My house is one hundred twenty-eight years old – two stories, wooden frame with a brick foundation. Over the 48 years I’ve lived in it, some updating and improvements had been made, but time had taken its toll. Structural issues had developed, along with the need for updating of electrical and plumbing, and oh so many decorating needs throughout (including a bedroom with wood paneling from the 70’s).
The structural issues in the basement and sinking floors on the first and second stories made this a complex renovation project, and Arete was up to the task. Once the work started, it never stopped. Steady progress was made nearly every day on some aspect of the project – from demolition to replacing the basement floor, support beams and posts, plumbing, electrical, opening up wooden floors, replacement of fixtures and decorating, and too many details to list. And throughout the project I knew exactly what was going on via daily messages and photos of the work being done. Communication was amazing. Igor was always available to answer questions, and consulted with me about options along the way.
It was important to me to retain the character of the vintage of my house, and Igor and company respected that and together we made decisions about what could be salvaged and what should be updated. And now I am moving back into a beautifully renovated, comfortable and safe century-old house where the kids and grandkids can continue to gather. (Even the damp dirty dungeon of a basement has become a space that we can enjoy.)
I can’t say enough about the quality of the workmanship of the Arete crew – from cement work and structural repairs, to the skillful tiling of the bathrooms, to the repair and beautiful refinishing of the oak floors throughout, to the installation of new windows and the carpentry work on trims and baseboards, and the painting of walls and multiple types of surfaces in the basement.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Arete for home renovations. They succeeded in coordinating all the complexities of this project to bring about delightful results.