Herb's Corner

On the other side: a renovator's world

By Herb Lagois

As designers, renovators and builders, we create stunning projects. If you have ever been a participant in, or an observer of, a Lagois renovation, you already know that.

But have you ever wondered what happens on the other side – behind the scenes in our world? Here's a glimpse at the love, excitement, and challenges that go into creating your dream home.

The love

The renovation/construction industry has countless responsibilities and challenges, so we in the industry had better love what we do. And we do. We are a team of dedicated people who love this work so much we give it everything we’ve got.

For me, it has always been the love of meeting people, discussing dreams and hopes – the love of designing creative solutions. It’s the love of the construction process. And of course, it’s the love of seeing homeowners delighted with their dreams.

The Excitement

The excitement is in the entire process, but it begins in our very first interaction. Because of our solid design background, the first design presentation is always exiting – the merging of our ideas and your wishes that ultimately lead to construction.

There’s the excitement of starting a project, the demolition, the excavation: the smell of freshly excavated earth, the structure framed. There’s the pleasure of watching all the individual components coming together. Seeing the project with all the integrated details nearing completion is an art form in itself. And then there’s the thrill of seeing the beautiful result.

Avoiding Disappointment

Budgets are tough, and they can cause disappointments. But homeowners have to be realistic and not afraid to disclose them. Budget discussions are crucial from the onset, at the first meeting, during the design process − not after construction is complete. This is the true advantage of design/build firms such as Lagois.

Depending on the nature of your project, we head off disappointment by selecting all the products you want before construction begins. This way you know everything works together cohesively and we can commit to a construction schedule.

We also head off disappointment by making sure trade partners (plumbers, electricians, HVAC specialists) inspect a project to flush out unforeseen costs (for instance, what if the electrical panel is undersized? It’s better to find out now.) That way, too, we can establish a written comprehensive all-inclusive contract.

If, in our budget discussions, you realize your goals can’t be achieved as you originally wished, don’t despair. First of all, it’s best to understand this from the beginning; but there are other ways to approach your project. Through design we can find solutions that do meet your budget. And we always design holistically so it’s possible to construct in phases.

The question of Stress

Because of our Design/Build process, the stress of designing or renovating is immediately alleviated for you; but for the Lagois team, outside influences do affect us by adding time to our already hectic schedules. Influences include the changing of building codes; new regulations; continuous software and hardware upgrades; training; (commodity) price increases, and weather. All or any of these add to our daily stresses, but it’s worth it, because we love what we do.

The Satisfaction

Simply keeping up with the evolution (endless training) of technology from building sciences to software to social media is an undertaking. The thousands and thousands of pieces of a puzzle that need to come together to make up a renovation project, the dedication to operate as a successful team, creating a balance between work and family: these are challenges, of course, but so satisfying as we achieve each step along the way.

The Reward

Yes, we are rewarded by the stunning projects we create, but what is really rewarding is our human interaction – from our colleagues to our trade partners to our amazing homeowners. Our rewards are the lasting relationships we have created over more than four decades.