Spring/Summer 2006

RPC Builds Dream Addition For
Howard County Family

When Tammi and Lee Lynch bought their Howard County home, they knew they wanted to make some changes and to make it bigger. It’s just amazing how fast time goes by and that 10 years actually passed before they did the “big” project.

Their inspiration to take the plunge came from watching the progress on the renovation of their friends’ house. Not only did they witness the transformation first-hand, but they got frequent updates and positive comments from their friends about how pleased they were with their contractor.

That contractor was Rauser Professional Contracting.

So to test RPC themselves, they hired the company to do a covered front portico. Tammi and Lee were pleased, but they just weren’t ready to tackle their major renovation. A couple years went by and the couple had a baby, then they decided more space was definitely needed.

Tammi and Lee contacted Howard County architect Aija Schmidt since what they wanted involved a fairly complicated design to blend the existing roof line with the new one. Armed with Ms. Schmidt’s drawings, the couple then contacted RPC, as well as a couple other contractors to get estimates. Tammi said that the reason for contacting the other contractors was simple. She said, “We just assumed that since Rauser was so good, that we wouldn’t be able to afford them. We just needed other estimates to know RPC was in the ballpark...and they were.”

She commented that she and her husband were glad they could hire RPC again and knew, after doing the comparisons, that the value and end-result couldn’t be matched.

The project at hand was a two-story addition with a basement. It involved knocking out the wall in the dining room to change the room’s orientation. The new addition’s first floor consisted of a library with fireplace, a craft room with a sink for easy clean-up, and adding a second set of stairs going up to the second floor. On the top floor, the project created a bath, office, and walk-in closet; two bedrooms werere configured in a way not to change the original feel of the house.

Tammi said, “We asked Bill Rauser about doing something different with a bath, and he didn’t recommend it given the cost involved. We liked his honesty.”

Another comment by Tammi involves the “process.” She couldn’t rave more, particularly about the people. She said that Bob Rauser (a company principal) was on the job nearly every day, and he worked right along side the employees and subcontractors—always willing to get right in there with the guys and “get his hands dirty.” (Bob was the muscle behind the sledge hammer when he “volunteered” to knock out the solid concrete foundation wall.)

She said, “Despite the mag-nitude of the project and the potential for major upheaval in our home, there was really minimal interruption... The worksite was always left neat and orderly, and great care was taken to keep from tracking dirt or dust spilling all through the house.”

Tammi also raved about how nice it was that the RPC team was so warm and friendly—“feeling like an extension of the family,” since the scope of the project required the guys to be on the job-site for several months.

She noted that Mike, Chris, Andy, and Tim (as well as the others) were just “super people” whom she enjoyed getting to know, as they shared stories about their families...and even brought fruit and veggies from the garden for her.

Tammi said that on one occasion she was so upset when the baby cut her finger that Chris stopped what he was doing and drove them to the emergency room. In her mind, that compassion and sense of family was priceless. “It just shows the type of men who work for RPC,” she added.

Another note made by Tammi was the peace of mind she and her husband had when they were told how long the employees and subcontractors have worked with RPC. She explained that during the time of the construction project, Lee happened to be away a lot. Knowing that the guys had long histories with RPC was a relief to the couple, since “strange men” would be in the house a lot with Tammi by herself.

She also noted that none of the guys minded when her husband would call them to “talk technical.” She said they were flexible and accommodating, always willing to answer his questions or to make changes as the project progressed.

And, that’s not all. “They were all great craftsmen, too,” said Tammi, “but we expected nothing less after seeing our friends’ RPC job and seeing their work on our portico.”

Tammi said, “It was such a pleasant experience, and the guys were all so great. I was sad when the project was over, knowing they wouldn’t becoming back.” She added, “I shared my disappointment with my husband, and asked what project we could do next. All I got was ‘the look.’ …I guess we’ll have to wait awhile before we can call Rauser again.”

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