Fall/Winter 2005

Thanks To Isabel,
RPC Goes to Anne Arundel County

When Hurricane Isabel hit Maryland two years ago, Chuck and Mary McClurg never envisioned it having an impact on their 25-year old home. But it did in a very odd way. No, they didn’t have any wind or rain damage to speak of. They simply had an agreement with a Southern Maryland builder who suddenly became unavailable.

They waited. And they waited. He never got back in touch with them. Then their building permit expired. So, the only choice the couple had to continue with their renovation plans was to start over. That’s when they spoke to a neighbor who recommended the builder who did their addition—the builder with whom they were very pleased. That builder, of course, was Rauser Professional Contracting.

They called Bill Rauser, who met with them and reviewed the plans previously approved by the County. When the McClurg’s decided to hire RPC soon thereafter, Chuck went back to renew the permit so the kitchen expansion and master suite construction could finally begin.

Unfortunately, the County had changed its codes and would not accept the drawings as submitted. RPC to the rescue, however.

With the relatively minor modifications, and the addition of various details that needed to be made to comply with code, Bill Rauser and his team re-did the drawings and they were approved. They also included some changes that RPC recommended, which served to enhance the original plans.

Once the plans were approved, the fun began. New wall and roof sections were added, old walls were knocked out, electrical outlets and plumbing were moved, and RPC made sure that the modifications blended with the existing structure.

They knocked out the exterior kitchen wall, expanding the new kitchen by several feet and tying it into a new eating area with large windows which overlook their gardens. The bathroom/master bedroom were also completely remodeled—making a very small master bath much larger with upgraded fixtures, whirlpool tub and a walk-in shower. The vanity and toilet were separated from the rest of the bathroom, in keeping with the trend in baths today. And, to please Mary, in particular, the master bedroom became a master suite, including a large sitting room and a walk-in closet.

Chuck commented that the entire process, although quite major, was a great experience. He said the field guys—both RPC staff and their subs—exceeded their expectations. Kelly, Paul, Bob, Tim and Mike, along with the others, were not only polite and professional in demeanor and skilled in their craftsmanship, but they took extra pains to be as clean and neat as possible (even when tearing out walls) and to minimize the disruption of the construction on day-to-day living.

“Despite the fact that the kitchen had to be gutted, the crew made it functional so we were technically without a kitchen for only one weekend,” said Chuck. He said they moved some appliances to different outlets so they could keep cooking and even cut off the counter so the sink could stay inplace until the time when the new counter and sink were ready to go in.

Chuck said they even worked around the “dog’s space,” willingly stepping over Annie, the family’s aging Labrador retriever, who left her spot near the steps long enough to greet the workers upon arrival and to share their lunches when they ate outside enjoying the nice weather.

In addition to being accommodating, the field crew gave “great recommendations” for enhancements that could be easily made during the construc-tion process (such as framing the desired roof line and adding blocking in the bathroom walls so towel bars would be extra sturdy). Never did Chuck and Mary feel these suggestions were for the benefit of RPC. To the contrary, Chuck said, it was always clear that the guys simply made suggestions or offered options to “ensure that we got exactly what we wanted.”

He added that the recommendations were not only good ones, but they were within the budget or even saved them money “so we could reallocate dollars to something else” the couple wanted to upgrade while in process, such as the shower unit with two thermostatically controlled shower heads. They also greatly appreciated having the project completed within the time estimate Bill gave them before construction began.

Now, Chuck says, “We sit in our new kitchen or in our suite, and just enjoy what Rauser did for us…every single day. They were absolutely terrific, and we’d recommend them to anyone doing a renovation or new construction.”

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