Spring/Summer 2004

Design-Build Services
Fulfill 'Wish List' in Marriottsville

“She wanted it. She got it.”

Those were the words of Jim Kinsey, who admitted he’d been “worn down” and “surrendered” after years of his wife’s persistence and insistence that they make modifications to their home. These were modifications to address a couple areas of the home’s original design. They had bothered Connie, his wife, since they moved into their Marriottsville home 14 years ago…but areas that Jim felt did not need “fixing.”

Specifically, Connie said she’d never been completely happy with the size of her family room and the entrance foyer. She had visions and she had dreams. For instance, she always wished she’d had enough space to put the Christmas tree in the family room, but she didn’t. She wanted the foyer and adjoining closet to make a “nicer entrance,” but they weren’t.

Well, thanks to Connie’s four years of perseverance and her contact with rauser Professional Contracting (as the result of seeing one of Bill Rauser’s articles in the Baltimore Business Journal in 1998), the Kinseys got to have a Christmas tree in their enlarged family room this year. And, the entrance foyer and closet are everything she’d hoped they’d be.

It’s not hard to see Connie’s enthusiasm and excitement with her “new” home, especially when she glows, talking about the Christmas tree. But Bill Rauser said it was a much greater accomplishment to get Jim excited about a project he didn’t want to do in the first place.

Now, however, Jim admits, “I absolutely love it,” and then adds with a smile, “But, don’t tell her.”

According to Bill, the Kinseys job required design and build, which RPC provided. Bill and Bob rauser gave the Kinseys ideas to accomplish their goals, which Jim and Connie said were invaluable—offering ideas she had not even thought of, despite those years of dreaming and planning.

For instance, as a result of the “big plan,” which was to knock a 36-foot wall off the back of their house, extend the rooms 10 feet (kitchen, family room, breakfast area), and re-enclose it, some internal issues arose that RPC offered suggestions to address. Bob suggested, for example, that they tear the brick down on the fireplace to minimize its impact as a room focal point, add tile and a new mantle. The way it was done creatively addressed the fact that moving the wall out meant the fireplace would no longer be centered on the wall.

RPC also added a lot of windows to make the main floor more open and airy, which was one of many wishes on Connie’s “wish list,” which RPC used as a starting point for their plan. The kitchen was entirely redone, and Connie says, “It all flows together so well now.”

Connie added that not only did everything turn out even better than she’d envisioned, but the “process” was an easy, enjoyable one. Jim added that the professionalism and dependability of the RPC team was to be commended. He said, “We’re both busy people, and when rauser said they’d be here, they were here.” The subcontractors were equally professional, according to the Kinseys. He added, “We just liked working with them and would recommend them to anyone.”

Jim also commented about the quality of the work. He said, “You just have to see the work on the moulding around the fireplace to know how good their quality is and that Mike (Rauser) is an artist.” He added, “They did a wonderful, wonderful job.”

Still sounding so excited about their 2003 project, Connie added that it was far less expensive to modify the current house—to make it what she wanted—than to go looking for another home, which would still likely need modifications (unless you start from scratch). That’s when she said, “I just wish I could buy land and have Rauser build me a whole house. But I’m so pleased here, I’m not moving.”

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