Transformational is how Natalie and Pierre feel about their home porch addition. They hired The Cleary Company Remodel-Design-Build in Columbus, Ohio to create a spacious front porch on their 2,140sf farmhouse style home built in 1928. Their main objectives were to create functional exterior living space for entertaining and enjoying the gorgeous views from their hillside home.
Working with clients that have a vision and a budget ready to go can make the home remodeling process a bit easier! We appreciated their time and commitment to collaborating with our Team on the design and development of their porch project.
Click here to read the article on this award winning project in CityScene magazine!
Q & A with Natalie & Pierre Grandview Heights, Ohio
Why did you remodel your home?
We added a front porch to our house and replaced the original front door with a French door. Based on the traditional style of our home and other homes in the neighborhood, it should’ve had a porch, but it didn’t. Adding the porch has been transformational in terms of how we use this space. It has also brought so much light and brightness into the front of our home. We open the French doors when the weather is good and leave them open all day long. We can now enjoy the front view of the yard.
What is your favorite part of your new porch?
It is designed with two specific areas. One end of it is for dining, with seating for 8 people. The other side has a sitting area with a firepit. We have turned it into a comfortable, flexible outdoor space for dining, chatting, napping, and working. It’s delightful!
What advice would you offer to someone who is thinking of remodeling their home?
Use The Cleary Company! But, beyond that, before you reach out to a company, have a good idea of what you are trying to accomplish and why. Know what the scope of the project is, and your budget. Have your vision laid out, and then when you meet, you’ll get a better sense of how they can help you with the specifics of your project. Pay attention to what questions they ask and what questions they don’t ask. Make sure they understand what you’re trying to achieve. And finally, be open to their input and guidance as they’re the experts in remodeling.
The Cleary Company Design-Build Difference
Why did you choose The Cleary Company to design and build your remodel?
Our process began by looking at which companies were doing remodels and porch additions in our Grandview neighborhood. We approached three Design-Build remodeling companies, one didn’t respond. In the end, after meeting with two companies, one of them being The Cleary Company, our interactions with the people at The Cleary Company really hooked us. Our Project Developer, took us on a tour of completed porch projects. We were able to see the quality of the work they had done and had the opportunity to speak to some of the homeowners to find out about their experiences throughout their remodeling processes.
I also spoke with George Cleary for an hour during one of their Remodeling 101 open house events. He told me about his company, showed me around the office and design studio, and answered my questions about remodeling. After these interactions, it became a very comfortable choice for us.
What was your favorite part of working with The Cleary Company?
Their commitment to quality and customer service. Every person involved with our project brought their “A” game, including the subcontractors. We work from home, so we got to see everything happening, how conscientiously they all worked, solved problems, and resolved any issues that came up, which was a wonderful experience for us.
Our project presented some challenges because of how our house is located on the lot, with tight maneuverability, a hill sloping away from the house, and a common driveway shared by several households. We were concerned about possible disruptions and inconveniences for our neighbors and damage to our neighbors’ lawns during the project. Before The Cleary Company started construction our Project Manager, dropped off a letter to each neighbor’s home. He also spoke with many of them to let them know what was going to be happening and to be sure to inform him of any issues. We saw this as a big, proactive step, and some of our neighbors commented on how nice that was and how conscientious The Cleary Company was.
Another example of the extra efforts made during the construction was installing the concrete pad for the porch. It was pumped up the hill from the street, rather than driving a concrete mixing truck onto our common driveway, which could have caused damage and inconvenience. Everyone worked together to successfully resolve all of the challenges.
Who stood out and how did they exceed your expectations?
Companies take direction from their owners and that showed with all our interactions with the people at The Cleary Company. More than one person stood out to us!
George Cleary (Owner) — All of the interactions we had with him were wonderful and he came to check on the project while it was in progress. Our Project Developer was also instrumental in the success of the project from beginning to end. Providing knowledge, guidance, and expertise in a friendly manner.
Laura Watson (Designer) – Her involvement with the design got everything moving. She captured our vision for how we wanted to use the space and the look and feel of it. She walked through the project with us and came out partway through to see how it was going. Several other employees helped on our project as needed. Our Project Manager was on-site making sure everything was on track and moving smoothly.
Also of note were the concrete contractors who were phenomenal and efficient and the framing contractor who was so detail-oriented and made sure he made everything right.
The way the Team interacted with us as clients, as well as how they interacted with their subcontractors, was above par. All the right people fit together to complete the perfect project. All of them went above and beyond. It was a great experience for us!
What one word describes why you choose to hire The Cleary Company?
Exceptionalism. (Natalie) Integrity. (Pierre)
Would you recommend The Cleary Company?
We already have—to anyone we know who is going to undertake a remodeling project. One neighbor has already hired them and another neighbor has had an initial consult meeting.
In the end, the people and the details are what really matter, they differentiate one company from another…and The Cleary Company delivered! The Cleary Company was clearly the best company for our home remodel!
