Before purchasing their historic home, the Fergusons lived in new-construction houses. They’d never tackled a major renovation.
“The thought of renovating was so terrifying,” Kathy explained. “But they made it really, really easy, and they walked us through everything that would happen.”
She said Phase One spent a lot of time asking how the Fergusons and their teenage daughters would use the space.
After assessing the work needed, Kathy and her husband sat down and went line by line through the budget with CJ.
“They said, ‘this is what it will cost you.’ And then they said, ‘this is our markup,” Kathy noted. “You know, they didn’t shy away from that; they weren’t secretive about it. They were just so transparent and so upfront and so just honest and comfortable with all of their numbers. That was very reassuring.” The process blew them away.
She said there were no surprises or shocking bills once construction started.
“There was no surprise. They did not come back and nickel-and-dime us for anything.”
Kathy said additional work was needed when the construction team discovered softened wood. And while it wasn’t expected, the costs were already built into the budget.
The Jon Crane Experience
The Fergusons used Azalea Building Group, Phase One’s building partner, for construction. Jon Crane, who manages Azalea’s onsite construction teams, worked alongside the Ferguson family as they brought the designs to life.
Kathy said Jon was at their home daily and provided constant updates, including any issues which had surfaced and how they were resolved.
“They just held our hands and made it so easy,” Kathy explained. “And if there was an issue here on site, they never told us. They would just handle it.”
She noted that Jon went above and beyond on multiple occasions, like at 1:00 in the morning when the roof was off the house during an unexpected rain storm. Jon went to their home, checked on everything, and let the Ferugsons know things were okay.
“Our experience was that they get really invested in these houses,” Kathy noted.
She said the team honored the home’s history and carefully preserved the aspects that made it unique.
“There was so much care that went into every piece of the house.”
Kathy said one thing that continues to resonate with her is how Phase One treated them and their money.
“We felt like they were really good stewards of our investment. And they took that responsibility very seriously,” she said.
The project took about six months to finish. A year after Phase One and Azalea wrapped up the work, the Fergusons hired another builder to do a few things in their kitchen.
Kathy struggled to find someone to do the tiling. She reached out to Jon and he sent his tile contractor over and they took care of the kitchen in a day and a half.
“It’s like we have a lifetime warranty,” Kathy explained.
She said that wasn’t the end of Jon’s support. He and Pam came over for dinner and Jon noticed a door was sticking. Kathy said Jon told her he would send someone to take care of it. Four days later, a crew came by and shaved the door.
The Fergusons have settled into their new home. They enjoy it and take special pride in caring for a century-old home. And Kathy thinks the Phase One team feels the same way.
“They have so much ownership in this house.”
