In the summer of 2010, I decided to convert my old, dark dumpy garage into a bright, inspiring space for my creative pursuits. As I did my research, the projected costs were racking up and there turned out to be a lot more work than I had anticipated. It is only 240 square feet but one that was fraught with issues and I was becoming overwhelmed and uncertain.
Once I began speaking with Peter Brown about the project, however, my trepidation changed to excitement. Peter has a way of sharing his vision and enthusiasm and I just couldn’t resist the synergy that was building. I felt like I had found a true partner. That feeling was key for me because I was embarking on the largest home improvement project I’ve ever been involved in on my own. My husband supported me in the endeavor but really didn’t have the interest to get too involved. Plus, it was going to be my woman cave after all.
Peter got to work right away, stating that his number one goal was my complete satisfaction. We hammered out our division of duties and, I feel, worked really well as a team. During the course of the project, I was continually impressed by his hard-working ethic, how well he kept me up-to-date with regard to the plan for the day/week, and his mastery with power tools! Possibly the most important quality that I noted in Peter, though, is his genuine ability to communicate clearly.
There were times when I wasn’t very specific with a design request upfront or wanted to tweak something after the fact – like the exact placement of a window, for example. For some, bringing up such a request might lead to an uncomfortable conversation. But Peter’s ability to listen to my request or concern was remarkable. I liked how he would suggest that I think about the options before making a final decision. In some cases, I came around to seeing the light. In other cases, I stayed true to my desires and he seemed cool with that, too. No apparent defensiveness or annoyance – just a bona fide desire for me to be happy with the end result. That said, Peter works smart so, together, we learned to be proactive and take the extra few moments be clear on all future design decisions.
All in all, I view my relationship with Peter as less of builder-client and more as partners. His hard work and dedication makes it easy for me to write this testimonial.
Peter’s no nonsense but respectful attitude truly made it a pleasure working with him. I am more than satisfied with his transformation of my garage into an art studio. I hope we can embark on projects together again in the future – now that’s saying something!
Angie Kociolek
