Editor’s Letter

Ask vs. Need

Published by AC Business Media

How do you handle a homeowner that doesn’t know how to get what they want?

There’s a mostly finished basement in my parent’s empty nest of a home. We live in Wisconsin, and I realize that “basement” might mean a few different things around the country. Let me clarify. If an elevator considered ground-level as G, there’s a bare concrete floor on JONATHAN KOZLOWSKI, the LL floor; think cellar. Picture a man-cave with

EDITOR JKOZLOWSKI@ a carpet that transitions to a sea of gray concrete. ACBUSINESSMEDIA.COM They are early in the process of figuring out a decorative topping and are currently investigating, getting estimates, and trying to figure out plans. While they know what they want as a result (a marbled effect, not flakes), what they don’t know is how to get there.

It has been educational so far and since we’re featuring decorative concrete this issue, it’s this space where I’d like to comment. One contractor quoted an epoxy floor noting that the product-which-shall-not-be-named could become scratched. The solution would provide the marbled floor effect requested but the situation left me wondering if that was what they asked for or if that was what was needed.

A lot of truth can be found within the “that’s what they asked for” statement. But in the situation where owners are also hoping entrusting you to act as a designer because they aren’t experts in decorative concrete, there are also buckets of honesty poured in the “treat every job as it’s your own home” mentality.

So, what can you do? From what I can tell, one of the most helpful things that should benefit yourself and the project is to ask questions. I spoke with Paul Wuennenberg, principal at KWK Architects regarding the dedicated work they do in engaging as many users as possible as well as the owners in university constructions. Where they actively engage students to better understand how the space will be used once built (although I do understand that a decorative floor is a different situation), that communication became vital to the design—sometimes even adjusting a bit of the structural plans as well.

That communication can become a two-way street. Many may likely not be familiar with the options concrete can offer such as today’s efforts towards sustainability or the lower-carbon alternatives they may have not considered.

Here’s to a brand-new year! See you in 2022…see you at World of Concrete! Stop by and say hi. You can find us at Booth W2019.

Stay safe out there.

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