WEBVTT 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:14.019 Welcome back to Remodeling Reinvented. I'm Caitlin 00:00:14.019 --> 00:00:17.480 Copley, joined as always by my amazing producer, 00:00:17.739 --> 00:00:20.780 Diana Volker. Today we're exploring the creative 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:23.859 foundations of architecture with two incredible 00:00:23.859 --> 00:00:27.500 residential designers, Arnold Garza and Allison 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.739 Smith from Jackson Design and Remodeling. Arnold 00:00:30.739 --> 00:00:34.020 brings decades of architectural experience and 00:00:34.020 --> 00:00:36.979 Allison combines creative artistry with technical 00:00:36.979 --> 00:00:40.659 skills. Together, they help clients turn ideas 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:44.000 into inspired, buildable homes. We'll talk about 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:46.840 how they balance art and function, where they 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:50.100 find inspiration, and get into permitting and 00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:53.060 planning. We hope you enjoy the episode. All 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:55.340 right, you guys, thank you for being here today. 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.079 Thank you. Thank you for having us. Yeah. Excited 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:01.079 to be here. So to get things started, I kind 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:03.820 of wanted to go back a little bit, maybe dive 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:07.000 a little bit into your history and how you got 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:10.640 into architecture. So Arnold, how did you get 00:01:10.640 --> 00:01:13.459 started in architecture and what inspires you 00:01:13.459 --> 00:01:17.019 to do this? I got started in an unconventional 00:01:17.019 --> 00:01:20.319 way. My dad was a builder, similar to Todd Jackson. 00:01:20.540 --> 00:01:23.900 We did design build in the 80s and 90s. And then, 00:01:23.900 --> 00:01:26.599 you know, when he retired, I went to work for 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:28.239 a couple of different engineers, a couple of 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:30.840 guys that came from the city actually. I always 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:34.439 like to draw, right? And my dad had a construction 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:37.739 company and he, I come from a large family. Everyone 00:01:37.739 --> 00:01:40.219 in my family kind of picked up a trade along 00:01:40.219 --> 00:01:43.000 the way. I got electricians, plumbers, concrete 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:47.700 guys, framers, all that stuff. And I was the 00:01:47.700 --> 00:01:50.540 youngest. At that point, my dad had everything 00:01:50.540 --> 00:01:52.680 pretty well established, but he needed someone 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:56.140 to draw plans. And I was young. He actually hired 00:01:56.140 --> 00:01:58.879 a guy to teach me. I should draw plans by hand 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:02.140 and kind of learned that way. And I went to school 00:02:02.140 --> 00:02:04.540 later, but I was already, I already had a good 00:02:04.540 --> 00:02:06.939 start. It was in your blood. Yeah, I would say 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:10.479 so. Yeah. Allison, what about you? What inspired 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:13.520 you to get into this kind of career? Yeah, so 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:16.000 I don't have the same kind of familial connection 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:19.520 as Arnold. The only architect in my family is 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:23.039 my uncle Peter. But growing up, I always was 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:28.250 drawn to being creative and interested in art 00:02:28.250 --> 00:02:31.210 and design, whether that was through pottery 00:02:31.210 --> 00:02:34.930 or graphic design or calligraphy. And when I 00:02:34.930 --> 00:02:36.650 went to school for my undergrad, I actually was 00:02:36.650 --> 00:02:39.729 pursuing a business degree initially, but it 00:02:39.729 --> 00:02:42.069 was missing that kind of like creative side. 00:02:42.150 --> 00:02:46.129 So I wanted to find a career that had the creativity 00:02:46.129 --> 00:02:49.289 and also some business intertwined within it. 00:02:49.750 --> 00:02:51.659 So. spent some time really thinking and dreaming 00:02:51.659 --> 00:02:53.960 about what I wanted my career to look like. And 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:55.659 that's when I started spending some time with 00:02:55.659 --> 00:02:59.840 my uncle Peter. And when I saw that, you know, 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:02.800 his plans really came to life into these absolutely 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:06.120 incredible homes, I kind of felt that inspiration 00:03:06.120 --> 00:03:08.379 and excitement that this is what my career could 00:03:08.379 --> 00:03:11.719 look like as well. That's awesome. What do you 00:03:11.719 --> 00:03:13.840 love most about working with clients? I'm sure 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:16.900 there's lots of different personalities and what 00:03:16.900 --> 00:03:19.389 do you love most about them? I've always kind 00:03:19.389 --> 00:03:22.090 of considered myself a problem solver when we're 00:03:22.090 --> 00:03:24.250 working with clients, kind of extracting what 00:03:24.250 --> 00:03:26.349 they want to do, getting a program from them 00:03:26.349 --> 00:03:28.490 on how they want to do their home and then kind 00:03:28.490 --> 00:03:30.129 of putting it to paper so that we can actually 00:03:30.129 --> 00:03:32.689 build off it. That is a form of problem solving. 00:03:32.889 --> 00:03:34.969 I mean, yeah, they don't tell us exactly what 00:03:34.969 --> 00:03:36.610 they want. They kind of give us their scenarios 00:03:36.610 --> 00:03:39.210 and then we kind of create from there. So I think 00:03:39.210 --> 00:03:41.889 some of the things I like about it the most are 00:03:41.919 --> 00:03:44.340 The relationships you build with clients over 00:03:44.340 --> 00:03:46.979 the course of the project or multiple projects, 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:49.699 you become friendly with them. And it's the end 00:03:49.699 --> 00:03:52.659 of the day when project is complete and they're 00:03:52.659 --> 00:03:55.139 satisfied with the results. It really is very 00:03:55.139 --> 00:03:59.780 rewarding. And it seems essential to form a connection 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:02.539 with them because you really have to dig deep 00:04:02.539 --> 00:04:05.479 to find those emotions and what they're looking 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:09.060 for and why do you want this and really ask those 00:04:09.060 --> 00:04:11.879 questions, right? We definitely try to pick our 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:14.620 clients' brain and figure out their likes and 00:04:14.620 --> 00:04:17.560 dislikes or if they have any specific routines 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:21.560 or what makes their home feel like theirs. We'll 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:24.959 take those ideas and emotions and translate it 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:28.420 into tangible designs where the client can really 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:30.199 visualize how the project's going to transform 00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:32.459 their life and then take that through construction. 