ASID Winner: Singular Residential Space

Marrokal has another ASID winner with John Mills Davies with his design for a Singular Residential Space.
Read the full article here.

Once an unsalvageable 1906 shack that had only front and side yards, the latest design creation of John Mills Davies of Marrokal Design & Remodeling is now a modernist bungalow equipped with a multi-use patio, casual outdoor theatre, and eco-friendly features. The cast-in-place concrete slabs take space efficiency to a new level as they serve as a versatile patio, dog run, and triple-deep off-street parking. In the summer, the side yard is used to project images on the east façade of the house, creating a carefree and relaxed environment for movie watching.

Residential Historical Renovation and Restoration by Marrokal Wins another Contractor of the Year Award (CotY)!

This home remodel is a compelling family generational story encapsulated within a charming and historically significant Point Loma Community of San Diego. When the owner was a child, her parents, with the design help of her grandparents, built a modestly sized but very well constructed, traditional home overlooking a park. She was raised in this home and her parents lived there until their deaths a decade ago. Upon inheriting the home, a lengthy and meticulous renovation/restoration of this little coastal gem was undertaken.

The square footage of the house was not increased and very little was removed from the original structure except for the kitchen and main bathroom. Hardwood floors, painted moldings, wrought iron features and basket pattern brick floors and patios were painstakingly restored. The charming features original to the house have been retained and finishes made new, such as the arched telephone niche which perforates the wall between the hallway and the kitchen. This was originally designed so that her parents could easily answer their one telephone from both the kitchen and the master bedroom.

All of the new cabinetry in the kitchen and bathroom are custom designed following the same design aesthetic as the original case work in the home providing a seamless transition from old to new. Highly detailed, period correct tile work in the kitchen as well as the enlarged, accessible master bath, have enhanced the charm of the original house. Planned in the late 1930’s and finished in 1940, the black and white, high-gloss tile and wainscot of the bathroom appear absolutely original to the home. Reclaiming space from an adjacent closet allowed for the bathroom expansion and the creation of a curb less and door-less, walk/roll-in shower with a seat and a multitude of plumbing features including a ceiling-mounted rain head. Matching period correct porcelain pedestal sinks, a deep soaking tub and toilet were all selected to appear original. Storage was achieved through custom medicine cabinets with mirrored doors and electrical outlets inside as well as a custom linen cabinet behind the bathroom door that matches casework in the kitchen. Original lighting fixtures were reinstalled with period correct replicas reflecting the design spirit of the original fixtures being added where appropriate. Cabinet pulls and towel bars were also selected from restoration sources for their period correct design. The top-of-the-line kitchen appliances in stainless steel mesh wonderfully with the couple’s collection of historic objects arranged behind glass cabinet doors, while providing state of the art utility and function.

The exterior of the home, including landscaping, was treated with the same care and exhaustive research. Plant varieties were selected from memory of the original installations 70 years ago and enhanced with selections which were popular from that time period. Additions were made to extensive brick work existed to increase the outdoor living areas including a new front porch. The color scheme for the exterior involved a selection process based in popular color trends from 1940, which enhance the façade and increase interest, although not the original color palette.

The owners claim that passers-by now stop and repeatedly ask about the house whereas prior to the renovation/restoration the home was generally unnoticed. The owners are once again in love with this revitalized childhood home.

The Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards are given each year by NARI Headquarters to members who have demonstrated outstanding work through their remodeling projects.  NARI Contractor Members are invited each year to compete for the prestigious Contractor of the Year (CotY) Award.  CotY Award Winners report that winning this award is a major factor in enhancing their image within the industry and with prospective clients, and is a major morale-booster for their employees.

Marrokal Design and Remodeling is Your One-Stop-Shop for Home Remodels

The full-service home-design remodel company offers homeowners one-stop shopping for their remodeling needs. “I develop a written program based on what my clients’ needs and goals are for their remodel,” says Steve Walton, Senior Design Consultant for Marrokal Design and Remodeling. He adds, “Throughout this I am digging deep and finding out what’s important to my clients. A lot of companies don’t ask these questions but this is how Marrokal Design and Remodeling starts to develop a preliminary budget for our clients.”

