The Drive Behind the Design
By Patricia D'Ascoli

When the Speers met with Mark Brady Kitchens in Simsbury, they knew they had found the right man for the job. Unlike the other contractors they had interviewed, Brady suggested that they spend their money inside instead of building an addition. Brady, who has been in the business of redesigning kitchens for several decades, also has a tried and true method for working with his clients. He spends time with the couple in their home to see what their lifestyle is like. Brady then gives them "homework" in the form of an extensive questionnaire to determine how they currently live and how they wanted to live.

"I'm looking for a driving point of this entire project," says Brady, who notes that although the Speers' existing kitchen was all white, it had a dark and cold feeling. One of the first recommendations Brady made evolved out of the need to bring more natural light into the kitchen. He suggested creating an opening between the kitchen and the adjacent dining room, which had the added benefit of giving the dining room a more open feeling.

Following the homework phase of such a project, Brady provides a unique service to his clients which he calls the shopping cruise. "It's a one day excursion, which starts with breakfast, and then we visit three show rooms in the morning - appliances, cabinets and counters," explains Brady. Often hiring a limousine with a driver so he can focus on the clients, the experience brings comfort, communication and elegance to what could otherwise be a long, exhausting day. He always takes his clients to Holloways Appliance Center in Simsbury, Village Cabinets in Bristol, and Ferazzoli Imports in Middletown.

According to Brady, the appliances are always the first consideration. "The whole kitchen is designed around the appliances, and the appliances are designed around the way we live," he states. After getting to know the Speers a bit, Brady immediately understood that they both enjoyed cooking. Ultimately, they chose double convection ovens and a cook top manufactured by Wolf. "We decided it was well worth spending the money because we don't have a kitchen for show, we have one for use," says Barbara Speer. In order to make maximum use of the floor space, Brady placed the ovens out of the work area, and as an additional space saver, the Speers chose a Sub-Zero refrigerator.

Brady points our that it is only after the location of appliances has been determined that the island is taken into consideration. "The island designs itself after the kitchen has been designed," says Brady. He is known for the narrow or "one foot" island featured in the Speer kitchen. It's a great traffic divider between the work space and the guests," says Brady, adding further, "It's also a landing zone for food coming out of the refrigerator and the ovens."

Because the homeowners desired an elegant kitchen with appliances that would look like furniture, the refrigerator and dishwasher are both covered with wood panels that match the cabinets. The wood was, in fact, the first decorative choice made by the couple which determined all of their future selections. They wanted to create a kitchen that looked like a butler's pantry and was above all, warm and inviting. This look was achieved in part by the striking silver, gold and black granite countertops and rustic tumbled marble tile backsplash.

Some of the special features included in the renovation of the Speer kitchen included the creation of a mudroom directly off the entrance. The hardwood floor was replaced with tile, allowing for easy cleanup. Brady also built a pantry in the foyer between the kitchen and living room and designed a built-in wall unit in the dining room to match the kitchen cabinets.

After the kitchen renovation project was complete, the Speers were extraordinarily pleased with the result. "It looks much better than we even imagined," said Mrs. Speer. As far as the experience of working with Brady, whom they now consider a friend, the Speers comment, "We had a thoroughly enjoyable experience."

Click here to see other pictures of this kitchen

RECORD-JOURNAL
Meriden, CT, Sunday, April 22, 1990
Section B-1 (Local News)

"This old, old house"
After 232 years, it still has some bugs
by Paul Hughes

Mark Brady is helping the Parsons House, home of the Wallingford Historical Society, recover from 232 years of wear and tear.

WALLINGFORD - Housewright Mark Brady finds romance and intrigue in fixing what time and the powder-post beetle have undone at Samuel Parsons House.      The front of the Parsons House is now leaning to the left and sagging due to dry rot, powder-post beetles and 232 years of wear and tear, said Brady and May Annis, president of the Wallingford Historical Society.      The Parsons House has been home to the Wallingford Historical Society since 1919. "It's really an interesting building, the way its framed and put together," said Brady, whose task is to repair the sagging front.      "To be taking it apart and looking at a piece of work that a carpenter did in 1758 and then realize the tree that wood came from was planted in 1600, it's romantic," Brady mused.      His forefinger traces a Roman numeral XII that one of the house's original framers crudely notched into a timber. His gaze lingers, betraying a sense of awe. "You know, some carpenter just like me stood just where I'm standing 232 years ago and did that," Brady said.     Samuel Parsons and his family built the Dutch Colonial homestead in 1758. The family used the house as a residence and later as a public tavern catering to stage coaches traveling the Post Road between New York and Boston.

