We love a good remodel! Part 5 Almost there.......

By now our customers are excited to get in and get us out!  Even the smoothest remodel has an emotional toll on the homeowner.  I try and remind them to enjoy themselves as much as possible. Working on someones house is about as serious as working on their body.  It doesn't get much more personal.

We have passed all inspection, dryall is up, let's starting mudding

The Tulikivi came in a bunch of pieces.  Now you just have to put it together.

Remember that large hole in the ground?  Now the fireplace has a perfectly stable and level pad to be built upon.  This was put together in two days

Graywater harvest is standard practice on all our projects. Some systems are simple, some are complex.  This house has a gravity feed from the laundry to the front and this all in one system takes the water from both showers and pumps it to the front landscaping. So simple!

We only use electric heat to dry out our houses during construction. Using propane is a no-no because the fumes get injected into the  framing and drywall.  Causing indoor air quality issues.  We used several of the existing houses light fixture in the new home.

Cabinets are in and ready for countertop template.  Our clients liked the clean modern look of quarter sawn maple.

The entire metal roof is installed.  Whew, a sign of relief knowing we are good to go no matter what rain comes.

Custom made douglas fir front door built by Rogue Valley Doors right here in the valley.   Be careful guys!

Wow.  Looks great. Now it's time for the metal

Wood floors are starting.  Our clients chose a 5" character grade maple from Green Mountain Woodworks right here in Talent!

We love a good remodel! Part 1 - Before pictures

This the the client testimonial from the remodel project we are featuring in this six part series.  It was a wild ride, but the finish product made it all worth it!!

When we started looking for a contractor, we knew our project was a challenging one. We bought an amateur-built 1947 house in the woods that had no insulation, antiquated plumbing and dangerous wiring. Still, the house had a charming design that we wanted to replicate while rebuilding it to the highest standards of quality and energy efficiency.

We looked for a contractor who shared our values. We wanted to “build green,” which to us meant salvaging and reusing as much of the materials from the old house as we could, sourcing new materials locally, and employing cutting-edge energy efficiency strategies. Of course, we also had a budget to meet. There aren't many contractors who are willing to undertake a project with those limitations. After meeting Dan, we knew he was our guy. He was enthusiastic about all of our goals. Not only did we find Dan's quality standards exceptional, all of his subcontractors shared his commitment and were a joy to work with.

Dan always puts his clients first. When problems arose – and they always do when you're building a house – we could count on Dan to do what was necessary to solve those problems in our favor. Whenever we had a concern, Dan would address it in a patient, reassuring manner. We think Dan's communication style was key to successfully working together. 

There are countless details that have to be addressed to see a project like ours to its completion. Dan followed through on every last one of them – even little stuff that came up long after we had moved back in to our amazing new house. If someone were to ask us if we'd undertake a project like this again, our answer would be “only if we could work with Jovick Construction.”

Kelly Weisheipl & John Baxter

The original house had a sunroom that baked in the sun. It wasn't a very comfortable room, either too hot or too cold

This is where the new entry will be

One goal was to get rid of this electrical meter and find a new way for the service to enter the house

The clients loved to sit on this porch so a similar area was designed into the remodel

Being kind to this HUGE pine tree was top priority during the project

The house had several different additions starting from 1948-present

The architect (Carlos Delagdo) made sure to carry the corner window features through into the new home

The old solar hot water system had to go.  More corner windows.

Crazy gutter to downspout connection

This tree was too close to the foundation to let it stay

One Fine Pergola

While hunting for elk two years ago, Chris and I found ourselves in a meadow waiting for the big one to walk through. We spent the better part of six hours huddled down behind a log, whispering stories to each other and really getting to know each other for the first time. It was then that he mentioned he and his wife wanted to build a pergola in their backyard.  We discussed details.  Even though no one got an elk that year, I did make a great friend, and a new client. 

Chris and Betsy live close to downtown Ashland, Oregon in a beautifully remodeled home. Their attention to detail could possibly rival mine, so I was trying to bring my A game to the table. They had a picture of a pergola that they liked, but it wasn’t exactly what they wanted. That helped us get an initial direction so I could provide an estimate. After a few meetings, and the larger details agreed upon, we were off and running. 

I always try and build projects in our shop, then do the install on site. Chris and Betsy loved this idea because they rent out one of their rooms, and wanted little to no disturbance on site. I love this idea because as a carpenter, the shop is a great place to be. A pergola of this quality demands the best materials. For this project we ordered kiln dried, clear grade cedar. All the main beams are notched into each other, glued, and then lagged together from the top. Everything is stained prior to bringing it on site. This way we get stain inside all the areas that would have been missed if the pergola was built on site, and then stained at the finish. The posts are secured to the concrete patio with Simpson base posts and bolts installed with epoxy. We wrapped the bottoms to cover the metal connection. I don’t like to see metal connections unless they are aesthetically pleasing, so we painted any metal bolts or lag screws a flat black. At the end we actually go around with a tiny brush to give them a final coat. It is the small details that matter most.

It took two weeks in the shop to complete this project, and two days of install on site. The final product was better than I could have imagined. Cedar is gorgeous when stained, and incredibly durable. The tight grain and quality of this wood is as good as it gets. This pergola has a very clean, classy look. At the same time it will withstand the worst of Mother Nature’s elements.




See more pergolas by Jovick Construction.