Jarman Homes

It’s Christmas Eve morning and my kids keep coming into the office asking, “are you working, mom?” Well, I don’t want to be, but just as everything else this year, I seem to be behind and a bit overwhelmed. 2021 has been a year like no other for us personally and professionally. We thought 2020 was a year like no other, and it was, then came 2021 and along with it a whole new set of challenges.

I’m a bit embarrassed that it has been last December since my last blog post. I had such big plans for blogging this year. A year like this, there has been plenty to blog about, yet, I have barely kept up with the daily tasks of keeping a business running with little time for much else.

As crazy as last year was in our industry, this year has definitely seen even more challenges from even higher prices in EVERY aspect of building, to material shortages, supply chain issues, labor woes, etc, etc. And probably the biggest challenge of all, DEMAND, DEMAND, DEMAND. Some weeks, it felt like for every call or email I returned from prospective clients, two more came in it’s place. Don’t get me wrong, we are VERY thankful for the business and the wonderful clients that have trusted us to be their builder. We are thankful people keep buying even though pricing continues to rise and build times continue to get longer. We are thankful to be a Small Business Owner that is still thriving when so many didn’t fair as well.

Yesterday, I was able to hand deliver my last Client Christmas gift. Again this year, I had aspirations to make our client gifts this year. Neil helped me gather some scrap material from our jobsites, and with the help of our framing crew was able to cut the boards into exact dimensions I had in mind for this year’s project. With wood being at a premium these days, I thought why not use left over material from our jobsites that was going to be thrown away. I was so proud of myself for getting started with phase one of the project before Thanksgiving and had such high hopes of getting ahead this year. Unfortunately, the constraints of multiple deadlines and other obligations quickly brought me back to reality (thus, delivering the last one two days before Christmas). However, I am so grateful for the personal time with each client and it is such a blessing to see how they have decorated their beautiful homes for the Christmas season. My hope is these gifts will always be a fond reminder of their first Christmas in their new home.

As we get ready to head into another new year, I don’t want to miss the opportunity to wish all our Clients, Friends, and Partners a very Merry Christmas. I hope you are able to enjoy some much needed time with loved ones and share in this special season of Love and Joy as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

We are so thankful for each of you and hope for Good Health and Peace going into 2022.

Over the past few weeks I’ve had the privilege to visit our clients from this past year and deliver their Christmas presents. I enjoy “catching up” and seeing how they’ve decorated their new homes for the holidays. This year I took on a special project of making “Welcome” signs for each client and ended up adding a few for friends and family. One of the things I enjoyed most was the process of customizing each sign according to that home’s color scheme. Although I really enjoyed the project, I quickly realized by sign #10, I’m not going to leave my day job for the sign business any time soon.

Projects like making signs is something I enjoy, but honestly haven’t really had the time in years past. Normally, sports has ruled most of our family’s free time, but due to Covid, I’ve had a lot more free time to take up new hobbies (like sign making).

The lack of sports is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things that have drastically changed this year. I know many of us (myself at the top of the list) have been looking forward to getting 2020 behind us. This past year will surely be one we will never forget. I, like so many, are hopeful this year will start “getting back to normal”. But what is “normal” going to look like for us?

Although this has been one crazy year with many setbacks and disappointments, I am even more aware of the many things we have to be thankful for. I am thankful that as of today, our family is healthy. I know that can change dramatically by tomorrow, but for today, I am grateful. I am thankful for the extra time we spent as a whole family this past year. I would have never asked for a country wide shutdown, but I am thankful for the blessings that came from less distractions.

I am thankful our industry was “deemed necessary” back in March when so many businesses experienced shutdowns. I know many businesses have suffered greatly this past year. But we are thankful our area continues to see growth even through these unprecedented times.

January is usually a time when we try to budget for the upcoming year. This year, it is extremely difficult to budget with so many unknowns still ahead of us. The tumultuous past year has caused industry wide material and labor shortages that have made building homes more challenging. Not only has the cost of lumber risen about 120% since this time a year ago, but with more uncertainty ahead of us, we don’t know when prices may stabilize. There are shortages across the board including trim materials, windows & doors, appliances and more. A few months ago we could order windows and have them on the job within three weeks. Today, the same order is taking 12 + weeks. And that’s trickling down to all facets of building these days.

From a builder’s perspective, creating an Estimate and Proposal for a custom home is getting profoundly difficult. By the time we get a quote from our suppliers and prepare the Estimate for the client, the quote is no longer valid and prices have increased again. But even under adversity, our industry moves forward. As so many unknowns continue to plague us (no pun intended) it’s also a great time to see first hand how resilient we can be.