    In 1803, the Parsons family sold the house to Capt. Caleb Thompson, a carpenter noted for the coffins he built. The house remained in Thompson's family until Fannie Ives Schember, Thompson's granddaughter, deeded the house to the historical society in 1919.
    The discovery that the front of the house rotted came as a belated, unwanted Christmas gift, Annis said. Society members inspected the house after Christmas with Brady, a carpenter who restores 18th century buildings, and discovered the rot.
     Brady and Annis blamed much of the rot on water damage and the powder-post beetle, an insect that feeds in very dry wood and reduces the interior to a powdery dust. "The powder-post beetles are nasty little creatures," Annis said. "They munch and munch and get into everything, and over 200 years they can wreak some havoc." The results are seen in the tiny burrows that dot the posts and beams Brady has exposed, especially near the front door.
     When he removed a small section of the front hallway's ceiling, it collapsed in a dusty heap on his head because the beetles had reduced the laths holding the plaster ceiling to powder. Water draining from the front porch roof seeped behind the clapboards, rotting the rough-hewn, wooden posts and beams that make up the house's frame. Most of the damage was confined to that area. "The powder-post beetles had a field day with it," Brady said. "Where it was wet, the powder-post beetles stayed."
     Brady describes his job as part carpenter, part historian, and part detective. He bills himself as a housewright because he has experience in everything from design to framing to excavating foundations to roofing and painting.
     As he removes woodwork, he can see design changes made in the house's structure since it was originally framed. "It's fun to try to figure out when they did something, how they did it, and why they did it," Brady said. He knows the molding has been added to the house's interior in the last 100 years because that kind of standard molding has been available only in the last century.

"It certainly gives me a certain sense of respect for the original carpenters when I take things apart," Brady said. All the timber that makes up the house's frame was hewn nearby. All clapboards, posts, beams, wooden pegs and nails that made up the frame are handmade. The foundation was dug with shovel and pick. Before replacing even one clapboard, Brady removed the front door and frame and a small section of clapboard to get a glimpse of the woodwork underneath.

Brady holds assorted nails that he pulled from the Parsons House. Brady specializes in restoring 18th century buildings.

     "I didn't have anybody around to say why they did that or why they did this," he said. "The only way a carpenter or a historian can learn is by trial and error." Without original plans, he has reconstructed the design relying on what little he has exposed and his know-how and imagination. "It's a lot like a root canal." Brady said. "You have to take care of the rotten stuff and save what's out there." He will scrape out rotted sections in the original timbers. He will patch those areas by bolting pressure-treated yellow pine to those timbers and replacing all the clapboards. Everything will be treated to stave off powder-post beetle infestation.
     The 18th century has fascinated Brady since boyhood summers when he toured historic homes in Portsmouth, NH, so many times that he knew the highlights better than some guides.
     As an adult, he belonged to a group that traveled the country reenacting Revolutionary War battles. He was even married in his regiment's uniform with a full military complement in an 18th century church.
     George Washington, Brady's boyhood hero, visited Wallingford twice, in 1775 and 1789, but did not stop at the Parsons House.
"Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were my heroes, and still are today. I admire the principles for which they risked their lives and gave their lives...to found a nation for future generations," Brady said, his voice slightly quavering. "I get choked up when I talk about this stuff. I think it is the birth of the nation," Brady said of the Revolutionary War era. "I stare at George Washington's tomb and feel like I'm having a religious experience."
     Brady has not found silver spoons, coins or anything carpenters who built or worked on the house might have left in the walls, though he wishes he would. But he said he will leave a business card or something else for future generations. A commitment to future generations drives Brady to document the work he has done. "I feel responsible to tell the truth," he said.
     Brady said he will give the historical society drawings, before and after photographs, and details of what new materials were used and where. He wants someone else in future years to know what is still original and what has been changed and why. "I feel I have a responsibility to give future generations an accurate account of the work that I did," he said. "That way they know exactly where we came from."

September/October 1995   "Construction Management" by Josh Garskof

When Suzanne O'Connell and Tom Christopher decided to remodel the kitchen in their old Connecticut Cape, they hoped to keep there role minimal. They'd find a good general contractor and write the check. But then they started planning counter layout and cabinet designs and realized they needed to be involved and to make decisions as the work progressed.
     Problem was, the contractors who came to see the job wanted to define the scope of the work to set a price up front, leaving less flexibility than the couple envisioned. The one person who was willing to work on their terms is not a contractor. He is a construction manager - a consultant who oversees the job while the homeowners hire the tradespeople themselves.

