this way and had less anxiety because I wasn’t signing a big contract that at that point without knowing what we were agreeing to. We were able to sit and talk about our dream and see something on paper, without making that big financial or remodeler commitment, up front. And this way, Hylas was able to recommend some remodelers to us that he knew would be able to work within our design. We had more control, more transparency of our design and the final cost doing it the way we did.
How did RDS work with you on your budget?
They have been so helpful. Every time something has come up—like adding a window—or Hylas would bring up an idea, I’d worry that it would push us over the budget. Hylas allayed our worries and helped us stay within our budget, while sharing his experience with costs and budgets. At some point, we just needed to trust Hylas and the process and we feel fortunate that everything has worked out well.
What are you most looking forward to in your remodeled space?
I’m really looking forward to being able to cook together and still be able to see my kids playing inside or outside. I’ll have great sightlines after this remodel. We are looking forward to all being in the same space, without being crowded together. Christmas morning with the kids sitting in the pajamas at the island, all in the same space, will be so much fun!
Family Room View
What advice would you give to someone who is getting ready to start the design process?
Go into the process with an open mind, openly communicate from your end, brainstorm the functionality you are looking for in whatever you are designing, and understand the floorplan you will need. How are you going to utilize the space you need? What do you want the rooms to be used for now and in the future? Also, be aware that the time it takes to share your thoughts and ideas in your head with the designers at RDS will not give you your answers right away. It takes time to create the plans, fine tune them, and then make more changes as you think it through. There is no doubt in my mind that we have everything where we want it for now and the future, now that we have spent the time doing the work with Hylas to get it just right.
Kitchen View
What has surprised you the most?
The process we went through and how thorough it was, was a good surprise. Honestly, Hylas has become a friend and I miss our daily/weekly phone calls and conversations. It has been so easy to talk with them and make connections. They became invested in us and we became invested in them.
Once you get the documents, you are ready to go. They reality sets in and we signed the contract with the remodeler. Now we are spending the money! It has taken a bit longer than anticipated to start the remodel. We are waiting for materials to arrive.
How did you choose your builder?
Hylas suggested 3 remodelers based on all of our conversations. Hylas knew that I wanted someone who would really work with me and let me go and see what we are choosing—tiles, flooring, windows, etc., and that has been a good way for me to have some control and decision making while working with our remodeler, Palmer Builders. We have seen some of the work they have done in the area. It has been great to work with them—they are very helpful and informative—and they were willing to work with us! They have been easy for us to trust them. It was also easy to trust Hylas and his opinions about whom to choose.
Would you work with RDS again? Why?
Absolutely. They are so invested in our house, our family and our growth. There is no way I would trust anyone else.
Are you interested in remodeling your home? Give us a call or send us an email. We would love to help you fall in love with your home all over again. ❤