Now Blooming

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Rescuing a remodeling nightmare

By RACHEL EZEKIEL FISHBEIN

THE KEY TO THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS OF THIS PROJECT WAS THE ABILITY TO COMPLETE WHAT WAS QUITE REALISTICALLY DESIGNED AS A FOUR-WEEK LANDSCAPE PROJECT IN JUST A WEEK'S TIME. - BRAD BAKER, BAKER CREATIVE
As the Radnor homeowners approach their front entrance from the driveway, they enjoy the plantings and stone walkway that Baker and his crews installed in just one week. Right on time, the caterer began setting up for the homeowners’ party on a back patio that hadn't existed a few days earlier. Despite major delays from the construction contractor responsible for the home's addition, Baker - aware of the event deadline - completed what is normally a one-month landscape job in just one week.

When Michael Nussbaum and Deborah Fleischer met with landscape designer Brad Baker of Baker Creative, they couldn't wait to show off their major home renovation - a long-awaited dream that would double the size of their 30-year-old French Colonial home in Radnor. Baker’s work would be the final stage of the project, all of which would be unveiled at a gala family party last May for more than 100 guests.
 
Carefully planning around the event, the homeowners received assurances from their contractor that the renovation would be completed in March. This would give the landscapers ample time through April and early May.
 
Unfortunately, the contractor’s stucco vendor began making errors and ultimately failed to return - leaving the home covered in scaffolding and the job half done.
 
"The Nussbaum-Fleischer's experience is not uncommon," said Baker, "Homeowners often time renovations around family lifecycle events. For many homeowners, dependent upon schedules promised by contractors and their vendors, the result is months of stress, unexpected bills and sometimes a disaster on what should be a happy occasion.” The Nussbaum-Fleischer story does have a happy ending, but the experience has forever changed the way they plan.
 
"The key to the ultimate success of this project was the ability to complete what was quite realistically designed as a four-week landscape project in just a week's time," said Baker. "Because the landscape comes last in a renovation, and there are almost always delays along the way, we have developed a specialized process to accommodate these situations and take some of the pressure off the homeowners."
 
By April 25, less than two weeks before the party, the house remained barren of stucco. The exterior was a mass of scaffolding and mesh, and the grounds a mess from construction activity. Baker had not yet been able to begin his work, which included installing a stone wall, walkways, patio and driveway, as well as flower gardens and lawns.
 
"It never occurred to us that the project would go so far beyond the scheduled time," said Nussbaum, echoing what many homeowners experience when they have major work done. "In the future, we'll automatically double the time and expense promised by the contractor."
 
Baker offered another facet to the solution: "The final cog in the wheel is often the landscape contractor. This is the person who will design your exterior to fit your lifestyle while also ensuring proper drainage and accessibility. So, while it may be tempting to skimp near the conclusion of an expensive project, choosing a qualified landscaper is critical to experiencing your own happy ending.
 
"Homeowners need to ask how the landscape designer has handled such situations in the past and get references who can verify his or her success," added Baker.
 
Making the Nussbaum-Fleischer's priorities his own, Baker brought in a massive crew to do a month's worth of work in one week, enabling him to stick to the original design rather than pare back due to the scheduling difficulties. The crew had one week to lay sod, plant gardens, create walkways, construct a patio and build a stone wall ... all the time, working around the new, emergency stucco crew.
 
"The timing and implementation were amazing," exclaimed Nussbaum. "It was like a whirlwind. Monday, it was all mud; by Wednesday, we had blacktop. On Saturday morning, they were still hauling away debris and garbage, but by the time the guests arrived later that day, there were tables and flowers and beautiful window boxes along the fence. Despite the rush, the plants were planted properly and everything was done professionally."
 
What Baker Creative offered the Nussbaum-Fleischer family was an "insurance policy," of sorts, against the great unknown of contractor scheduling snafus.
 
 
Tips on choosing the right landscaper

Brad Baker, president of Baker Creative, is a Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist who works frequently on the Main Line and in Eastern Montgomery County. For more information visit www.BakerCreative.com or call 215-884-4978.

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