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:36.339 For sure. And I'm sure you draw inspiration from 00:04:36.339 --> 00:04:39.379 all over the place, like San Diego's culture, 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:42.660 nature, like what are some places where you draw 00:04:42.660 --> 00:04:46.269 inspiration? San Diego is such a great town as 00:04:46.269 --> 00:04:49.430 far as architecture goes, and it's well divided 00:04:49.430 --> 00:04:51.569 into pockets. You've got chair stand over there, 00:04:51.810 --> 00:04:53.870 and it's in hills, and then you go into the valleys. 00:04:53.949 --> 00:04:56.050 You've got Mission Valley. It's very divided 00:04:56.050 --> 00:04:59.810 by landscapes. For instance, La Jolla. La Jolla 00:04:59.810 --> 00:05:02.769 has so much good architecture and it's all vastly 00:05:02.769 --> 00:05:06.129 different. They don't have like HOA that governs 00:05:06.129 --> 00:05:08.009 all of La Jolla. They're saying, hey, all these 00:05:08.009 --> 00:05:10.750 homes have to be mission style or whatever. They're 00:05:10.750 --> 00:05:13.410 pretty eclectic and you get a lot of great architecture 00:05:13.410 --> 00:05:16.680 there. And the same in Rancho Santa Fe. You have 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:18.500 a lot of big homes out there where you can draw 00:05:18.500 --> 00:05:21.220 inspiration. Even like Mission Hills, if you 00:05:21.220 --> 00:05:23.819 like that sort of mission style architecture, 00:05:24.019 --> 00:05:27.360 it's a great place to kind of just go and just 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:30.579 enjoy the homes there. It's so true. I feel like 00:05:30.579 --> 00:05:33.060 if you take a drive through San Diego or different 00:05:33.060 --> 00:05:35.269 pockets of San Diego. you're going to see something 00:05:35.269 --> 00:05:37.370 totally different around the corner. There could 00:05:37.370 --> 00:05:40.870 be something super contemporary. It's so surprising. 00:05:41.189 --> 00:05:42.990 Yeah. Like Point Loma too, right? Point Loma 00:05:42.990 --> 00:05:45.050 is a great place as well. Yeah. Yeah. I think 00:05:45.050 --> 00:05:46.769 Coronado is a great example of that as well. 00:05:47.310 --> 00:05:50.110 They're the rules that regulate the homes there. 00:05:50.509 --> 00:05:53.189 They want the homes to be very unique. So definitely 00:05:53.189 --> 00:05:55.329 there's not going to be a cookie cutter houses 00:05:55.329 --> 00:05:57.509 down the street and you can feel that in there. 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:00.519 in their neighborhood. And even when you travel, 00:06:00.860 --> 00:06:03.680 like recently I was in the Canadian Rockies and 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:07.160 there is a little bit of a German influence there 00:06:07.160 --> 00:06:10.779 and even their architecture inspired the towns 00:06:10.779 --> 00:06:13.079 and stuff. So it seems like where the people 00:06:13.079 --> 00:06:15.779 come from, it all kind of has an inspiration. 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:18.519 So yeah, for sure. That's that's that's California. 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:21.579 The mission style that kind of came from from, 00:06:21.579 --> 00:06:24.699 you know, through Mexico on up California. That's 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:28.829 pretty cool. Yeah. Well, let's get into the meat 00:06:28.829 --> 00:06:33.769 here. So I know you guys use various tools to 00:06:33.769 --> 00:06:36.990 accomplish your projects. So Allison, I know 00:06:36.990 --> 00:06:40.649 you go to people's homes and do 3D scans. Can 00:06:40.649 --> 00:06:43.110 you talk to us a little bit about that and how 00:06:43.110 --> 00:06:46.550 it helps you? Yeah, absolutely. So I'm part of 00:06:46.550 --> 00:06:49.449 the team that goes out and measures home. It's 00:06:49.449 --> 00:06:54.649 myself and Annie. And we use a brand new technology 00:06:54.649 --> 00:06:58.089 that uses LIDAR, which is light detection and 00:06:58.089 --> 00:07:01.149 ranging. And it basically is a 3D scanner that 00:07:01.149 --> 00:07:03.689 shoots out light lasers to measure distances 00:07:03.689 --> 00:07:07.449 and generate a 3D mesh of those points. It's 00:07:07.449 --> 00:07:09.949 called a point cloud of whatever environment 00:07:09.949 --> 00:07:13.730 it's scanning. It's super accurate and it's much 00:07:13.730 --> 00:07:15.829 better than kind of previous systems that we 00:07:15.829 --> 00:07:17.500 had when... You know, we used to measure things 00:07:17.500 --> 00:07:20.660 by hand, just have a tape measure and a little 00:07:20.660 --> 00:07:23.600 handheld laser and write everything down on paper. 00:07:23.600 --> 00:07:26.500 But now we can use this laser scanning technology 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:29.560 and then import that point cloud into our BIM 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:33.079 software. BIM is building information modeling 00:07:33.079 --> 00:07:36.199 software. So we're able to have kind of a collaborative 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:40.360 model with super accurate dimensions and the 00:07:40.360 --> 00:07:43.300 ability to work in between departments on the 00:07:43.300 --> 00:07:45.500 shared 3D model. I would think it would give 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:48.300 you way more information than doing it by hand, 00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:51.199 right? Absolutely. One of the great things about 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:53.399 it is when we measure by hand, there was always, 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:56.180 oh, I forgot this one dimension, you missed it. 00:07:56.180 --> 00:07:59.180 And now we can go back and just kind of do our 00:07:59.180 --> 00:08:01.279 3D walkthrough of the home. And for instance, 00:08:01.300 --> 00:08:03.819 if I need to know exactly where a can light is 00:08:03.819 --> 00:08:06.279 in the ceiling or an electrical outlet, I can 00:08:06.279 --> 00:08:08.980 open up the file and put it right exactly where 00:08:08.980 --> 00:08:12.000 it is. And it's awesome. It really is a game 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:15.319 changer for us. Wow, that's amazing how tech, 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:19.399 how technology evolves and then never go back. 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:22.939 It's helpful for sizing on certain things. So 00:08:22.939 --> 00:08:25.819 client might say, I want the light fixture over 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:28.060 my dining room table to be a similar size as 00:08:28.060 --> 00:08:30.519 my old one, but I'm not sure how big my old one 00:08:30.519 --> 00:08:33.019 was. Could you go measure it and we can reference 00:08:33.019 --> 00:08:37.960 that. So it's, it takes that kind of measurement 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:42.409 too. Wow. So it's a truly three dimensional scans 00:08:42.409 --> 00:08:46.990 in every aspect. Wow. So once you get the scan, 00:08:47.149 --> 00:08:50.909 you put these drawings together. Are they like 00:08:50.909 --> 00:08:54.429 what's existing basically? Pretty much we grow 00:08:54.429 --> 00:08:56.610 out the existing first, we call it an Aspil and 00:08:56.610 --> 00:08:59.350 we basically take the scans and we plop them 00:08:59.350 --> 00:09:02.129 into Revit for lack of a better term and we're 00:09:02.129 --> 00:09:05.330 able to trace those walls. And it's so accurate, 00:09:05.570 --> 00:09:07.330 accurate to within like a half inch or quarter 00:09:07.330 --> 00:09:10.710 inch. It really is a beneficial tool. Awesome. 00:09:11.210 --> 00:09:15.240 And Allison. Do you and Annie ever discover anything 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:19.259 unusual or quirky while you're doing these scans 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:23.220 or investigating? I would say that construction 00:09:23.220 --> 00:09:26.720 often there's something quirky behind the drywall. 