Smoothing the Way
As production manager, Brian Krueger oversees the half-dozen project managers on The Wills Co.’s 26-person staff. Every one of them, he says, is expected to be a “working” project manager, on the jobsite every day. “You’re the funnel that everything needs to go through. You’re the hub. The wheel’s going to wobble, and you have to be there to steady it,” he says.
At The Wills Co., the foundation for a smoothly run project begins with the preconstruction meeting. Once the contract is signed, Krueger, owner Ridley Wills, and the project manager assigned to the job meet at the clients’ home. Along with the on-site walk-through that addresses project logistics, clients get a rough schedule — a construction timeline that helps them anticipate their deadlines for decision making. With the job schedule tied to the client decision list, the project manager sometimes needs to tactfully nudge clients along.
Clients also receive a two-page primer titled “Tips for a Successful Project,” an outline of the remodeling process meant to prepare them for the sometimes bumpy road ahead. “We talk about dust; we tell them how change orders work; we tell them to expect the unexpected,” Krueger says. “We want to keep them involved. We tell them they’re part of this team.”
In bringing a job to a successful conclusion, communication skills and a working knowledge of Psychology 101 may trump hands-on building experience. “A big project can create quite a bit of tension between the husband and wife,” Krueger observes. ”You have to know when to blend into the woodwork or take an early lunch. I tell my guys ‘You have to major in remodeling and minor in marriage counseling.’”
Barrel Seating
Many of Evelyn Raines’ “Not So Big House” ideas crystallized when she saw them played out in homes she visited on an extended vacation in England in 2002. She was struck with the way small spaces seemed to function efficiently and the welcoming, rather than impersonal, feeling that the homes conveyed. “There’s a conservation mindset there,” she says. “You can live comfortably without a massive home.”
The cleverly constructed window seat is a good example of the way the impressions she brought back from her travels translated to the attic’s redesign. When the existing interior wall was stripped from the dormer over the front door, it revealed that the attic’s original conversion — prior to the Raines’ occupancy — had hidden a charming barrel ceiling.
The crew reconstructed the ceiling, installed a graceful arched window, and built a deep, cushioned seat to create an inviting reading nook. Beneath the seat are two sturdy pull-out surfaces for playing board or card games and two deep drawers that hold extra pillows and comforters. It’s exactly the sort of cozy, multi-function, one-of-a-kind space Evelyn had admired on her trip.
Designing a Window Seat An excerpt from Sarah Susanka’s book Not So Big Solutions for Your Home by The Taunton Press.
Depth from front to back. If you are planning to sit with your feet up, and lean against one side or the other, as is typically the case, the bare minimum from front to back is 22 to 24 inches. If you have the room, a better depth for this sitting configuration is 30 to 36 inches. If children will also be using this area for playing, 36 inches or more is ideal.
Width from side to side. Width is typically a less critical dimension in terms of comfort. If you are designing a window seat for one, keep the width under 5 feet so that it has a cozy feel to it. You can go as small as 3 feet, 6 inches wide and still have a workable window seat. Often the width of a window seat is regulated by the width of the group of windows it sits below. I usually make the window seat 1 foot wider than the window to allow for window trim on either side.
Height off the floor. For most situations, 15 inches seems to be ideal. This allows for the addition of a 3-inch-thick upholstered cushion.