Remodeling Talk...

Choosing a Remodeler? Go with Your Gut

When we ask customers about the process for choosing a remodeler, they usually tell us that narrowing down to two or three is easy, but making the final decision can be a challenge.

So how do you make that critical decision when each of your candidates has comparable qualifications and experience? Go with your gut.

You’ll be spending a lot of time working with the people you choose to remodel your home. In fact, some say it’s like a temporary marriage; you get to know and depend on one another. You work together and communicate daily, and the quality of the relationship determines your satisfaction throughout the process, and with the end result.

So ask yourself, “Would I enjoy having a close relationship with these people?”

Your answer depends on your personality preferences. You’ll find every type in our industry, including suit and tie-wearing business types who keep you at arms length, fast-talkers who promise the world from the back of their pickup trucks, and casual, yet professional remodelers that seem to be the general preference in our area.

We pride ourselves on being the latter. We’re your neighbors; we shop at the same stores and eat at the same restaurants. We’re approachable and friendly, reliable and trustworthy. We’re here in Lakewood because we like the people. That’s good for building relationships, and for building a customeroriented business you can feel comfortable choosing when all other factors seem equal.

Lakewood Elementary principal moves to W.T. White

After seven years as principal at Lakewood Elementary, Michelle Thompson has left our neighborhood school to serve as principal of W.T. White High School in Preston Hollow.

"It's always bittersweet," Thompson says. "Lakewood has become a family."

Lakewood's open principal position has been posted but at press time, there was no word on the pool of applicants. Dallas ISD aims to fill the spot before school begins this month. If it doesn't, an interim will be appointed.

Under Thompson's leadership, Lakewood has remained a TEA-rated "exemplary" school. She was there to help dedicate the Lakewood Outdoor Learning Area, an initiative led by parent Ann Willis-Brown and other volunteers who turned a creek into life sciences lab.

Thompson says she's sad to leave Lakewood but knows it will continue to thrive with its strong community organizations such as the Lakewood Early Childhood PTA, the Lakewood Elementary PTA, the Dads Club and the Site-Based Decision Making Committee.

"I'm just one person. There are hundreds of parents and community members who will make sure they carry on. They showed me what a great school should be."

Stay on top of information about a new Lakewood Elementary School principal at lakewood.advocatemag. com. You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter at advocatemag.com/newsletter.

Louise Woerner Sellers

Louise Woerner Sellers welcomes you with a face open and inviting as a spring-fed pool on a July day. She smiles wide, and you know instantly she’s glad to see you, happy to be here. Sellers turned 100 years old last month, and after she slowly rises out of her chair upon parting, because she couldn’t hear you protest, she step-shuffles behind her cane across the grass-green shag carpet, chosen some 40 years ago, along with solid wood card tables, swag lamps and sofas, low and long in busy print fabrics, and you can tell this was a party house. Bridge parties, company parties, any excuse for a party, Sellers loved to entertain. You realize then this 100-year-old face represents a joyful life. Sellers, the daughter of Stoneleigh Hotel architect Frank Woerner Sr., designed this house. “I cut my teeth on a T-square and triangle,” she says. Sellers was born July 24, 1912 in St. Paul Hospital and graduated from Woodrow Wilson

High School in 1930. She’s the school’s oldest living graduate and grew up at 911 Clermont in the Hollywood/Santa Monica neighborhood. It was the first house in Dallas to have a swimming pool, Sellers says, and she remembers a meter reader coming to the door because he thought they had a water leak. As a newlywed, she and husband, J.D. Sellers, lived in an adobe house in Balmorhea, Texas while he served as a lieutenant in the Civilian Conservation

—Rachel Stone

Corps. The couple moved to Casa Linda in 1939. While Louise was pregnant with her second child, Steve Sellers, her husband died of complications from ulcers at St. Paul Hospital. That was in 1941. Louise went to work as a secretary at O.M. Roberts Elementary four months after Steve was born, earning $1,785 a year. She also cut grass and took in sewing to keep her family, including daughter, Celia, in shoes. Then came a succession of progressively higher-paying secretary gigs: GMAC, U.S. Engineers, Burrus Feed Mills, Airmaid Hosiery Co. and finally, in 1950, for J. Hugh Campbell Co., more commonly known as The Flag Store. After Sellers bought the company in 1960, she designed a building for it on Haskell, and The Flag Store is still in business there. The Sellers family owned The Flag Store until last year, when Steve Sellers died. When Sellers was younger, she traveled to the British Isles, China, Japan, Australia, Alaska, Austria, Italy, Germany Russia, Denmark and Sweden. “That’s what I wanted to do,” she says. “I wanted to see the world.” Sellers’ grandchildren, who now parent her 15 great-grandchildren, remember the excitement of her homecomings, when she would open her suitcase right on the living room floor and pass out the treasures she’d brought them back. Sellers enjoyed many hobbies aside from travel, including needlepoint and bridge. She can no longer work in her rose garden, but she never complains. She just smiles and welcomes you to visit. And you see that life is one big party.

What to Look for in Your Pre-Settlement Walk-Through

e nal pre-inspection of your new home is a critical task with two purposes. e rst is to get acquainted with the components of your new home, your warranties, and your responsibilities. e second is to spot any items that need to be addressed to ensure your complete satisfaction. No matter which builder you choose, we suggest these tips to make sure your walk-through achieves both purposes.

1. Learn how to operate systems and appliances. Your builder should instruct you on the proper use of the kitchen appliances, heating and cooling systems, alarm, irrigation, plumbing, and all other systems in your home.

2. Receive warranty booklets and get coverages explained.

Each of the above will come with their own warranty booklets. Because you’ll be spending days unpacking, you won’t have time to read these, so be sure to get a detailed explanation of what is covered, for what length of time, and how to activate your warranties.

3. Find out your responsibilities.

New homes should come with extensive warranties, but coverages vary from builder to builder. Bella Vista is at the top of the scale with a 10-year structural warranty, and 2 years on mechanical systems. We double the industry standard with a 2-year labor warranty. Warranties don’t cover damages due to improper maintenance, so ask about your responsibilities.

4. Use a room-by-room checklist.

Most professional builders will have a comprehensive checklist of every item in every room. You’ll be walked through and given time to inspect all materials, all surfaces, and anything that may have a defect either functional or cosmetic. Take note of anything that needs to be addressed, and be thorough.

5. Learn about the subdivision or community. Your builder should tell you everything you need to know to acclimate, including information about your HOA and all of the important local contacts.

6. Ask questions!

Every question on your mind is worth asking. It’s common for buyers to feel like they should limit their questions, but we personally enjoy the pre-settlement walk-through most when buyers ask away. If you’re thinking about your next home, ask your first question today. Just call us at (214) 823-0033.