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:30.139 So the scans, you can't see what's behind the 00:09:30.139 --> 00:09:32.669 drywall, but The cool thing about this technology 00:09:32.669 --> 00:09:34.929 is because it's so accurate, you know, we're 00:09:34.929 --> 00:09:37.870 able to see if a wall is skewed in a certain 00:09:37.870 --> 00:09:41.649 way or maybe the floor is not level or how the 00:09:41.649 --> 00:09:43.649 structure is coming together. It's much easier 00:09:43.649 --> 00:09:46.169 to kind of infer what's going on behind that 00:09:46.169 --> 00:09:49.129 drywall. And then we're able to do a little bit 00:09:49.129 --> 00:09:52.409 of a deeper dive on areas that we might assume 00:09:52.409 --> 00:09:54.990 something something else is going going on. I 00:09:54.990 --> 00:09:57.649 never really thought about because not everything 00:09:57.649 --> 00:10:01.799 was built. probably correctly initially, or maybe 00:10:01.799 --> 00:10:04.039 they just didn't have the technology to be able 00:10:04.039 --> 00:10:06.019 to do that. And over time you get settlements 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:07.779 and things just move a little bit. Yeah, things 00:10:07.779 --> 00:10:10.679 move. So you can take all that into account and 00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:13.899 then fix or address those issues for the remodel. 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:17.519 So how does this information sort of set the 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:21.419 stage for your designs that make them both creative 00:10:21.419 --> 00:10:24.789 and buildable? It's really not possible to do 00:10:24.789 --> 00:10:28.870 what we do in the remodeling space without having 00:10:28.870 --> 00:10:31.669 accurate as built new construction. You can kind 00:10:31.669 --> 00:10:33.850 of start from the ground up, but in terms of 00:10:33.850 --> 00:10:35.789 remodeling, it's super important for us to have 00:10:35.789 --> 00:10:38.350 that kind of baseline. and lay all the cards 00:10:38.350 --> 00:10:40.690 out on the table in the very beginning so that 00:10:40.690 --> 00:10:44.049 we can kind of understand and plan properly for 00:10:44.049 --> 00:10:46.970 building and structural systems, interior design 00:10:46.970 --> 00:10:49.769 layouts, and various aspects of the scope of 00:10:49.769 --> 00:10:53.450 work. Our goal really is to limit change orders 00:10:53.450 --> 00:10:56.129 and other surprises down the road for clients. 00:10:56.470 --> 00:10:58.629 And even though it's not perfect, you know, there 00:10:58.629 --> 00:11:00.230 are some things that are unexpected that might 00:11:00.230 --> 00:11:03.809 come up during remodeling. It's a huge improvement 00:11:03.809 --> 00:11:06.330 and we're continually trying to improve that 00:11:06.330 --> 00:11:09.610 system. Yeah. So unless you took off all the 00:11:09.610 --> 00:11:11.730 drywall and every wall and kind of took out the 00:11:11.730 --> 00:11:13.970 insulation and measured from that point, you're 00:11:13.970 --> 00:11:15.809 going to have a little bit of discrepancy or 00:11:15.809 --> 00:11:17.070 you're not going to be able to see what's behind 00:11:17.070 --> 00:11:20.649 that wall essentially. It's an incredibly competitive 00:11:20.649 --> 00:11:23.470 business that we're in. So being accurate, having 00:11:23.470 --> 00:11:26.230 an accurate foundation, which is our model essentially, 00:11:26.549 --> 00:11:29.029 and starting the process gets us that much closer 00:11:29.029 --> 00:11:31.330 home and just make sure we're priced accurately. 00:11:31.590 --> 00:11:33.690 And we also have our teams that go in and we'll 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:36.419 climb the attic, we'll see what's going on upstairs. 00:11:36.820 --> 00:11:39.100 If there's an underfloor, we'll crawl under and 00:11:39.100 --> 00:11:41.799 make sure we're addressing any structural concerns 00:11:41.799 --> 00:11:43.919 that might be. And you've probably heard over 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:45.960 the years, I think I've heard you mention this, 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:49.399 where maybe they met with a couple other companies 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:51.779 and then they were like, nobody else mentioned 00:11:51.779 --> 00:11:54.480 this but you. So it probably makes you feel good. 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:57.200 I mean, we've got a lot of experience on our 00:11:57.200 --> 00:11:59.649 team. The more houses you've demoed, the more, 00:11:59.649 --> 00:12:02.049 the more you see. So it's like a guy who's done 00:12:02.049 --> 00:12:04.269 his fourth house or a guy who's done his hundredth 00:12:04.269 --> 00:12:06.169 house. There's so many more problems that guy 00:12:06.169 --> 00:12:08.779 who's done a hundred has seen. Um, that you can 00:12:08.779 --> 00:12:11.139 anticipate things behind the drywall or other 00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:14.559 guys may or may not. Or even if you did a past 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:17.659 project in that neighborhood and you go, this 00:12:17.659 --> 00:12:21.460 tends to have this slope or this, I've seen this 00:12:21.460 --> 00:12:24.039 issue before, so you can anticipate that better. 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:27.159 Yeah, that's cool. I've done like 25 homes in 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:28.899 a particular neighborhood in Scripps ranch and 00:12:28.899 --> 00:12:34.600 you're right. It's also cool to kind of talk 00:12:34.600 --> 00:12:37.799 within our department. I know if we have a new 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:40.799 project, Arnold or one of the other designers 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:44.059 might say, oh, this architect did it 40 years 00:12:44.059 --> 00:12:46.159 ago, 20 years ago, whatever, just so we have 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:48.419 a little bit more backstory on the house. So 00:12:48.419 --> 00:12:51.039 collaboration. Yeah, your department's very tight, 00:12:51.220 --> 00:12:53.539 which is great because you always have a reference 00:12:53.539 --> 00:12:56.399 to go see somebody for help and ask questions, 00:12:56.679 --> 00:12:58.470 right? I think that open floor plan that we have 00:12:58.470 --> 00:13:01.529 and we can hear any conversations going on is 00:13:01.529 --> 00:13:09.230 really helpful. Probably sometimes. So when you're 00:13:09.230 --> 00:13:11.690 working with these clients, everyone has a different 00:13:11.690 --> 00:13:15.070 kind of lifestyle. How do you approach designing 00:13:15.070 --> 00:13:19.110 for entertaining or multi -generational living 00:13:19.110 --> 00:13:22.129 or even clients who work from home? How do you 00:13:22.129 --> 00:13:25.490 kind of approach each project? I'll start with 00:13:25.490 --> 00:13:28.690 the multifamily situation. I think, as you know, 00:13:28.830 --> 00:13:31.029 California is a pretty expensive place to live, 00:13:31.330 --> 00:13:33.330 Southern California especially. And there are 00:13:33.330 --> 00:13:36.169 many reasons why you might have multi -generational 00:13:36.169 --> 00:13:38.730 people living in one particular home. It could 00:13:38.730 --> 00:13:40.950 be mom and dad or getting a little bit older 00:13:40.950 --> 00:13:43.610 and they need a place to be. And versus going 00:13:43.610 --> 00:13:45.409 to a home, you're going to bring them to your 00:13:45.409 --> 00:13:48.289 house or adult children. I mean, they're just 00:13:48.289 --> 00:13:50.789 getting started in the world and it's very expensive 00:13:50.789 --> 00:13:52.669 out there. Sometimes it's a good place to bring 00:13:52.669 --> 00:13:54.549 them in and kind of just let them kind