The company also uses value engineering to design the remodel with clients’ budget needs and requested items in mind. “Value engineering” means refining and sometimes redesigning aspects of the remodel to make it more cost-effective.

Why a full-service remodeling company?
This is perhaps one of the most significant points when choosing a remodeling firm. A full-service company keeps your remodeling project running smoothly by coordinating all of the necessary design, construction developments, and communication with trade companies through one primary source (removing the unnecessary hassle of trying to get numerous trade companies to work together).

“When people are first looking into a home remodeling project, money tends to be the number one factor but, when the work is finished, the money factor actually drops to six or seven on the list,” says Walton. He says what ends up being more important is the fact that the homeowner hired a remodeling company that provided a complete understanding of the entire remodeling process, and oversaw the project from the design phase to the building of it—leaving the homeowner with just one primary company to work with during the remodel.

Tips for a Successful Remodel!

• Solid reputation. “There are lots of companies that are going out of business these days,” says Steve Walton, Senior Design Consultant for Marrokal Design and Remodeling.  Make sure you check to see how long the home remodeling company has been in business.

• Company awards and other noteworthy publicity. Successful design and remodeling companies have received awards to show off some of their top-quality work; ask the company about what awards it has received. For instance, Marrokal Design and Remodeling has won national awards including the 2008 Western Remodeler of the Year. The company also received the Better Business Bureau’s 2008 Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. The award is designed to promote the importance of ethical business practices as well as the willingness and efforts made by businesses to ensure that the marketplace remains fair and honorable.

• Referrals. Make sure the company can provide plenty of past clients for you to speak to about their remodeling project. “In our case, Marrokal Design and Remodeling has more than 2,000 past client references for potential clients to review,” says Walton.

• Make sure the architectural drawings provide an accurate picture of your remodel. “We provide interior and exterior perspective color renderings as well as mechanical three-dimensional computer modeling. The renderings are more of a finished look and the mechanical drawings are used in the early design process to get a sense of the space,” says Walton. Both methods are extremely helpful in aiding clients to understand how their remodel will look before and after. Walton adds, “A sophisticated design phase helps homeowners understand what they’re getting so that when the clients are in the construction phase they don’t have many, if any, changes.”

What Should a Design and Remodeling Company Offer Me?

If a company offers free design, you’ll likely get what you pay for.  If a company is offering “free design” it’s likely that the design fees are somewhere hidden in the overall cost.

“The design can make or break the project,” says Steve Walton, Senior Design Consultant for Marrokal Design and Remodeling. It’s the least amount of the cost of the overall project but it’s highly critical to the success of your remodel. “With our process we’re going to talk to homeowners about what furniture is sentimental and how it will fit in the remodel, sun orientation, views, traffic patterns and flow, and our clients’ lifestyle—this is how we build the project. We don’t build it from a, ‘Oh, I want to add an 8 x 10 room.’ Instead I find out how my clients live and what they’re all about and then the project is designed based on those answers.”

Does the remodeling company offer several design options to help you stay within your budget?

“You have to be open to a certain budget range that you’re comfortable in and then you should really spend time up front reviewing a lot of different designs so that you don’t get locked into one design at one price point. That happens a lot. People will hire an architectural firm and they’ll end up going through weeks and weeks of planning or drawing. They’ll get a set of plans down to the point where they can then send it out for bids and then usually they find out that they’re over budget.”

Marrokal Design and Remodeling creates options that are best suited to its clients based on customers’ desired remodeling needs.

“The first meeting we have with the clients gives them specific costs for, say, six different concepts. That gives homeowners the freedom to choose based on their financial comfort level and design needs. It’s a huge difference from the architect drawing the plans, then the homeowner having to get bids on the project. This is why we’re so successful because we give clients the flexibility to choose the design and project that creates the best value remodel,” says Walton.

A Home Remodeling Story!

Americans spent an estimated $225 billion on home remodeling in 2008, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Remodeling represents approximately 2 percent of the United States economy and 40 percent of all residential construction. In the next decade, NAHB expects remodeling to overtake new home construction by dollar volume.

