Welcome to Charles Shafer Restoration’s website. Here you’ll hopefully get a taste of what I believe in. What I believe in is that you should own your house, not the other way around. I believe that if a house gets added on to, the addition looks like it’s been there all along, not something crammed onto the end or side of the existing house. I believe that any addition or alterations should be done to fit your lifestyle, and not be a design statement that shows how unique some architect’s vision is or how well someone can follow photos from a magazine that make your house look like everyone else’s. I mean, did your parents raise you up to be grown adults with advice like “OK Jimmie, I want you to be exactly like everyone else.” Or, “Listen carefully Mary, be a sheep, follow the crowd.”
Our kind of addition. You can't tell what's old and what's new. You may think you know....
I believe any project should be fun for everyone. Sure, there are disruptions to your life, let’s be real, but as the project progresses, you should be enjoying the process, and the team should work smoothly together. The team consists of everyone; the homeowner, the architect, if there is one, the contractor, and all the subs. If there’s a design flaw in the plumbing, for example, I want my plumber to tell us all up front what the issues are and how to solve them, BEFORE any problems arise. Everyone is equal on the team, no one bosses anyone else around. Sure, I’m the project leader from a construction standpoint, but if the electrician has a better way of doing something, we all want to know about it before any wire gets wasted. If the homeowner is not certain about a design element, let’s get it ironed out before we build it and then have to change it. Let’s make life easy and fun; no bosses, just a team working together to make the best spaces possible that work right the first time.
Inspector 16: Life was tough in the business world, we teetered on the edge of prosperity. As things started to spiral out of control, we hired Inspector 16. Immediately, things calmed down, and since then, he keeps a watchful eye, making sure we adhere to quality and a complete lack of any possibility of profit.
It’s very simple. We use the “cost plus a fixed fee” method. It’s very simple and transparent. We put together an estimate for your project. A safe one, not a “bid to get the job” thing. We don’t bid to get a job, we give you an estimate of what it’s actually going to cost. The heat guy specifies top-notch equipment. Same with the electrician and plumber. We use top-quality materials. Can it be done for less? Sure, we can use lesser quality stuff if you prefer.
Then, with that estimate, you get a breakdown of all the individual costs, so you can see where every penny goes. We play it a little safe, so if you want to change a thing or two, or materials go up, you’re covered. Want to cut back on a certain area? easy.
If it’s all good and you chose our team, the it gets easier. The total price is simply the sum of all the labor and materials that’s estimated, and then add the project management fee of about 10% depending on the complexity, on top. That covers tools, insurance, all the assorted labor that goes into a project that isn’t a construction-specific thing. We don’t want a deposit, we just get going. We bill every week for what’s already done. If you want to pay the subs directly? Fine. Want to pay for the materials on a card and get airline miles? No sweat, we let customers do that all the time. You’re completely in the loop on how your money is being spent. You’re in control of the total cost by the nature of the materials and systems you prefer and the level of detail you want.