of get 00:13:54.549 --> 00:13:57.870 their fairings. What we try and do is when this 00:13:57.870 --> 00:14:00.149 happens, we definitely try and create private 00:14:00.149 --> 00:14:03.009 spaces. It's also welcoming to family, but also 00:14:03.009 --> 00:14:05.110 keep it private. Cause you don't want to be on 00:14:05.110 --> 00:14:06.970 top of each other all the time. I mean, it's, 00:14:07.049 --> 00:14:08.289 it's good to be with family. Definitely not. 00:14:08.629 --> 00:14:12.309 Definitely not privacy. Dad's watching TV, but 00:14:12.309 --> 00:14:14.070 he watches it really loud. So it's nice to have 00:14:14.070 --> 00:14:16.490 that separation, right? Yeah. Well, independence 00:14:16.490 --> 00:14:20.190 there. Yeah, for sure. Like the kids studying 00:14:20.190 --> 00:14:23.000 or in the other room or Or maybe I don't want 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:25.700 to watch what they're watching. Right. And so, 00:14:25.700 --> 00:14:28.000 you know, you could do oftentimes it's, Hey, 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:31.279 we just want to add a couple of rooms and that's 00:14:31.279 --> 00:14:33.500 where mom and dad are going to be. Or it's like, 00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:36.559 Hey. We want to do this ADU in the back of the 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:38.000 home or on the side of the home, whatever it 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:39.860 is. And they're going to have their own separate 00:14:39.860 --> 00:14:42.679 space, but we want to be very close by. So there's, 00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:45.600 there's many options. Yeah. We see a lot of ADUs. 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:49.860 That's a big one. I think a lot of it comes down 00:14:49.860 --> 00:14:52.740 to asking three detailed questions to our clients. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:55.700 So in terms of like families who love to entertain, 00:14:56.139 --> 00:14:59.460 we really try to get deep into what entertainment 00:14:59.460 --> 00:15:01.600 looks like for them, because entertaining to 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:04.200 one client might be having for people over for 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:06.740 a small dinner party and another client, it's 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:09.360 hosting birdie people. Yeah, birdie people. And 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:12.039 they need enough space and enough kitchen space 00:15:12.039 --> 00:15:14.139 to host everyone. So it really depends on the 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:16.519 client. That's so true. Everyone's definition 00:15:16.519 --> 00:15:20.460 is different. And I think not just making assumptions 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:23.840 based on your own personal biases, like, well, 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:25.860 this is how I entertain. So this must be how 00:15:25.860 --> 00:15:28.559 they entertain. You had also touched on office 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:31.700 home offices. Oh, yes. 15 years ago, home offices 00:15:31.700 --> 00:15:33.720 weren't really a big thing. You basically would 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:36.279 have a desk somewhere to set up the pay bills 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:39.899 or something very small. And since the pandemic, 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:42.799 home offices have become a much larger care of 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:44.940 life now. And people are actually remodeling 00:15:44.940 --> 00:15:47.700 their homes to add this space. And we try and, 00:15:47.700 --> 00:15:49.980 you know, give them a private space away from 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:52.679 public areas so they can actually focus on work, 00:15:52.940 --> 00:15:54.820 maybe provide some storage space in there and 00:15:54.820 --> 00:15:57.179 maybe a private bath, or even if it's closer 00:15:57.179 --> 00:15:59.100 to the main space, we definitely try and provide 00:15:59.100 --> 00:16:01.120 a way to close it off so you can definitely get 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:03.740 some work done. Yeah. Without kids getting on 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:07.440 you or whatever. Well, and I've also heard that 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:10.659 specialty kind of rooms where people may invest 00:16:10.659 --> 00:16:12.419 a little more in their bathroom because it's 00:16:12.419 --> 00:16:15.179 like, this is where I get to be alone. have this 00:16:15.179 --> 00:16:17.860 be my sanctuary for sure. I mean, primary bathrooms 00:16:17.860 --> 00:16:20.899 are huge in our business and they've kind of 00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:22.919 grown so much over time. I mean, you look at 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:24.720 a lot of the homes that were built in the eighties 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:28.059 and you're even the primary baths were five by 00:16:28.059 --> 00:16:30.580 10, 12, something like that. And now they're 00:16:30.580 --> 00:16:33.039 just these retreats and it's just, it's super 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:36.960 cool. They have fireplaces now, heated floors, 00:16:37.940 --> 00:16:42.740 luxury sounds pretty good. So kind of getting 00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:47.080 into curamity and I know that can get complicated 00:16:47.080 --> 00:16:49.259 for a lot of people whether or not you're working 00:16:49.259 --> 00:16:52.080 with a company like Jackson Design Remodeling 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:55.919 or trying to do it yourself. When you're working 00:16:55.919 --> 00:16:58.320 with a client through the design process, can 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:00.919 you walk us through what happens from when you 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:04.519 draw it to when the city reviews it until final 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.490 approval? It's quite a process, right? We'll 00:17:07.490 --> 00:17:10.529 start with an architect -client interview, kind 00:17:10.529 --> 00:17:13.430 of establishing what their particular needs are. 00:17:13.609 --> 00:17:15.910 And from there, we'll gather quite a bit of information 00:17:15.910 --> 00:17:18.569 from the client, as well as from the municipality, 00:17:19.009 --> 00:17:21.369 which will tell us zoning, setback, planning 00:17:21.369 --> 00:17:23.210 information that will tell us what we can do 00:17:23.210 --> 00:17:25.450 on that property. So we have to kind of gather 00:17:25.450 --> 00:17:27.509 all that stuff first. Then we'll start laying 00:17:27.509 --> 00:17:30.509 out our designs and we'll usually come up with 00:17:30.509 --> 00:17:32.750 two or three floor plans to start the process. 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:35.400 Go back meet with the client. Hey, this is where 00:17:35.400 --> 00:17:37.420 we're at based on our previous conversations 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:40.259 review it. So we'll do that. Then from there, 00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:42.299 we'll go back into the office and we'll kind 00:17:42.299 --> 00:17:44.359 of start our design development phase, which 00:17:44.359 --> 00:17:47.220 is. Basically making 3d drawings going up so 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:50.539 you can view the house from elevations or 3d 00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:52.440 perspectives. And then we'll have another meeting 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:54.440 with the client to kind of say, Hey, this is 00:17:54.440 --> 00:17:56.140 where we're at. Is this what you had in mind? 