If you’re a homeowner interested in remodeling, what does this mean to you? It means that there are lots of companies to choose from so selecting the best company to get your remodeling project completed can be challenging. But if you understand what to look for in a home remodeler, you’ll be able to select the best one for your project.

Understanding the design-build company

Not all remodeling companies are created equal. In fact, not all remodeling companies offer the same services. A full-service, design-build remodeling company offers homeowners the ability to get all of their remodeling needs from the architectural design to the construction of their remodel met through one company that will oversee the entire project—from start to finish and even service beyond completion.

Marrokal Design and Remodeling is an industry leader based in San Diego, California since 1981. For over a quarter of a century, Marrokal’s design/build professionals have impressed homeowners with their attention to detail and unparalleled customer service. “We have a great core group of people who really work hard for our clients. About 75 percent of our business is from referrals,” says Bruce Howard, Director of Production at Marrokal Design and Remodeling.

Marrokal's Custom Fire Fountain Wins the Contractor of the Year Award (CotY) from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry!

This design feature is the central focus in an entry sequence for an urban modernist bungalow sited on an extremely restrictive lot. The distance from the side walk to the front door is scarcely 16 feet. There is a custom steel and reeded poly carbon panel fence and gate one enters through, crossing several poured-in-place concrete slab steps to reach this fire-fountain feature. This feature acts to redirect the user 90 degrees to climb the seven stone steps of the front porch. In crossing the fountain you continue to walk on pored-in-place concrete steps of the same dimension that now “float” in the shallow pool. Water circulates around the concrete pads creating a modern moat.

The fire-fountain itself is formed, poured-in-place high compression, steel reinforced concrete that was subsequently acid washed to achieve the desired finish. In modernist form, no decorative tiles or stones were added to the simple, straight-forward composition. A central stainless steel cascade shelf directs the water fall to the pool below as one singular sheet of water. On either side of the water cascade are dual fire features which sit slightly below the level of the water fall and when lit create dancing flames which reach over a foot tall. Flames rise up through teal and coke-bottle green glass, a color selected to mimic the color the water casts in sunlight. When lit, the natural gas flames create an effect of light dancing about behind the poly carbon fence panels from the exterior of the property. The pool is lit by four stainless steel LED bullets below the water line which are not only decorative but serve to illuminate the “floating” steps a pedestrian would cross to enter the house.

Black lava rock and drought resistant succulents surround the concrete fire fountain. The design of the concrete pool, with the steps floating in the pool, ties in with the home having some mid-century design elements. This style of landscape pool was utilized in many mid-century modern designs, in both residential and public structures.

The Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards are given each year by NARI Headquarters to members who have demonstrated outstanding work through their remodeling projects.  NARI Contractor Members are invited each year to compete for the prestigious Contractor of the Year (CotY) Award.  CotY Award Winners report that winning this award is a major factor in enhancing their image within the industry and with prospective clients, and is a major morale-booster for their employees.

Company’s Design-Build Process Ensures Success in Home Remodeling

Americans spent an estimated $225 billion on home remodeling in 2008, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Remodeling represents approximately 2 percent of the United States economy and 40 percent of all residential construction. In the next decade, NAHB expects remodeling to overtake new home construction by dollar volume.

If you’re a homeowner interested in remodeling, what does this mean to you? It means that there are lots of companies to choose from so selecting the best company to get your remodeling project completed can be challenging. But if you understand what to look for in a home remodeler, you’ll be able to select the best one for your project.

Understanding the design-build company

Not all remodeling companies are created equal. In fact, not all remodeling companies offer the same services. A full-service, design-build remodeling company offers homeowners the ability to get all of their remodeling needs from the architectural design to the construction of their remodel met through one company that will oversee the entire project—from start to finish and even service beyond completion.

Marrokal Design and Remodeling is an industry leader based in San Diego, California since 1981. For over a quarter of a century, Marrokal’s design/build professionals have impressed homeowners with their attention to detail and unparalleled customer service.