Construction Management has become an alternative to general contracting for big old-house projects. It's cheaper and it allows owners to be their own general contractors, while keeping a set of professional eyes on the job. But the arrangement also has potential pitfalls that can get homeowners in over their heads.
     Traditionally, when old-house owners need professional help, they hire a general contractor for a total package price. The general contractor pays a crew of carpenters and laborers, hires independent subcontractors for specialized work (such as mechanical services), and buys materials.
     Construction Managers, however, so not hire subcontractors or buy materials. They are consultants to the homeowners who become the general contractor, signing prime contracts with each company that works on the job. The construction manager typically analyzes cost, recommends tradespeople, schedules the workflow, and oversees the project. Some managers also perform general carpentry; others specialize in searching out restoration materials or researching old houses. (Sometimes, as we'll discuss later, homeowners hire both a construction manager and a general contractor.
     "Construction management is like ordering a la carte," says Mark Brady, the Middletown, Connecticut, construction manager, Tom and Suzanne hired. "You pick your entrée, side dishes, appetizer, and dessert. General contracting is like ordering the special."
     The system began in the late 1970s in the commercial construction sector, according to Jerry Householder, Chairman of the Department of Construction Management (the business of contracting) at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Construction management peaked with the soaring interest rates of the early 1980s. Project owners wanted fast-track construction. The model allowed enough flexibility so work could begin before all the blueprints were finished, Householder says.
     While the construction management boom has leveled off in the commercial sector, it appears to be growing in residential restoration and remodeling.

New construction on old houses requires many trades and someone to orchestrate the job.

Finances and Flexibility

Small restoration and remodeling companies see real economic benefits to construction management. As general contractors, they must shuffle resources to pay subcontractors and their own crews before they bill for the work. It may not be until the final payments on a job that the general contractor earns any money. If the deal comes unglued, these checks may never come.
     "Little contractors are not banks," says Brady. "So why should they be in the business of extending credit?"
     As construction managers, they don't have to finance materials or subcontractors' expenses. The homeowner pays each company directly, so the most the manager can lose is payment for their own time. Plus, if the homeowner reneges on payments for a tradesperson's work, the short-changed party will sue the homeowner, not the construction manager. If however, subcontractors don't get paid, they sue the general contractors, who may be liable even when the owner fails to pay them.
     Why would a homeowner agree to the construction management framework? First and foremost, you can expect to pay less for the project with a construction manager than a general contractor. The company is not marking up subcontractors' work or materials. Because it is not taking on the risk of prepaying for, or guaranteeing, other's work, it typically does not require a large sum up front. The manager simply gets paid for the management service - an hourly rate, a flat fee, or a percentage of the project cost.
     "Construction management is a particularly good model for restoration work," says Householder. "In an old house we don't know what we're going to run into until we open up the walls. The model is flexible enough to handle the unforeseen."
     Beyond that, construction management sets the stage for more control and involvement by homeowners. They may handle portions of the work themselves - most commonly demolition and painting. Meanwhile they can watch what's going on and make decisions along the way. The construction manager is liaison between owners and tradespeople.
     "Because of Mark's diplomacy as a construction manager, we got what we wanted," says Christopher. "For example, we decided we wanted a peninsula in the kitchen, but the cabinetmaker thought it would be too crowded. So Mark cut a mock peninsula from plywood, adjusting it until it was right." Once they proved that it worked, the cabinetmaker built it.

The general contractor hires tradespeople and purchases materials (fig. 1). The construction manager oversees the job, which is contracted by the homeowner (fig. 2)