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:58.420 And usually at that point, we got a pretty good 00:17:58.420 --> 00:18:00.940 idea of what they're trying to achieve. So we're 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:03.279 pretty spot on at that point. If not, there's 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:05.140 a little bit of tweaks. And then from that point 00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:07.779 on, we will start doing the construction documents. 00:18:08.009 --> 00:18:10.109 and get ready for the city. There's floor plans, 00:18:10.430 --> 00:18:12.890 foundations, roof frame, all the pertinent dog 00:18:12.890 --> 00:18:15.289 building sections, site plan. We'll get all that 00:18:15.289 --> 00:18:18.950 stuff taken care of. Yeah. And then once the 00:18:18.950 --> 00:18:22.390 city gets it, do they prove it? Do they send 00:18:22.390 --> 00:18:24.509 things back like you need to make this revision? 00:18:24.809 --> 00:18:27.789 Does it make a difference in different areas 00:18:27.789 --> 00:18:31.269 of San Diego? It does. We kind of do most of 00:18:31.269 --> 00:18:33.740 our work in the city of San Diego. So we've kind 00:18:33.740 --> 00:18:36.319 of got their timeline down very well. During 00:18:36.319 --> 00:18:38.039 the pandemic, they're a little bit slow, but 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:39.880 they've kind of got back up to speed and they're 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:42.319 pretty much at normal pace. Now, county of San 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:43.980 Diego is different. They're probably take, for 00:18:43.980 --> 00:18:46.460 instance, if a particular job took three to four 00:18:46.460 --> 00:18:48.740 months in the city of San Diego, it might take 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:52.359 six or seven months in the county. They're checking 00:18:52.359 --> 00:18:53.900 more stuff. They have different things that you're 00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:56.539 checking in the county. Then you go to a city 00:18:56.539 --> 00:18:58.960 like Carlsbad and they're relatively quick. You're 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:00.380 going to get your permit probably in about two 00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:02.789 months there. depending on the size of the project, 00:19:03.170 --> 00:19:06.769 right? It just varies. So it's good. We have 00:19:06.769 --> 00:19:08.930 people that are familiar with all of them. So 00:19:08.930 --> 00:19:11.009 I was going to say you probably had to keep up 00:19:11.009 --> 00:19:15.529 to date on all the laws and regulations. We do. 00:19:15.650 --> 00:19:18.529 We do. The codes are pretty. consistent, right? 00:19:18.950 --> 00:19:21.789 It's this ADU stuff. That's something that varies 00:19:21.789 --> 00:19:24.289 from place to place and how they're looking at 00:19:24.289 --> 00:19:25.990 them because they're allowed to have their own 00:19:25.990 --> 00:19:28.890 interpretation of how they do things. When we 00:19:28.890 --> 00:19:30.869 start a project and someone wants an ADU, we 00:19:30.869 --> 00:19:33.049 really have to do our homework. So we're going 00:19:33.049 --> 00:19:36.390 to give them what they can get and as well as 00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:38.930 having to try and move backwards. And didn't 00:19:38.930 --> 00:19:41.910 they actually, was it in the state of California, 00:19:42.009 --> 00:19:44.710 didn't they make it? easier to build an ADU? 00:19:44.710 --> 00:19:47.289 Like five years ago or six years ago? Five, six 00:19:47.289 --> 00:19:49.849 years ago. I mean, ADUs weren't even a thing. 00:19:50.150 --> 00:19:53.589 They called them granny flats. Yeah, in law suites. 00:19:53.869 --> 00:19:55.930 And then they created this program where California 00:19:55.930 --> 00:19:57.910 said, you know, we need more. We have a housing 00:19:57.910 --> 00:20:00.289 crisis. We need more. homes in California, they 00:20:00.289 --> 00:20:03.410 came up with this ADU program and it's evolved 00:20:03.410 --> 00:20:06.650 just immensely. I mean, as it started on pretty 00:20:06.650 --> 00:20:09.250 much any property, you could add an ADU and a 00:20:09.250 --> 00:20:11.930 junior ADU, which is a smaller version, but attached 00:20:11.930 --> 00:20:14.970 to the home. And then as it's grown, I mean, 00:20:15.009 --> 00:20:17.690 there's people who are doing a hundred ADUs on 00:20:17.690 --> 00:20:20.589 plots. It's actually become quite a problem. 00:20:21.529 --> 00:20:24.269 There's a lot of litigations that's still not 00:20:24.269 --> 00:20:26.910 resolved yet, but it's interesting. Like I try 00:20:26.910 --> 00:20:29.430 and keep up with it and it's like, Man, I get 00:20:29.430 --> 00:20:31.609 where these neighbors are coming from. I'm on 00:20:31.609 --> 00:20:34.349 a cul -de -sac and I've got limited parking already 00:20:34.349 --> 00:20:38.289 and somebody builds three ADUs and another guy 00:20:38.289 --> 00:20:40.230 builds two ADUs. It's like, where are all these 00:20:40.230 --> 00:20:42.309 people going to park? Because they're renting 00:20:42.309 --> 00:20:45.910 them out. It's funny. They say if you're near 00:20:45.910 --> 00:20:48.630 a transit area, you don't have to provide parking, 00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:51.609 but everyone drives a car in San Diego. Right. 00:20:51.730 --> 00:20:54.490 It's hard not to. Yeah, that's what it is. And 00:20:54.490 --> 00:20:58.710 we go with it. Yeah. Being flexible. That seems 00:20:58.710 --> 00:21:02.210 like it would be good in your industry. So as 00:21:02.210 --> 00:21:05.349 far as the permitting process, how do you explain 00:21:05.349 --> 00:21:08.450 this or communicate it to homeowners? So it makes 00:21:08.450 --> 00:21:10.490 sense to them or throughout the process, do you 00:21:10.490 --> 00:21:13.490 give them updates? Hey, this is where we're at? 00:21:13.750 --> 00:21:16.109 I think that's the most important thing. So we're 00:21:16.109 --> 00:21:18.289 going to start off by telling them what that 00:21:18.289 --> 00:21:20.390 particular jurisdiction is like and what we've 00:21:20.390 --> 00:21:22.640 seen on our past. few jobs that we've gone through 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:25.319 there. And then we're going to update them throughout 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:27.619 the process because that way they know they're 00:21:27.619 --> 00:21:31.119 not sitting at home. Where's my permit? It's 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:32.799 kind of important to update them every couple 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:35.200 of weeks. So that way they know and there's no 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:39.859 dark thoughts building up. There's so much information 00:21:39.859 --> 00:21:42.619 too. It sometimes can be overwhelming to just 00:21:42.619 --> 00:21:44.599 right off the bat kind of dump all this information 00:21:44.599 --> 00:21:47.579 on clients. Definitely happy to answer any questions 00:21:47.579 --> 00:21:49.779 that they might have. We'll do our best to share 00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:52.420 the pertinent information to their project. Yeah, 00:21:52.660 --> 00:21:54.940 I bet it's exciting when the permit gets approved. 00:21:55.240 --> 00:22:00.619 Absolutely. You can get started finally. So getting 00:22:00.619 --> 00:22:04.900 into some homeowner tips, what are two or three 00:22:04.900 --> 00:22:07.779 things homeowners should know before starting 00:22:07.779 --> 00:22:11.240 a remodel? We have a lot of TV shows out there, 00:22:11.700 --> 00:22:14.859 like HGTV. There's Design on Dime, which used 00:22:14.859 --> 00:22:16.940 to be an old show. There's a lot of people building 00:22:16.940 --> 00:22:19.759 projects, maybe in Texas or other places. And 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:22.839 the costs are not necessarily the same in Texas 00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:25.500 as they are in California. And a lot of those 00:22:25.500 --> 00:22:27.720 shows, they have a lot of sponsored stuff that's 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:29.980 coming out, like toilets, sinks, whatever they're 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:32.170 getting stuff for. Not like what we're paying. 