“We have a great core group of people who really work hard for our clients. About 75 percent of our business is from referrals,” says Bruce Howard, Director of Production at Marrokal Design and Remodeling.
Howard started with the company 21-years ago. He says Marrokal Design and Remodeling plays an integral role in helping homeowners navigate their way through a highly confusing industry. “There are a lot of choices just in products, alone, such as tile. It makes it difficult for homeowners to figure out where to go to select a product and then even more difficult to choose which one is right for their home,” says Howard.

See What Our Customers Are Saying About Us!

Notes like this are not the exception but rather the rule. It seems this nationally recognized and award-winning company is constantly receiving praise for its work.  “Our sincere gratitude to Senior Design Consultant, Jim Dyjak, and his design team, Project Designer, Scott Hall, and Interior Designer, April Worrell, who came up with ideas we never thought of. Jim even managed to get us back some of our lost view by moving our kitchen, rearranging windows, enlarging sliding doors, and repairing the adjoining sun deck. The new kitchen is our absolute favorite with its nine-foot island (aka: the sushi bar). We look forward to many get-togethers with family and friends—they'll see firsthand what high-quality work Marrokal Design and Remodeling does,” writes homeowner, Marilou Seki from Point Loma.

And think about this, when is the last time you hired someone to work on your home and you wound up giving them an endearing nickname? You’ll probably have to think for a long while about that. That’s because the home improvement industry ranks high in consumer complaints but Seki had such an exceptional experience that she wrote this.  “Last, but not least, a special thank you to our Project Manager, Pete Hoffman. Frankly, we don't think we could have survived our home remodel without him. His availability for countless calls and questions, his professionalism, unflappable personality and quiet humor had my daughter calling him "Sunshine". Pete single-handedly kept us from panicking over unexpected problems with his calm presence and knowing where to find sensible solutions,” writes Mrs. Seki.

From Lakeside, the Chavarrias write, “It has been a few months since our remodel has been completed. The project was completed on time, no surprises, no flaws, and it absolutely looks great! We are still receiving compliments about how nice it looks.”

President of the company, Gary Marrokal, knows you simply can’t buy this kind of advertising. But he knows that you can earn the praise by doing extraordinary work and running an exemplary company. And, while his company has received many awards for its high industry standards, perhaps the most satisfying indicator of success comes from comments like this one from the Marmalejos.  “Businesses of every sort should use Marrokal as the model for recruiting only the best, retaining a highly professional staff, contracting and outsourcing with the best tradesmen, and setting the standard for customer service.”

So when you’re researching home remodelers, remember to look for an ethical company that makes you their top priority, offers full design/build services, and has a staff that is experienced and responsive. When you search for those criteria you will find Marrokal Design & Remodeling. Count on Marrokal to enhance your home, suit your needs, and exceed your expectations.

A Room Addition Plan of Action

Building a Room Addition can be one of the best investments you can make in your home. Building a room addition, such as a family room addition, or bonus room can add wonderful new living space to your home. However, prior to starting a room addition, a homeowner should first formulate a room addition plan. There are several key factors that should be considered prior to breaking ground.

Developing a room addition plan should include both interior and exterior considerations. With many room addition projects a homeowner can draw up the basic room addition plans, including the floor layout and the physical exterior shape and size of the addition. However, if the roof lines and/or foundation footprints on the existing home or the new room addition are complex, an architect may be required. An architect may also be required to ensure that the finished room addition aesthetically melds well into the existing home. This is a key factor for resale value. If a room addition appears as an afterthought to the home it will be aesthetically unappealing to the neighborhood and to someday prospective home buyers.

When planning a room addition, the permit / inspection process will typically include an overall building permit, as well as electric, plumbing, and insulation permits. In order to complete the building permit process you will need drawings or sketches of the room addition. Besides overall sketches of the room addition with overall dimensions, the drawings will also need to include cross-sectional views showing the framing type and physical sizes of floor joists, roof rafters, and wall framing construction. You will also need a bill of materials and a cost estimate for the construction. The building inspector will use this information to determine if the construction will meet all construction and safety codes. The building inspector also uses the Bill of Material and cost information to assess the amount of the permit cost.