Choosing to Satisfy

When choosing a builder to construct their dream home, most homeowners have a clear vision of what they want their home to look like. They also have pictures in their minds of their kitchen countertops, bathroom fixtures and the specific style of fireplace they want in their great room.

The trick to transforming these visions into reality is getting the architect and builder to see the pictures the homeowners see in their minds. Often, this is accomplished when homeowners share photographs of products or designs they like; a process often fueled by sending clients home with magazines to flip through for ideas.

When a builder or architect can see photographs of products a client wants in their home, it makes it much easier to deliver on these wishes than trying to read a client's mind. This ability was particularly helpful when facing the challenge of designing the fireplaces in this house built by McNeil Co. Builders in Omaha, Neb. The fireplace consists of three main stones; two vertically on either side, and one across the top of the side stones, resembling the Stonehenge rock formation in Southern England.

"If you look at (these fireplaces) they're so unique; you won't find these fireplaces anyplace else," says Deb Zandt, McNeil's vice president, design. The homeowner cut out a picture from a magazine of a fireplace he liked, and showed it to the McNeil team. Zandt took it from there, sharing the photo with her stone quarry vendor in Montana.

"The quarry guy would scan pictures of the stones he thought would work, e-mailed them to me, and I'd review them with the client. The client rejected a lot of stones before finding the right ones for his fireplace. So the process of finding the stones was long and tedious, but rewarding in the end." By enduring painstaking processes like this with other clients, McNeil Co. has introduced design ideas to the Omaha market.

Zandt does a good job of researching elements such as this fireplace, and that's the magic for clients who work with McNeil, says Patrick McNeil, owner and president. "We sent out the picture of what the homeowner wanted, and asked our vendors if they've seen similar stone, and who they know who might have it. Five weeks later we're where we need to be with the name of a supplier who can get us the stone we need. Our success is about our ability to deliver exactly what the client wants, every time." (See photo, below left.)

The study room, in which this particular fireplace exists, was not originally designed as a study. The house changed ownership during construction, and the new owners wanted this room, originally designed as a formal music room, transformed into its current casual style.

"This room was to be very formal with a baby grand piano, and places to sit and listen to music," Zandt says. "Changing the feel of the room was done with decorating. But the challenge of changing its design was adding a fireplace, the bookcases, a desk and the credenza. The goal was to change the layout to make it a more comfortable room where you can watch TV."

Construction with the original owner had progressed through the framing stage, at which point the new owners did a walk-through. The new owners' preferences effected many structural changes throughout the house, including redesigning the master bathroom, all of which was sped up by the design/build process.

Design Flexibility

The process of redesigning the study room would have been difficult if it were not for McNeil Co. Builders' design/build process. During the redesign, details were sent to the field to get the building process underway, and to keep it moving forward, Zandt explains.

"The change orders, paperwork and other processes would have been difficult for the architect and general contractor if they were not on the same team because an essential part of the design/build process is communication. The entire redesign and construction process would have been very costly if it were not for the communication and flexibility allowed by the design/build process," she adds.