FEATURE STORY

Renovatio Ding the time of COVID

Whether it’s sprucing up a yard, planting garden, renovating a home office or adding a fresh coat of paint, the current pandemic has offered many families the time to make those little improvements at home. Contractor Ray A. Pabroa, Jr. said there’s been a surprising uptick in home renovation projects. He recently completed a kitchen renovation job at a Dededo home. “We also did the roof coating at the same residence as well as constructing a new septic tank with leaching field,” Pabroa said. He noted he’s received requests for a range of projects from painting to more complex ones requiring licensed professionals that people now have time and thinking space to get done. “To me, there are more customers asking us to do a job for them. Some of them would ask for a complete electrical panel box upgrade, floor tile replacement, bathtub replacement, repainting of the house, etc. I feel there are more jobs out there compared to pre-covid time,” he stated. “There (are) more customers today although we are in the midst of pandemic. Some of them are just waiting for the Building Permit to be issued.” Clare Delgado, Guam Realtor’s Association, said generally speaking, if a buyer intends to occupy a home, they would prefer a home that is move-in ready, or one that requires little work. “Investors look for fixer uppers either so they can turn around and sell it or convert to a rental property,” she stated. Delgado said overall sales are down this year. Sales of single family homes decreased by 27% in 2020 compared to sales in 2019. Similarly, condo sales also

decreased by 19% compared to last year. While the pandemic and the effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus has dampened the real estate market, it hasn’t been all bad.

“Surprisingly, real estate activity was pretty active after we were allowed to work after the stay at home mandate was lifted,” she stated.

Bill Beery, Tutujan Hill Group, agreed with Delgado, saying he is seeing “home upgrades where individuals buy a used home as a fixer upper.”

At a larger scale, even businesses are looking at ways to create more efficient and safe working space for their employees and clients.

Beery said for Tutujan Hill Group is receiving more jobs for commercial refurbishments and relocation than residential homes, however.

When restaurants and other stores were allowed to reopen for a little over a month, there were some stringent requirements put together by the Department of Public Health and Social Services. Many local businesses met and even exceeded those standards to safeguard the health and well-being of their employees and their customers.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Ernie Nelson of Greenscapes, LLC, said there are more people who are shifting their attention from renovating indoors to their outdoor living areas.

“We have had an increase in calls for residential landscaping,” he stated.

However, he said the government’s restrictions on jobs means Greenscapes can only do what’s allowed or deemed essential or critical.

“People seem to be focusing on food gardens the most when doing personal gardening themselves,” Nelson added. “This is evident by the lack of supplies available in our local stores.”

Nelson said they work closely with each customer to better understand the desired product, though sometimes they are asked to create a new landscape from scratch.

“Greenscapes’ many years in the industry has given us a depth of knowledge that we use to recommend appropriate plants that will create a garden that is representative of the clients personal vision and what they would like to have in a new landscape,” he said.

NEED IDEAS?

Professionals said there are many things residents can do to help improve their satisfaction in their home, and maybe even increase the market value.

“I can see some families involving their children in the repainting of the outside of the house,” Pabroa said. They said it is a good time to do this since there is a “Stay Home” order from the Governor.”

Beery said at the residential level more people seem to be doing renovations with friends.

Whether its with friends or hiring a contractor, Beery said adding a summer kitchen and refurbishing or upgrading important rooms in the home, such as the kitchen or bathrooms, are some ways to increase home owner satisfaction as well as market value for a home.

Jessica Barrett, of Barrett Plumbing, said though the overall number of jobs hasn’t increased, they continue to get calls. Replacing water lines and renovating bathroom are the most common requests during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For her company, any many other professionals as well as do-it-yourselfers, the challenge has been finding supplies as many stores have had to close their doors due to the current restrictions.

However, Barrett recommended faucet replacements as a “pretty straightforward” fix that can make a difference in a home.

Shower rebuilds, like replacing worn handles, spouts and shower heads are a good home improvement projects. Also, tile cleaning and grout rejuvenation, which is basically a good cleaning of tiles walls and removal of old grout and then putting in new grouting are also projects worth doing.

Most of the tools and supplies needed to replace faucets and such, or rejuvenate grouting are available at Home Depot or other home improvement stores.

“Although it is labor intensive, it is something they can do on their own and will save them money because they will be doing the labor themselves,” Barrett said.