The Risk Factor

Construction Management, however, is not for everyone. We spoke to homeowners who wouldn't touch it with a 10' 2x6 because the construction manager is not totally accountable for the work. What if there is trouble - shoddy work, disappearing tradespeople, or change-order disputes? The homeowners may be on their own. A general contractor, though, guarantees the project, nailing down punch list items and handling call backs for subcontractors' work. If not, the legal recourse includes two possible lawsuits: against the tradesperson and against the contractor.
     "General contractors are on the hot seat. We're responsible for, and stand behind, the entire project," says Christopher Walberg, of Chicago's Downstate Restorations.
     Whether legally accountable or not, construction managers have to maintain their reputations, counters Mitchell. That means managers are careful to recommend reliable tradespeople. They use their clout - influence with the check-writing owner and recommendations on future jobs - to keep them in line.
      "My business is based on happy clients," says construction manager Jennifer Smith Mitchell, principal of Heritage Restoration, in Bozeman, Montana. "It's all about word of mouth. I may not be liable, but if the job falls apart, I look bad. You bet I'll follow through to make sure everything works."
      Homeowner Christopher acknowledges that construction management left him a bit exposed. "But we weren't looking for the lowest bidders. We wanted quality, reputable, local craftsmen, and that's who we hired." These individuals are licensed and insured professionals themselves, he notes.
      The best way homeowners can protect themselves when they hire a construction manager is with a well-written contract. It should spell out exactly what the manager's role and responsibilities will be. Householder recommends showing it to an attorney.
      "The construction manager's contract should make sure the owner doesn't get left in the lurch," he says."It should state that the construction manager is responsible for observing all the work and for overseeing the project as a representative of the owner's interest."

General contractors are legally responsible for all work on the project; construction managers are not.

Contractors Wary

Lots of general contractors won't get involved in construction management at all. This may be in part because the arrangement cuts into their potential earnings (they can charge more as contractors), but it's also because they feel the structure can be dangerously open-ended.
      "Many times, a contractor will suggest construction management if the budget is uncertain or if the homeowners can't make up their minds," explains Bruce Curtis, president of Washtenaw Woodwrights, general contractors of Ann Arbor, Michigan. "I feel a lot more secure if the scope of the work is set before it begins."
      Another potential problem with construction managers, according to Denver architect Doug Walter, is that because they do not hold the checkbook, they have less control of tradespeople than a contractor would.
      "Unless the subs are looking to him for their money, it can be difficult to effectively manage the project," Walter says. The answer to this, according to Brady, is that the construction manager must sign off on work before the homeowner pays for it.
      But some general contractors aren't convinced. Few homeowners have the job-site experience to take on the responsibility of a general contractor, says Walter.
      "Is the homeowner, who's got a busy life doing something else, going to save that much money by taking the time from their work to learn the construction trade?" asks Paul Winans, a general contractor in Oakland, California. "Why not pay someone who's already been through the mill?" Winans Construction makes sure subs are properly insured and handles all tax forms.
      So, what if a homeowner wants a general contractor but also wants involvement and flexibility? A good general contractor cooperates too. There are plenty who will let the homeowner bang a few nails or hold the end of a 2x10. Many will even tolerate changes with a polite smile. And all this comes - for a price - with the confidence that the entire project is in someone else's hands.

Hiring Both

Some Homeowners - perhaps on their fist old-house project or perhaps not a single owner, but a museum building board - need more job oversight than either a general contractor or a construction manager can provide. They hire both.
      The manager, who is top dog in this project hierarchy, acts as the owner's advocate, making sure the specs are met and handling surprises and problems.
      "A third part can look at each situation in an unbiased way," said Dave Matthew, a construction manager and architect currently with the Troyer Group in Mishawaka, Indiana. "He's not paid by the contractor and he's not going to be living in the house."
      "It's important," adds construction manager John Leeke, "especially on big projects, to have a distinction between the consultant, who is taking an integrated, whole-house approach to problems, and the hand-on workers."
      Adding a construction manager's services to a project can tack on 15 to 20 percent to the overall budget. Critics call this a top-heavy team and a waste of money. But Leeke, whose second calling is as an OHJ contribution editor, notes that unforeseen problems are the rule - not the exception - in old-house work. He says that his investigation, planning, and oversight can save more than they cost.

Many construction managers handle the carpentry work themselves.

Architect as Manager

For jobs with both a general contractor and an architect, the architect's basic services typically include limited construction management services - about six hours per $100,000 of work, according to Walter. An additional contract can put the architect, or the architect's staff, in a full-fledged construction management role. This makes sense given that the architect drew up the plans and wrote the specs.
      Another option is to offset somewhat the cost of a construction manager by reducing the architect's responsibilities. (One hour of a manager's time comes cheaper than that of an architect's.)
      There are a lot of ways to set up a construction management job; the unorthodox system remains undefined until outlined by a specific contract.
      It's too soon to say whether construction management is a bona fide trend in old-house restoration. It's clear, though, that the flexibility and involvement are just what some homeowners are looking for.