If we think about what our nation has endured in it’s history, this year is just a drop in the bucket. For sure in my lifetime, this is the toughest year I can remember. But if you look at our circumstances and think what if this had happened 15 or even 10 years ago, how would things be different. Think about how this pandemic has changed our lives in many ways. 10 years ago would over half our workforce been able to keep their jobs by working remotely from their homes? Would our kids have been able to continue to go to school? I know many of us don’t like Online school or Zoom meetings but what if this had happened 10 years ago, where would we be? Could our scientists have created a vaccine this quickly any other time in history? Whether you believe the vaccine is a ray of hope or a concoction that will sprout new limbs, it’s still unimaginable we would even have the option just 10 years ago.

As we enter 2021, I still have fears but I also have hope. Hope that what ever 2021 brings we will be able to face the challenges and come out stronger. Will it be easy? Probably not. But what we do know, is we have the ability to adapt and prevail. So cheers to a new year. On behalf of Neil and I, we wish you a healthier and happier New Year. God bless!

Usually at this time in April we are knee deep in Parade of Homes activities.  However, earlier this year Johnston County BIA announced the Parade of Homes will be moving to the fall.  Wow, that ended up being a good decision based on our current “Stay at Home” status.

I know this has been a difficult time for many.  For us personally, this whole COVID-19 pandemic became real for us with the sudden cancellation of College Baseball.  Our son, who plays for Coastal Carolina, called me from his hotel room in Louisiana on a Thursday to tell me they were just told their baseball season had been cancelled.  We had just watched them play on Tuesday and were looking forward to a great season and then  it was all over in a snap of a finger.  At the time, I remember being angry, sad, frustrated, and bewildered that they could make such an “unjustified” decision.  Within a  few days  schools closed, restaurants and businesses began to close and toilet paper completely vanished.  Our life how we knew it, and took for granted, changed dramatically and left us asking “What do we do from here??? ”

Thankfully, the Home Building/Construction industry has been “deemed necessary” thus far allowing us to keep working.  Although building didn’t stop, it has definitely changed.   Maintaining a safe environment through “social distancing” quickly became a top priority.  We had to adapt and be more strategic in scheduling our subcontractors in order to minimize the number of workers onsite at any one time.  Receiving materials and selections from suppliers from all over the world quickly became a big challenge as manufacturing plants began to close or work with minimal staffing.  Almost all Selection Showrooms have closed to client access leaving us to make due with “virtual selections”.  We now have our client and prospect meetings through Zoom meetings instead of face to face.  But overall, we have stepped up to the challenges and tried to make the best of them with a positive attitude and thankfulness that we still have a job to go to and clients to serve.

Watching the news lately has had me thinking a lot about how much I actually love my job.  I’m going to be honest, this is a hard business.  The building business carries a lot of stress with it.  But ultimately, I enjoy helping clients create the home of their dreams.  The past few months we have had the pleasure of working with three different clients with three very different personalities that translated into three very different style homes.  Each home was driven by the unique circumstances and family dynamic and needs of the client.  My job is to take those unique circumstances, individual style, and functional needs and help our clients navigate the Selection Process resulting into a beautiful finished home that they love.

Recently, we had the pleasure of working with our first Mid Century Modern style home.  This new architectural style has been a fun challenge.  I’ve enjoyed researching and looking outside my comfort zone in order to meet the needs of the client while staying true to the essence of this particular style.

Mid Century Modern- Minimalist approach, clean lines, functional, exploration of non-traditional materials, colors, and textures.

One of the prominent Design elements of this particular home is recognized quickly in the Exterior.  The clean lines coupled with a mixture of materials and colors helped blend the style of the home with its natural surroundings.  The Exterior components included large bronze casement windows in order to minimize lines and create a dramatic feel.  Instead of textured cement siding we used Smooth siding to give a crisp, clean look combined with patches of linear stacked stone.  The front door, garage door, and front porch hand rail added a hint of natural cedar while staying true to its modern flavor.

But it was the attention to the little details that made this project a lot of fun.  Details like the recessed outlet covers, door bell, house numbers, and gutters were strategic in keeping with the overall style.

Since most of the roof lines are angled back we didn’t need gutters on the entire perimeter like a traditional home.  Instead we were able to put traditional gutters on the rear to keep costs down while changing to a Box Gutter to the front porch followed with a Rain Chain instead of the traditional downspout.  Now, instead of an eyesore, we have a beautiful, artistic, feature that blends beautifully not only with the style of the home but also with the artistic personality of our client.

I just love it when all the details come together to make the perfect home that really encompasses the personality of the homeowner.

Join me next time as we take a more in-depth look at some of the Interior Details and Features that made this home truly unique.

For my #4 Favorite Design Feature from 2018 wasn’t from one of the homes we built but from a project that was close to my heart–  A church renovation.  Neil and I moved to Clayton in 1998 where we built our first home and started a family.  After bouncing around to area churches we started attending  Tippett’s Chapel FWB Church in 2004 and it has been our church home ever since.

I would say Tippett’s has played a key role in our family’s spiritual growth.   We have raised our three boys  there and all five of us have been baptized there.  Our Tippett’s Family has supported us, prayed for us, celebrated with us, and grieved with us.  So needless to say this project was close to my heart.