00:22:32.329 --> 00:22:35.130 So one thing I would be cautious of is kind of 00:22:35.130 --> 00:22:37.609 plan accordingly and know what the costs are 00:22:37.609 --> 00:22:40.509 going to be down here. So we definitely try and 00:22:40.509 --> 00:22:43.470 make sure we're giving clients exactly what they 00:22:43.470 --> 00:22:46.210 can get. Another thing I would say for clients 00:22:46.210 --> 00:22:48.650 is kind of making sure you're on schedule with 00:22:48.650 --> 00:22:51.170 your selections, right? Nothing worse than, oh, 00:22:51.230 --> 00:22:53.509 we didn't order this door in time and now the 00:22:53.509 --> 00:22:56.450 project's sitting for an extra four weeks, five 00:22:56.450 --> 00:22:59.480 weeks. with not a lot going on because something 00:22:59.480 --> 00:23:02.980 wasn't ordered in time. So we stay very, we stay 00:23:02.980 --> 00:23:05.259 on top of that in our company. We're making sure 00:23:05.259 --> 00:23:07.680 we get that stuff ordered and kind of when they 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:09.799 need to make a decision, like reminding them 00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:13.039 on track. Yeah. Track. I would say something 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:16.680 to consider before you start the remodel is if 00:23:16.680 --> 00:23:19.359 you'll be moving out of the home during construction. 00:23:20.140 --> 00:23:22.000 So. I think a lot of clients when we're doing 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:25.000 larger home remodels, you really just can't stay 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.420 in the home versus if you want to plan a big 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:31.460 trip around when you're going to be redoing your 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:34.519 kitchen or maybe stay with family while we're 00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:36.759 doing construction. It can definitely be a little 00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:38.480 bit easier on the clients. I think sometimes 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:40.480 emotionally, like when you're living in a construction 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:44.220 zone, it's a little bit much. So planning for 00:23:44.220 --> 00:23:46.410 where you'll be. I think that's a great tip. 00:23:46.630 --> 00:23:49.910 I've heard that from multiple people we've interviewed 00:23:49.910 --> 00:23:54.670 and taking that into account. So if you are going 00:23:54.670 --> 00:23:56.990 to need to rent something, you need to put that 00:23:56.990 --> 00:23:59.670 in your budget, too, that I'm going to be renting. 00:24:00.369 --> 00:24:01.910 So just knowing what you're going to do and not 00:24:01.910 --> 00:24:05.089 just figuring it out after the fact. And oftentimes 00:24:05.089 --> 00:24:08.589 we can plan the project where there is an area 00:24:08.589 --> 00:24:11.250 that you can live. I mean, it's not it's not 00:24:11.250 --> 00:24:13.450 the best living that you're used to, but When 00:24:13.450 --> 00:24:15.450 you start thinking about, you know, three, $4 00:24:15.450 --> 00:24:18.670 ,000 a month paying rent outside, it can go a 00:24:18.670 --> 00:24:20.670 long way to some of your finishes on your project. 00:24:21.109 --> 00:24:24.509 So yeah, people have to weigh that. where will 00:24:24.509 --> 00:24:27.470 I stay? Do I want to stay with a family member 00:24:27.470 --> 00:24:30.190 for that long? Or would I rather live in a construction 00:24:30.190 --> 00:24:35.369 site? I don't know. We'll see. Who has an ADU? 00:24:35.730 --> 00:24:41.529 I know, I know. So what would you say is a tangible 00:24:41.529 --> 00:24:46.410 tip or advice for homeowners working with a design 00:24:46.410 --> 00:24:49.670 team like JDR? Do you have any advice for them? 00:24:49.900 --> 00:24:53.099 Yeah, my number one piece of advice for anyone 00:24:53.099 --> 00:24:57.579 considering remodeling is organize and understand 00:24:57.579 --> 00:25:00.380 your priorities. It's really important to spend 00:25:00.380 --> 00:25:03.319 time thinking about the core reason of why you 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:05.809 want to do this remodel. and think less about 00:25:05.809 --> 00:25:07.849 like certain elements you might want to add later 00:25:07.849 --> 00:25:10.190 that might kind of fluff up the job, but really 00:25:10.190 --> 00:25:12.069 why you want to invest this money, why you want 00:25:12.069 --> 00:25:15.210 to spend time through construction, and be clear 00:25:15.210 --> 00:25:17.210 with your team on that as well. It really helps 00:25:17.210 --> 00:25:21.150 us understand where to invest our time and effort 00:25:21.150 --> 00:25:23.349 into the project to make sure it's everything. 00:25:24.029 --> 00:25:27.809 You're drinking up. I think as designers, we 00:25:27.809 --> 00:25:30.049 are always pushing for what's going to be the 00:25:30.049 --> 00:25:32.869 most beautiful and what's going to make the clients 00:25:32.869 --> 00:25:35.230 the most happy. And we have this vision that 00:25:35.230 --> 00:25:38.089 we kind of fight for along the way, but also 00:25:38.089 --> 00:25:40.190 part of the business is respecting the client's 00:25:40.190 --> 00:25:43.049 budget. So there are certain things that we try 00:25:43.049 --> 00:25:45.589 to do within the architecture department. A big 00:25:45.589 --> 00:25:48.970 one is value engineering. So coming up with creative 00:25:48.970 --> 00:25:52.319 solutions to maybe complicated. structural problems 00:25:52.319 --> 00:25:55.420 that really do impact the cost a lot for the 00:25:55.420 --> 00:25:58.039 overall budget. And another thing that we keep 00:25:58.039 --> 00:26:00.519 in mind is the finished material on exterior 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:04.980 of home. So it comes at a price for sure, but 00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:07.059 I think when you place material strategically 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:09.619 on the exterior of the home, whether that's stone 00:26:09.619 --> 00:26:12.259 or siding, some of those like high ticket items. 00:26:12.559 --> 00:26:15.299 We definitely want to present options to clients 00:26:15.299 --> 00:26:17.819 so that it's in their control of where they want 00:26:17.819 --> 00:26:19.920 to invest their money. So if they don't really 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:22.579 have a strong opinion, I guess on the front of 00:26:22.579 --> 00:26:25.819 the house, they might not want to invest or vice 00:26:25.819 --> 00:26:27.700 versa. They really care about the curb appeal 00:26:27.700 --> 00:26:30.819 and they want that entrance to be really grand. 00:26:31.119 --> 00:26:33.500 And, you know, just comes down to the price where 00:26:33.500 --> 00:26:36.319 they want to invest. Yeah. Defining like, what 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:38.819 is most important to me? What am I willing to 00:26:38.819 --> 00:26:42.079 pay for and invest in? I think that's probably 00:26:42.079 --> 00:26:44.980 the best part of design build, right? You've 00:26:44.980 --> 00:26:47.259 got an interior designer, you've got an architect, 00:26:47.460 --> 00:26:50.400 you've got a builder all working together to 00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:52.420 make sure we're going to give you the best product 00:26:52.420 --> 00:26:55.000 that we can. Because everyone's fighting to give 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:58.099 the best, right? And then you got the responsibility 00:26:58.099 --> 00:27:00.740 of the contractor on board saying, that's great 00:27:00.740 --> 00:27:04.640 guys, but we just went over budget by XML and 00:27:04.640 --> 00:27:06.900 we need to start flipping back. How are we going 00:27:06.900 --> 00:27:08.859 to do this before we present this to the client? 