Hello Everybody,
This is my first blog which is more of an introduction of myself and an idea I have for a website. My name is Scott and I'm currently working as a project manager for a construction company in Northern, NJ. I was employed by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals for 8 years but was then laid off due to outsourcing. This led me to my real passion which was real estate investing and remodeling of homes.
During the last 2 years with Pfizer I managed to completely gut and remodel 3 homes including the one I live in but due to the world economy and other circumstances my rehabbing has been on hold now for almost 1 year. Throughout the course of my last rehab I became friends with my contractor and have since started working for him and couldn't be happier. 8 years behind a desk was not what I had planned for myself nor could I see there being any future there. In the short time my contractor and I have worked together we have managed to make a great team and this year he increased his business tremendously now that he has more time to focus on his business and not all the day to day operations in which I help with.
The customer interaction I have now, through helping others design and come up with ideas for there own homes has been priceless. Seeing a project all the way from idea to design and then finished product is always fullfilling. Making it easier for an elderly woman to get around her house by opening the floor plan or designing a bathroom that a mother of 3 has wanted for a long time and to see the smile on their faces afterwards is truely rewarding.
This process has inspired me to expand even more and this is where the website has come to thought. What if I could have a website in which people can share their remodeling experiences, pictures, pitfalls, contractor encounters, etc. Also, why not provide some useful "How-To" information on "Do-It-Yourself" projects even to just help people understand the steps that their contractors will go through to finish a project and what it takes.
As a rehab/flipper I never understood where contractors come up with these prices sometimes. Why materials cost this one day but then 2 weeks later it cost twice as much. Why changing the square tile layout to a diagnal costs more for labor even though the square footage is the same. If I was thinking it and now understand this then why not share this with others. Why not learn myself from others so I can share with new clients I meet with everyday.
Another thing is painting. Oh yeah, we all think we can paint. How wrong we all are!! The guys I work with that are strictly painters would blow your mind. No fancy tools to make that perfect line or "cut" as they would say, across your wall to seperate the walls and ceiling. The 100's of different paint products from rollers to brushes, paint types, satin, eggshell, whatever. There is soo much an everyday "Do-It-Yourself'r" could learn from a real pro.
So I want to have a website where all this information is FREE knowledge and regular people can share what they know and professionals can voice their opinions as well. Where we could all share the before and after shots of our projects and actually learn something in one place. Where people could recommend true professionals that they have worked with. Not some of these fly by night ripoff artists that call themselves contractors.
It's no secret that all of this is in magazines or online but it's not through my website and I can't see people's reactions to their real life situations. I personally can't help someone who has a problem because they never asked me for help or just for a different view of an issue. This is what I truely would accomplish through the website. Even floor plan layouts and design have been a big issue for my rehab's and with clients I worked with. People see an open space, want so much to fit in there and just get overwhelmed with the best way to lay it out. It's nice to see different opinions other than yours to help you put everything together.
Also, I want to find out what new and cool tools, techniques, products and tips that people find and use everyday. Even today, my friend showed me a spray on clean and wax for the car. You don't even have to clean the dirt off, it does everything in one shot. I didn't believe him but it worked and perfectly. I don't know what the product was called but the same goes for home products. Why not find items like these and introduce them to people.
One thing I love to do is read all the magazines like Home and Garden, Remodeling, Metropolitan Home, etc and see all the new products that come out. Watching all those "Flip This House", "Flip That House", "Property Ladder", "I Want That" from the home channels inspires me to do more and learn more. What I learn and use I want to share with people and vice versa.
So to wrap up. I've been trying to come up with the best approach to a website that would work for all involved and provide some quality information and insight into home remodeling, How-To, DIY projects, products, etc. I'm writing my first blog to see what others might think and what opinions people have as far as what they are looking for in a website.
What would that site provide? What would that site look like? What information and products would you like to see? What tips would you want to learn that could save you time and money when it comes to the home? I could go on forever but I think everyone gets the point.
I appreciate anyone who made it through my entire first blog but the goal was to give a broad picture of what I'm about and what I'm looking to do.
My dream will become a reality but to shape it around what people really want from the start would be fantastic.
Thank You,
Scott S.
Your Everything Home Resource
