Remodeling Made Easy

What if you could find a home remodeling company that was all-inclusive like a resort in Cancun? Say you could get all the services you need bundled together to save a lot of money—and time—instead of running around to find the same services a la carte. And because this is your house we’re talking about and not a resort vacation, instead of worrying about where to go for dinner, you didn’t have to worry about nasty construction surprises, unaffordable designs, mistakes, missing permits, cost overruns or hidden fees.

In other words, what if a home improvement project was handled expertly from start to finish with every type of professional you need for the job under one roof as part of one company?

You’d have it made. Literally. Whether it’s a new kitchen or bath, second story addition or complete renovation, your project would get done on time and on budget.

Makes a lot of sense. Yet Steve Albert of S.E.A. Construction finds that over 20 years after he started his San Mateo-based company, his is still one of the only design/build firms around taking advantage of all the power that a fully coordinated system offers.

S.E.A. works on the principle of organic process with every facet interconnected and an integral part of the structure. The architects, builders and even an interior designer are all S.E.A. employees who work together to create outstanding results. As important, SEA has a handful of structural engineers who embrace the system as well and are willing to work alongside the other professionals to find the most cost effective solutions to engineering challenges.

Albert says, “The professionals we have on staff here allows S.E.A. to do what it does best. We can streamline a project because all the experts get around a table and talk to each other from conception to permitting, and then through construction as well.”

When potential problems are addressed up front—and solved, the project is bound to run smoothly. “We’re not wasting time redesigning, reengineering and having to shut down a project for weeks at a time. We’re not comfortable with inefficiency, it costs our homeowners time and money” When the professionals are all on the same team, you win. Ideas emerge that enhance the project’s efficiency and the homeowner’s lifestyle while preventing any jams that cause delays and waste precious materials.

“We excel in taking people through the maze of planning, permitting, pricing and product selection to get them to where they want to be,” Albert says.

After an initial meeting with the homeowner, Albert’s staff checks local building codes to make sure a client’s dream of say, adding a second story is allowed. S.E.A.’s architect Rafael Gomez creates a floor plan addressing the client’s desires, and Albert consults with the soils and structural engineers before preparing a preliminary estimate. This ensures that your designs are structurally sound and meet California’s seismic code right from the start. At the second meeting to review the preliminary designs and schedules and learn what parameters exist. You get a budget accurate to within 10 percent of the final cost, a complete feasibility study for $150, with no thousands of dollars wasted on architectural drawings that are out of step with reality.

“Instead of having everyone design in a vacuum, we have them design as a team,” he explains. “This helps keep costs down for the homeowner. You need accurate budgeting from the initial conversation if you are going to be able to hit your target budget.”

For example, in a current bathroom addition project, Albert’s plumber suggested during the design phase that a planned new toilet be moved to accommodate existing sewer lines. This is much better than having a plumber show up to install a toilet and announce that it can’t be done.

 Albert says that his firm’s coordinated approach is especially sought after for kitchen remodels. Because a kitchen is the most complex and most expensive room in a house, he explains. “Plumbing, heating, venting, electrical—all these systems have to be run through confined spaces involving expensive cabinetry. And in that small space you are installing an extraordinarily large amount of expensive items. If one dimension is off, it negatively affects half a dozen other things.”

With cost savings in architectural design, engineering and interior design, Albert estimates that projects done by his firm save clients anywhere from ten to 20 percent of the total cost. Whether it’s figuring out how to upgrade a home’s existing heating, electrical or plumbing system, instead of tearing them out—“hardly ever necessary” according to Albert—or turning floor joists so carpenters don’t have to spend three days getting duct work through the house, the staff consults with each other to make well thought-through decisions.

“We never compromise on great design, but we don’t make the client spend tens of thousands of dollars where it’s not needed. The client is in complete control of how their money is spent.” Even in the best of times, those are words to live by and these days it makes more sense than ever to work with S.E.A. Construction, Inc.