A sure sign that middle age draws nigh? You don’t think twice about getting a professional to do a small renovation update project that just a few years ago you’d have done yourself in a Del Ray minute. That’s just what I did over the holidays and it was awesome.
Sometimes finding high quality help on a smaller, ‘tweener size project like this can be really tough. So let me share a word on the project type and the lokal resource I used.
4-5 years ago I tackled the outsized task of redoing our basement. Took 5 months of near constant night and weekend labor but turned out pretty well. And there was a good dose of satisfaction in it, knowing I’d done most of the work to remake the space from cold concrete box to a set of nicely finished rooms we sorely needed. But that was two kids and a lot of life ago. The tools and knowledge are still there, but the will and time are not. So when I wanted to divide one of these basement rooms with a new wall, I picked up the phone instead of a hammer.
Through a referral I came across Juan Paredes who had done some basement work for another Del Rayer. 3 weeks after first chatting with him I had a nicely completed project at a reasonable cost. Juan and his crew showed up on time, worked quickly, kept a clean site and did nice, thorough work. They added a 12 ft wall with an L turn in it, hung a new door, ran some electric, matched all the trim, and painted it up for me. Along the way I added a few wrinkles (finally realizing the man-dream of hanging the flat panel on a wall with no wires showing) which they integrated nicely. I was particularly pleased that they did such a nice job splicing the new walls in with my new-old ones from a few years prior.
All in all a very successful outcome. A few notes. Juan’s conversant in English but range is limited so I found in person meetings easier than over the phone. In terms of jobs he can handle, I can only speak to ours. But the work he did for the other Del Rayer sounded more like a full basement redo with some cabinetry. He doesn’t have a web site I’m aware of but happy to provide his number to those interested.
Add a local resource, or comment on your experience with this one.
Filed under: Home repair/service | Tagged: alexandria, Basement, contractor, del ray, Remodel
We are new to the area (as residents, we’ve been frequenters for 10 years) and will be tackling multiple projects in the first year. I just may get the contact information for Juan, these are GREAT people to have in your rolodex!
Glad to hear the feedback. That’s the name of the game with this site. People uncovering/sharing resources that folks will find useful but often don’t know are there or have no context on.
Yes! And I’ll be happy to share the feedback on the contractors we’ll be using. Floor refinishing starts next week! Great site, I’ll be a frequenter!