Remodeling Talk...

Avoid Setbacks & Unexpected Costs

It’s all about careful, advanced planning…

Home remodeling is an elaborate process, with many steps that must be executed in the proper sequence. Inexperienced remodelers and their customers often make critical decisions too late and suffer setbacks and unexpected costs as a result. What follows are a few of the most common examples to illustrate just how important it is for a remodeler to involve the customer, make mutual decisions, and execute steps in the proper sequence.

or the sinks placed lower in a kids’ bathroom. The plumbing must be set in advance of the final installations.

3. Kitchen Appliances

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1. Light Fixtures

Though it seems like a final cosmetic touch, lighting decisions must be made at the rough-in stage because fixtures require different types of electrical wiring and precise placement behind the walls. If you want a dining room chandelier centered over your table, the remodeler needs to know the size of the fixture and the placement of the table at the electric rough stage. Sometimes it’s enough to know that you want a certain type of fixture in a certain place, but at other times, an experienced remodeler will ask you for exact specifications.

2. Plumbing Fixtures

Finish-out fixtures – some of which may seem purely aesthetic – must also be decided early. That’s because plumbing fixtures come with components that must be installed before the sheetrock and tile are put up. You may also want to customize their layout. Maybe you’d like the shower head installed higher if you’re tall,

Kitchen appliances require especially careful, advance planning. For instance, a 48-inch professional style range and other non-standard appliances need to be planned early so that the kitchen can be designed around them. Cabinet decisions are made after the framing and structural shapes are finalized. This is counter-intuitive (no pun intended) for new remodelers and homeowners attempting their first remodel, and delays and added expenses are often the result.

We’ll help you avoid these problems by involving you early and often in all of the important decisions we make together.

Q&A: Ronald Siebler

paralegal-turned-remodeler and historic restoration expert Ron Siebler, a lake Highlands resident, convinces us that the vintage windmill is the epitome of form and function. These towering beauties not only pump water, but they also make admirably visible the force of nature — wind — says Siebler, a romantic who relies on his passion for handiwork and the sweat of his brow to bring old things back to life.

Paralegal to remodeler, huh? How did that happen?

I was laid off. I had accumulated a lot of tools from a home repair ministry I participated in through my church. I’ve always been hands-on, and building is in my blood. My great-great-grandfather was a wagon builder; my great-grandfather and grandfather were blacksmiths. I have a godfather who was a builder, and my dad was a mechanic and eventually an airplane mechanic and a pilot. My own interest began when I was 3, just hammering nails into anything I could find. My first major job, fortunately, was remodeling St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church on Mockingbird at Inwood. It’s nice working on a big church because some of the members of the congregation can see your work and might become clients.

How did the historic renovation come about?

During the time while I was reassessing my life and career, I became very interested in my family’s history and I went to Grand Island, Neb., and apprenticed at the blacksmith shop where my greatgrandfather once worked, on the grounds of Nebraska’s Stuhr Museum. It was so hot in the shop, I would look longingly out the window, wanting to get out in the breeze. That’s when I noticed the broken old windmill. Not spinning. It had been sitting idle for years.

What is it about windmills that intrigues you?

My earliest experience with windmills is in the Nebraska fields with my grandfather — windmills dotted the plains, and I would ride with him, often on horseback, to check the windmills that would supply water to livestock. He would hang metal cups on the windmills so we could always have something to drink from. I can still taste that water. Water from a windmill is the coldest, purist, sweetest-tasting liquid ever. My favorite windmill had a cistern at the base [cisterns stored the windmill-generated water] with a wagon wheel as the cover and surrounded by wild strawberries. My grandfather and I would sit and drink the water from tin cups and eat wild strawber-

With a family history of heart disease, Danny Weatherly is very familiar with cardiovascular procedures. He had his fi rst heart attack at age 39 and has had three angioplasties, a procedure in which a catheter with a balloon on the end is threaded through the femoral artery in the groin. After the procedure, a patient must lie fl at for about six hours to prevent bleeding. At Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital, Danny underwent a radial artery angioplasty, an innovative new procedure in which the catheter is threaded through a small artery in the wrist. Danny wore a small wristband to control any bleeding and was able to walk around immediately after the procedure. “Baylor gave me more energy. And with 10 grandkids, I need all the energy I can get.”

For a physician referral or for more information about cardiovascular services, call 1.800.4BAYLOR or visit us online at BaylorHeartHospital.com/ RadialArtery

621 N. Hall St., Dallas, TX 75226

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