Stacie Merrit’s Renovation Story
My first experience with Southern Homes was in 2002. They built my family’s home and I was delighted with the results. So after Hurricane Katrina when I found myself establishing residence in my father’s old 1960’s two‐story house, I immediately called them to inquire about their renovation service. I knew they would be a onestop‐shop for everything I needed; plumbing, electrical services, design options etc. Also, they invited me to view some of their renovation projects, all of which were properties they had not originally built. And what really pleased me is how they broke the project down into phases, which made the payment schedule more manageable. Also, knowing exactly what your money is going to, phase by phase, really makes a difference.
Despite the circumstances, it had always been a dream of mine to buy and fully renovate an older home. There were several things I was envisioning to make this old house a new home. The most pressing issues were downstairs. There was a large guest bathroom that was cutting into living space. The den was very dark and all the rooms were separate. I wanted a more open floor plan. Southern Homes took on my project and merged some of the extra bathroom space into the den and added a new window for natural light. They also opened the floor plan by cutting a wall to offer space for the kitchen to overlook the living room. When I saw the completed project I was excited and immediately ready to move in. I loved it! It was great to see my ideas come out so lovely. I get compliments every time some one comes to visit.
One person that really stood out during the whole processwas Don Raider. We first started the process with another associate who had to move before the renovation was complete. Don was new to the renovation side of Southern Homes (he had been in the building division for some time) and had to take over my project in the middle of everything. I was surprised at how well he handled the transition. He was really good with following up. There were so many things I would forget and Don kept me on top of things and reminded me. He was very nice and polite to the point of disbelief; you just don’t meet people like that anymore. In spite of the staff changes and 2 hurricanes (I started the project in September) Southern Homes remained very timely with the turnaround. I would recommend anybody to Southern Homes.
This is a company you can trust. You don’t have to worry about if their coming back to finish the work. And you can be sure the work will be well done and with quality materials. Not only that, when a plumbing block caused water damage to some of my flooring shortly after I moved in, Southern Homes stood by their warranty and immediately repaired the block and replaced the floor. They are not like other companies that are hard to find when it is time for a warranty claim. They were so quick to solve the issue. Like I said before, I would recommend Southern Homes to anyone.
