So this week we sign the papers that will refinance the Hillsdale house. That will give us the money to purchase the condo outright and hopefully we will also start the interior construction of our home in Pittsfield. Heady stuff!
The last two months has been a whirlwind of activity. I guess the best decision we've made so far was hiring an interior designer to help us through the creation of our space. When I first saw the floor plans of our two bedroom condo and tried to picture what it would look like once finished, well, let's say I'm glad I'm in finance and not in architecture. No matter how much I tried to picture it, our space still looked like a warehouse every time we visited. Beaten-up floors, pipes to nowhere and wires dangling from the ceiling; all it needed was a couple of fork lifts to give it some atmosphere.
"Of course, you can change anything you like," Dan Soldato, assured us.
Dan
Soldato works for
Scarafoni Associates, the
Clocktower developer. He is our contractor and as such is responsible for transforming our piece of this huge, brick
paper mill of yesteryear into what we hope will be a uniquely original living space. Over the next few months, he will be our "go to" guy who marshals the resources of half a dozen sub-contractors on our behalf. It is his responsibility to insure that our condo not only meets 'code' but everything from the placement of walls, windows and ceilings down to the proper shade of yellow paint we pick is exactly as we specify.
He is the kind of honest, sincere guy that you immediately like and would like to have as a neighbor. Immediately, we both knew we could work with him. He reminds me a little of a young "Super Mario" without the white painter pants, but a good bit more handsome. He lives four minutes away from the development and is practically always on call, but yet can take the time to talk to his young son on his cell phone.
Dan stood before us, his arms wide in an expansive gesture indicating that anything we wanted to change was up for grabs.
"Great," I said, gulping at the layout design (which I was looking at upside down).
Dan walked us through the place, describing how much of the antique beams and piping would be visible, asking us how much of the brick walls we wanted exposed. He mentioned the "R" factor trade off between insulation and exposed brick but of course quickly reminded us that the sun would enhance that factor considerably.
I nodded solemnly guessing that the "R" factor was something to do with energy conservation.
"Will you be wanting to put windows into that wall?," Dan asked.
Originally, we had selected a corner space on the second floor because it offered the opportunist of windows on three walls. Of course, we knew we would need to punch through the brick on the wall facing North Street. But how much, where and in what manner was suddenly a decision that was facing us.
"Oh sure," I said, nodding at Barbara, "lots and lots of windows."
"And lots and lots of brick, as much as possible exposed," she said.
"And beams, all the beams..." I assured him, pointing at the ceiling.
He nodded and took notes, measuring this and that with this measuring tape he carried on his belt. We talked with him for well over an hour before heading back to work. My head was spinning. There were so many decisions to make and not enough knowledge to make them. We had a long list of decisions to make from the color of kitchen cabinets to what kind, and how many track lights we wanted installed and where. Did we want two full baths, a half bath or a bath and a half? Was that beam okay where it was or will it needed to be moved and what about the utility room, was it okay behind the kitchen or did we want some where else?
Dan had explained that it was important to make our decisions and get them right the first time because if we decided on a floor plan and then changed our mind in mid-stream, construction costs were going to escalate substantially. It was obvious to both of us that we were in over our heads. That's when we decided to get some help.
Bill is about as tall as Gary Cooper and just as slim (although I've never seen him in a cowboy hat). His roots in the Berkshires go way back to 1898 when Eugene Caligari got off the boat from Italy to make his fortune in America. He did what so many immigrants do, he worked with his hands starting a paint contracting business that over the years evolved into a retail operation with five different businesses. His son William took over in 1950 and expanded the business even further into home decorating. He had three sons, one of which is Bill Jr., who is Vice President of that business and started his own interior design firm as well. During the day he owns and manages this business as well as a tapestry and curtain shop. In the early mornings and late evenings you can find him on the back of his horse.
One glance at his website convinced us that he was the man for this job. He had a lot of experience in converting factory floors into wonderful lofts. As luck would have it, he had plenty of experience since he had restored an old building in Great Barrington into his offices and workplace. The photos of that conversion had my heart thumping in anticipation. We called and made arrangements to meet.
Bil doesn't say much at first but he is a good listener. He met us at the condo along with Dan for an hour of consultation, which was free. I immediately sensed we were in good hands. He's the kind of guy that the more time you spend with him, the more he surprises you. He exudes a quiet assurance and competency that is melded to a creative mind with an artistic sense of the dramatic and unusual. We have both spent some time kicking around the world in strange places several yards off the beaten path. And he knew all about the "R" factor.
Bill was full of answers, new directions and helpful suggestions while allowing us the freedom to express our own creativity. We shook hands, signed a contract and both Barbara and I exhaled a collective sigh of relief. It wasn't long before we had an alternative layout that followed the original design but with a few changes that we think will make our home truly ours. Best yet, those changes, including three new windows, would be well within the budget we had in mind!