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:10.920 We always give them an option. Hey, you could 00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:14.380 do this or even sometimes we'll plan and phase 00:27:14.380 --> 00:27:16.279 as well. You know what? We could do this home 00:27:16.279 --> 00:27:18.160 and then two years down the road, you could add 00:27:18.160 --> 00:27:20.359 this stone on. That's what it'll look like eventually. 00:27:20.779 --> 00:27:22.680 Money is what it is and people know what they 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:24.680 have to spend. So we have to be respectful of 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:27.059 that. Yeah, no, that makes perfect sense. And 00:27:27.059 --> 00:27:29.720 I'm sure it makes for a happier client that you 00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:33.259 respect their budgetary wishes. And can you share 00:27:33.259 --> 00:27:38.140 with us maybe a client's dream that seemed challenging 00:27:38.140 --> 00:27:41.380 at first, but then you guys were able to... problem 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:43.500 -solving, teamwork. I know you mentioned value 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:46.220 engineer. Do you have an example? We call that 00:27:46.220 --> 00:27:50.819 a Tuesday around here. No, I think all jobs have 00:27:50.819 --> 00:27:52.960 their particular challenges. Sometimes it's budget, 00:27:53.019 --> 00:27:55.440 sometimes it's trying to fit the whole program 00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:58.519 in a limited space because say they're on a small 00:27:58.519 --> 00:28:01.500 lot, whatever it is. A particular example, maybe 00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:04.400 a year ago the project got completed at ADU and 00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:06.500 Scripps Ranch. The client didn't have a lot of 00:28:06.500 --> 00:28:08.319 room in the backyard and they have kids. They 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:10.940 didn't want to waste that space. And it was in 00:28:10.940 --> 00:28:13.000 a homeowners association in Scripps Ranch. They 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:15.039 were like, okay, let's build it in the front. 00:28:15.180 --> 00:28:16.779 I told them, well, you can. I don't know what 00:28:16.779 --> 00:28:19.019 your HOA is going to say, but we went through 00:28:19.019 --> 00:28:21.279 the process. We got it all designed and I had 00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:24.680 done other projects in that area. So I felt pretty 00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:27.480 good about it. When we submitted it to the HOA, 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:32.799 they were not happy. An ADU in the front. They 00:28:32.799 --> 00:28:35.500 didn't like it. We went probably five rounds 00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:39.519 with the HOA to get this thing designed and tweaked 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:42.240 a little bit here and there to get it how they 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:44.440 needed it to be so that they would allow it. 00:28:44.940 --> 00:28:46.940 And even at the end, they were not going to allow 00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:49.660 it, but. One of the guys, there was a swing vote 00:28:49.660 --> 00:28:52.519 and it was one that he said, he said, well, you 00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:54.740 told this guy, if he went and did these changes, 00:28:54.900 --> 00:28:56.920 you would approve it. And now you're still not 00:28:56.920 --> 00:28:58.420 going to approve it. So I'm going to change my 00:28:58.420 --> 00:29:00.279 vote. And he's the guy who ended up being a swing 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:03.940 vote for us. Wow. Yeah. And HOA is notorious 00:29:03.940 --> 00:29:06.839 for not. So you have to be an advocate for your 00:29:06.839 --> 00:29:09.500 clients to get things built. Absolutely. With 00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:13.579 HOAs and APUs, it's a little bit of a battle 00:29:13.579 --> 00:29:16.380 right now. The state is kind of mandating that 00:29:16.380 --> 00:29:20.480 you allow. these ADUs to happen, but you're getting 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:23.599 some pushback from some HOAs. If it all goes 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:26.019 down to it, I believe if the state's going to 00:29:26.019 --> 00:29:28.019 mandate, you have to have, allow these people 00:29:28.019 --> 00:29:30.619 to do this thing. It's just, they're going to 00:29:30.619 --> 00:29:33.720 fight you until you force them to. And I guess 00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:35.700 there's limits to it. So it's like, if it's a 00:29:35.700 --> 00:29:38.680 reasonable request. you can get this thing built, 00:29:38.859 --> 00:29:41.200 but if it's someone, I want to build five in 00:29:41.200 --> 00:29:44.039 my front yard. Yeah. Yeah. You know, and maybe 00:29:44.039 --> 00:29:46.200 that's what they're afraid of. I get it. I mean, 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:48.539 nobody wants a bunch of cars parked on your street 00:29:48.539 --> 00:29:50.759 when you have all these nice homes. I totally 00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:53.500 understand. 100%. Yeah. Remodeling itself is 00:29:53.500 --> 00:29:56.190 not an easy thing. There are a lot of selections, 00:29:56.230 --> 00:29:58.890 decisions that you have to make as a client of 00:29:58.890 --> 00:30:01.109 materials you're going to pick. And we do this 00:30:01.109 --> 00:30:03.250 every day. They're doing this maybe three times 00:30:03.250 --> 00:30:05.970 in their life. So being sure of what that material 00:30:05.970 --> 00:30:07.809 is going to look like when it's all put together 00:30:07.809 --> 00:30:11.789 can be questionable, right? So we have a very 00:30:11.789 --> 00:30:14.309 good team, a lot of talented designers on our 00:30:14.309 --> 00:30:17.289 team. I would say if I was talking to a client, 00:30:17.470 --> 00:30:20.950 rely on that team. If you're not sure about something, 00:30:21.309 --> 00:30:23.289 bounce ideas off people. We're there for that. 00:30:23.369 --> 00:30:25.869 We'll help you all through this process. We'll 00:30:25.869 --> 00:30:27.730 make sure the materials are ordered accurately 00:30:27.730 --> 00:30:31.210 and on time. So the one thing I would say is 00:30:31.210 --> 00:30:34.029 you have a good team. You rely on them. Take 00:30:34.029 --> 00:30:37.289 advantage of it. Ask the questions as you do 00:30:37.289 --> 00:30:40.150 have a team. So do you guys have anything else 00:30:40.150 --> 00:30:42.990 you want to share before we get into some quick 00:30:42.990 --> 00:30:47.690 fire questions with Diana? Bring it on. All right. 00:30:48.029 --> 00:30:50.529 Diana, you ready for the quick fire round? Ready? 00:30:50.630 --> 00:30:54.990 Arnold. You got it. Hey Arnold. What would you 00:30:54.990 --> 00:30:57.910 say? What is your favorite architectural style 00:30:57.910 --> 00:31:00.960 to design in? That's a good question. As an architecture 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:03.259 designer, you have to love and be able to design 00:31:03.259 --> 00:31:05.039 to any style, especially in remodeling, right? 