There is a great history associated with Tippett’s Chapel.  The original church was created in 1900 with Rev. Ben Tippett as its first pastor.   In the 1930’s a new church building was erected. Much of the building materials were given by members. Even the pastor, Rev. W.K. Jordan, cut the trees, took them to the sawmill to be sawed, dressed, and then used to build their new church building. This building is still being used today after being remodeled several times.

In 1963 the church wanted to add a parsonage in order to accommodate a full time pastor and found a piece of property about 5 miles up the road into Johnston County.  The church building was moved in 1965 to where it stands today. (you can read the whole story here)

Due to our line of work, or as Pastor Eddie likes to call it our “spiritual gifts”, Neil and I are often consulted when any “building needs” arise.  This past year, I was asked to participate in a Facility Enhancement Focus Group. The group’s first assignment was to attend church “as a guest” and make a list of any facility enhancements we would want to make if money or resources were no object.  This was a great assignment for me but also challenging. Often when you become settled in a particular place or routine, it’s easy to get complacent and overlook things that may have bothered you originally.  Things we might would notice if we visited someone else’s home or business but the same thing we might pass right by day after day and not even notice in our own homes (like this spackled area in my bathroom that needs a paint touch up that has been there for about two years that Neil seems to not notice anymore  )

As I walked through the church grounds I made my list.  It’s not in my nature to have a mindset that money/resources are no object so I automatically prioritized my list with items that would make the most impact for the least amount of hardship.

Top of my list: Renovate the church sanctuary by changing all the stained wood paneling and trim to a more up-to-date look with painted wainscoting.  I remembered sitting in church back when we first started attending years ago and the dark stain bothered me.  But as I grew to love the church and the people, the dark stain blended away over time.   This new assignment gave me the opportunity to revisit the idea.

Before renvoation

Before renovation

Before renovation

Before renovation

My next task was to create a plan of action, budget, and timeline.  My first phone call was to our Trim Crew- Ayscue’s Trimwork.  Jeff met me onsite and we made our list of materials and formulated a budget.  Our goal was to minimize damage by keeping and using any of the trim that was there currently.  Jeff felt we could keep the original door trim and chair rail while adding the interior panels and baseboard to create the wainscoting panels I was looking for.  Second challenge was painting the dark stained wood that was left, so my next phone call was to our painter.  He assured me he could cover the dark wood stain with an oil based paint but it would take several coats.  Knowing we could paint and reuse some of the existing materials without removing and adding all new materials was a huge benefit to our budget but more importantly helped minimize additional issues that can arise from renovating an old building such as this.

My next step was to present my idea along with the budget to the focus group.  The Renovation Idea got put at the top of the “Action Items” list and away we went.

As work got started, I started running into a few new challenges, but thankfully, that’s what I have Neil for- he swooped in and got it done!  We even got our boys involved.  Together, our team worked through those challenges and 7 days later we were in and out.

WOW, what a difference!  What do you think??

All in all, we came in under my original budget with special thanks to Ayscue’s Trimwork and Guy C. Lee Building Materials for their generous contribution and thanks to Top Quality Painting for all their hard work in meeting our timeframe.

I realize it’s now 2019, but I still have 6 more Favorite Design Elements from 2018, stay tuned next week for #5- my favorite topic. . . . Lighting.

My number #3 on my list of Favorite Design Features from 2018 made the list not so much as a beautifully designed space but rather more as a functionally designed space for one of their family members. . . their dog!

In this particular case, our clients took great care in making design decisions throughout the entire house that incorporated the entire family’s needs, wants, and personality.  For example, the upstairs kids bathrooms and bonus rooms were designed to serve their three kids.

Other spaces reflected the mom’s style and functional needs, like the Kitchen, Laundry, and Dining rooms.

Kitchen

Dining Room

Laundry

And everyone succumbed to letting the Dad’s office reflect his certain style (I actually think the light is super cool).

With everyone getting to incorporate their own personal style and influence within the design of the home, it was only natural to include their other family member living in the home– their pet dog.

In this particular case, our clients still lived out of the state while their home here in NC was being built.  Although being so far away during the building process can have some challenges, with easy access to internet and phones these days, it’s actually pretty easy to keep things moving with few hiccups.  One day during a site visit when I was walking through the house, I was able to send photos of the house during framing stage.  After seeing the photos, they remembered they wanted to add a special room under the staircase, if possible, for their beloved dog.  Through quick communication with Neil, we were able to determine we could move the air return to another location and add the doggie space under the stairs.  This is a great example of why building custom can be beneficial.  The amount of site visits, consistent communication, and freedom to make changes such as this at a moments notice make building custom a great option for many clients.

Before phone call

AFTER phone call

We ran the hardwoods into the space and even added his very own night light.  Now, everyone in the family is happy in their new HOME.

Stay tuned, up next week #4 covers my favorite Design Topic. . . “Lights”!