Friday, September 16, 2011
Welcome Back!
Mary H. was very excited to return to Florida for the summer season. Relaxing and taking walks on the beach was top on her list. Mary arrived in her new condo and noticed an enormous amount of water had entered the house. The neighbor above had a water leak and it made it's way into her unit.
Mary contacted my painting company and we made arrangements to meet. Upon inspection there were two bathrooms and a closet which had large water stains on the ceilings and some near the base boards. The linen closet had stains on the ceiling and down the wall. The base in the master bath was completely removed and there was a nice size hole in the drywall.
Mary was very upset. In my profession, I had seen much worse and thought that it was an inexpensive project. There were a couple of other people who gave an estimate for this project and Mary was hoping that my estimate would be more realistic. This would not take us long to complete, so it only took a minute to give her a price. Mary was so happy with the estimate she asked for another to paint the entire condo interior. Well, Mary made my day! We set up a start date to do all the repairs and interior painting. The project was completed in the time we originally stated and Mary’s home looks great!
Well, occasionally BIG things do come in small packages. It was a 40 mile trip to her house and it was worth the time and the gas. It gets better! Every day on the job Mary had food and drink, donuts in the morning with hot coffee and big lunches. I thought we were in paint heaven. Once we had completed the paint project we were hanging new curtain rods, and showing our gratitude for all the hospitality. Mary was just so happy to have her home looking better than ever. If you’re happy we are happy!
Finding New Color in Florida
ReplyDeleteHaving been born and raised in the northeast, the land of white clapboard houses, I was so charmed when I started vacationing in Florida and saw that pink houses were a natural part of the landscape. I was so attracted by the vivid colors people use (and wear!) in this sunny climate.
I had vacationed on Hutchinson Island for several years and found I was staying longer and longer each year, and feeling more and more at home. I purchased a fairly new condo in a beach community, making a winter retreat for my mother and I, but was hesitant to commit to a color for the stark white walls. I looked at those stark walls for a whole year, until an intrusive leak from an upstairs unit stained the ceilings in my bathrooms, leading me to chose a painter to at least fix that problem.
I liked the Array of Color website, but was uncertain that they would find time for such a small job. The owner Ron explained to me that there was no such thing as a job too small for his staff – even small jobs produce satisfied customers who often schedule additional work, and of course make referrals to thier friends!
He came right up to the house the next day, bringing a large color wheel of paint chips with him. He showed me several tricks of laying out complimentary colors for easy comparison, and analyzed the changing light in the living room pointing out how various finishes react to changing light to a greater or lesser degree. He left the color wheel with me to experiment with, and after two days I decided his painting the ceilings was just not going to be enough.
I picked a light peach for the living room, which felt “warm and happy” to me, and which contrasted beautifully with the white trim. Ron showed me how a complimentary dark melon color in the adjacent open kitchen would define the area, but still give a sense of inclusion. I was so pleased with the result that I ventured into further realms, picking a cool and tranquil blue for my bedroom – one with quite a bit of gray in it that just felt right, and which highlighted the white trim and white louver doors. As the guest room is on the dark side of the house, I picked a bright and sunny yellow for that, which gave the room a much more cheerful feel.
Ron and his staff could not have been more patient with my color phobia, and his explanations and guidance transformed what once was a difficult decision into easy and natural choices. His work was meticulous, carefully moving furniture, protecting all surfaces, and straightening up everything at the end of each day. The finished walls are just lovely and I can’t say enough about how pleasant and easy he made the whole process. I would recommend Array of Color to anyone in the area!
Mary E Hogencamp