00:31:05.160 --> 00:31:07.539 Because you could get a mission style home, you 00:31:07.539 --> 00:31:09.519 get a craft style home, you get a mid century 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:11.599 one. You have to be able to adapt to those styles. 00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:13.880 And if you don't... have a respect for them. 00:31:13.880 --> 00:31:15.140 If you don't like those styles, it's going to 00:31:15.140 --> 00:31:17.900 make it a lot harder. So I like all styles. I 00:31:17.900 --> 00:31:20.720 think if I had to choose one, I might choose 00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:23.200 mid -century modern because I feel like on a 00:31:23.200 --> 00:31:26.259 budget, you can get a lot done. Totally. And 00:31:26.259 --> 00:31:27.619 it's going to look awesome. And it's timeless, 00:31:27.880 --> 00:31:29.980 right? Mid -century modern is what it is. It's 00:31:29.980 --> 00:31:31.480 not like you're going to have to remodel it again 00:31:31.480 --> 00:31:34.259 in 10 years. It'll stand the test of time. Right. 00:31:35.099 --> 00:31:37.720 100%. For sure. Design your dream house in 30 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:40.259 seconds or less. 30 seconds or less. You know, 00:31:40.380 --> 00:31:43.819 for me, less is more, right? I've designed bigger 00:31:43.819 --> 00:31:46.160 homes and I've lived in bigger homes and it's 00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:48.259 just too much, too much to take care of. I would 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:51.359 keep my home probably from 2 ,200 to 2 ,500 square 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:53.500 feet. I'd probably go mid -century, modern, or 00:31:53.500 --> 00:31:56.240 contemporary because that's hot for me right 00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:59.799 now. Lots of glass, lots of natural light. and 00:31:59.799 --> 00:32:02.880 better details versus more space. I would spend 00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:05.079 the money on details versus extra space. For 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:07.779 me, that's where I'm at in life. What are details? 00:32:07.900 --> 00:32:11.279 I mean, like window treatments, some of the gingerbread 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:13.140 on the front of the house, just making sure that 00:32:13.140 --> 00:32:16.819 the gingerbread stays true to the style of the 00:32:16.819 --> 00:32:18.779 home, right? I love that. Can you tell me what 00:32:18.779 --> 00:32:22.019 gingerbread is? I would say like when you have 00:32:22.019 --> 00:32:24.480 like a craftman style home, you have like maybe 00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:27.019 trim work in the front of the home. They'll call 00:32:27.019 --> 00:32:29.119 that stuff gingerbread. Oh, that's just like 00:32:29.119 --> 00:32:31.599 cooking cutters. You think of a gingerbread home. 00:32:32.059 --> 00:32:37.220 Right, yeah, the little icing. you say? What's 00:32:37.220 --> 00:32:39.000 the most surprising lesson you've learned in 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:42.380 your career? This is a good question. The most 00:32:42.380 --> 00:32:45.420 surprising thing I've learned is that all projects 00:32:45.420 --> 00:32:48.180 turn out better when designed in collaboration 00:32:48.180 --> 00:32:50.700 with a team and a client, right? I think when 00:32:50.700 --> 00:32:52.930 I was younger, I was like, Oh, people just They 00:32:52.930 --> 00:32:56.009 don't see the vision and they're blocking it. 00:32:56.410 --> 00:32:58.609 And really at the end of the day, going through 00:32:58.609 --> 00:33:01.349 the process and having all that back and forth 00:33:01.349 --> 00:33:04.369 really creates special, unique projects for the 00:33:04.369 --> 00:33:06.509 client. And it's just a much better, much better 00:33:06.509 --> 00:33:09.589 deal at the end of the day. Yeah. Collaboration. 00:33:09.890 --> 00:33:13.950 Alison, it's your turn. I'm ready. What is favorite 00:33:13.950 --> 00:33:16.970 part of blending creativity and technology in 00:33:16.970 --> 00:33:20.519 your work? I would say The product that you're 00:33:20.519 --> 00:33:23.319 able to produce is really just exponentially 00:33:23.319 --> 00:33:26.980 better. Once you kind of learned new technologies 00:33:26.980 --> 00:33:30.099 and you're able to understand them and work efficiently 00:33:30.099 --> 00:33:32.920 with them, it saves a lot of time. It reduces 00:33:32.920 --> 00:33:35.920 error. And whether you're just working on drawings 00:33:35.920 --> 00:33:39.220 in Revit or producing renderings, it really just 00:33:39.220 --> 00:33:42.079 improves the work. Nice. All right. Design your 00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:45.660 dream home in 30 seconds or less. I would definitely 00:33:45.660 --> 00:33:49.220 want an older home that has a lot of character 00:33:49.220 --> 00:33:51.700 that I can renovate and kind of make it my own. 00:33:51.980 --> 00:33:55.579 But I would say definitely surrounded by nature, 00:33:55.980 --> 00:33:58.480 a lot of windows everywhere, maybe a little stained 00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:02.420 glass here and there, rich hardwood floors and 00:34:02.420 --> 00:34:06.200 really beautiful interior finishes, a music room 00:34:06.200 --> 00:34:10.940 with really good speakers, a home gym, a workshop, 00:34:11.539 --> 00:34:16.150 and yeah, just making it really Wow. Personal 00:34:16.150 --> 00:34:18.170 to me. We're all going to hang out at your house. 00:34:18.170 --> 00:34:22.849 I know. It's so interesting because the both 00:34:22.849 --> 00:34:26.070 of you are so different. Yeah. I mean, your home 00:34:26.070 --> 00:34:28.590 is, it's a true expression. That's the one thing 00:34:28.590 --> 00:34:31.170 besides maybe, you know, fashion or how you express 00:34:31.170 --> 00:34:33.829 yourself. And we spend so much time in our homes. 00:34:33.949 --> 00:34:36.389 It really should be your safe haven and a place 00:34:36.389 --> 00:34:40.409 that reflects you. True. What's one underrated 00:34:40.409 --> 00:34:44.159 design detail that makes a big impact? I would 00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:48.280 say ceiling height. I think that that really 00:34:48.280 --> 00:34:51.599 impacts massing in a space and, you know, there 00:34:51.599 --> 00:34:54.579 are some projects that I think we don't need 00:34:54.579 --> 00:34:57.199 super high ceilings. Like kind of bringing down 00:34:57.199 --> 00:35:00.139 the mass a little bit and making it feel more 00:35:00.139 --> 00:35:03.300 intimate is almost better in some cases. I think 00:35:03.300 --> 00:35:05.940 you see that a lot in older architecture. You 00:35:05.940 --> 00:35:08.079 can see how they change the massing depending 00:35:08.079 --> 00:35:11.619 on which room you're in. Interesting. That is 00:35:11.619 --> 00:35:13.960 so true because I've been in homes where the 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:15.940 ceiling is so high and I'm just like, what's 00:35:15.940 --> 00:35:17.980 going on up there? Everyone wants to raise the 00:35:17.980 --> 00:35:26.800 roof. Well, Arnold and Allison, it was an absolute 00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:29.699 pleasure speaking with you today. And you are 00:35:29.699 --> 00:35:33.300 so wonderful. And I loved hearing about your 00:35:33.300 --> 00:35:36.500 background and insights into what you do on a 00:35:36.500 --> 00:35:39.769 daily basis. Keep working as a team and I'm sure 00:35:39.769 --> 00:35:42.369 you'll achieve great things in the future. Thanks 00:35:42.369 --> 00:35:44.170 for sharing all that with us. Thank you very 00:35:44.170 --> 00:35:48.550 much. And that's a wrap on today's episode. If 00:35:48.550 --> 00:35:52.130 you're dreaming of a remodel or love design inspiration, 00:35:52.670 --> 00:35:55.250 be sure to subscribe to Remodeling Reinvented 00:35:55.250 --> 00:35:58.730 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.