Blog | The Wiese Company

A Renovation of Our Own

April 9, 2019 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

A lot has changed in in the last 27 plus years since we hung our first shingle; literally and figuratively. Like everything around us, we must grow with the times. We haven’t lost sight of what is important: offering a solid experience and product in designing and building our clients a better lifestyle. So now you will see some changes that won’t affect our commitment to our clients, it’s just time for our building to get a new exterior and our brand to get a polish.

From our building to our logo, you will be seeing some changes to our presence on Main Street in Sherborn, our website and the yard signs in your neighborhood. This time around we decided to go a bit further with re-branding, so we did what our clients do… called in the experts. The unveiling of our new look will start with a new logo (coming soon) and then we will begin the process of our new website and signage which we have long felt is overdue.

Our first logo was a piece of clip art from some paint program, and our first office was Ray’s kitchen table in 1992. Since 2007, we have called the house on North Main St. home after a couple of improved home offices, a stint on Route 9 and an industrial park in Natick. And we updated our logo a few times post “clip art budget”:

The Creative Process: We had to find the right expertise to help rediscover our brand through the next decade and then some. We shopped around, asked for references and found our match after a meeting with some folks who shared our enthusiasm and whom really wanted to help us with this new “us”.

A messaging teaser from our upcoming rebrand

Our Message: Our goals for the new website were to tell the story of who our clients are and excite and inspire our visitors. We also will articulate what it is that makes The Wiese Company stand out in a congested, sometimes misunderstood design/build world that may be seen as cliché. When the new site launches we will lessen the language and highlight the projects we have created in collaboration with our clients. We will better describe what is behind our process that makes working with approachable and quality driven.

A logo teaser from our upcoming rebrand

Our Visual Design: It was really interesting to see how much weight a good logo mark could have on telling the story of our company. Each mark’s distinct look came with its own narrative of how it was built and what it could convey. After weighing each one, we were able to unanimously choose one that told the his(story) of our journey through its own handcrafted typography and bold colors tocompliment the new look.

The redesign is still a work in progress, but we wanted to share some of the process with our extended family before we went live with our new look in the coming months. Stay tuned.

A Master Suite Retreat

April 4, 2019 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

The Home Stats – A luxury spec home built in rural Sherborn was originally designed in the 90’s with high ceilings and a large footprint for the master suite. This style of design was very popular and once sought after by homeowners at the time as feeling stately and airy. With the bath being approximately 285 square feet, the project required less attention on creating more space which is typically a remodeling ask from clients and more attention on the style and functionality.

The Clients’ needs – The homeowners worked with The Wiese Company on their kitchen and first floor powder room remodel a few years prior to this project; having them as repeat clients made the collaboration of ideas a bit easier, despite the size of the renovation and possibilities of design. We already understood some of the lifestyle needs with the family and the reality that the master suite needed to be restful, even if the kids now use their parents’ shower more often than their own! We also understood the need for a level of comfort in the design that the couple wished to impart on this project before rushing into an idea for a space that felt a little uninspired. The musts included a steam shower, freestanding tub, storage for linen, and of course – vanities (and a design) that worked with these beautifully crafted mirrors. One bonus that wasn’t on the must have list, but was able to be included, was a walk-in closet for him as part of reducing the bath’s footprint.

The Challenges & Approach – In our last newsletter we highlighted a master suite addition in Newton that allowed us to capitalize building from the ground up. In this Sherborn home renovation, we had plenty of square footage to work with, but had to reimagine the space to truly give a feeling of entering a private getaway. We knew that by creating more substantial elements in the room like a larger shower and vanities we would already help ground the space and fill the available real estate.

Before: vanity and soaking tub

Before: shower and bath entrance

The Solution – We first sought ways to reduce the size of the space. After schemes that included additional cabinetry and a larger shower, the Owners gravitated to incorporating a second closet to the master suite. This allowed us to provide a spacious, but not supersized bath with a reduced footprint. One of our designers came up with 3 elements that resulted in the synergy of scale, color and materials. First, the dormer that held the tub was redesigned so it would feel more like a separate and purposeful space. Second, the shower was given an exterior cladding of tiles that strengthened its presence and celebrated the ceiling height. The final element was the wainscot border which tied everything together again helping to ground the space and add architectural importance.

After: vanities and freestanding soaking tub

After: steam shower and bath entrance

Our 90-Day Return Visit

March 29, 2019 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

When Do We Consider a Renovation Job Complete?

The short answer is when the customer is satisfied. The long answer is that we want folks to feel comfortable to call us long after a project is complete to help with any issue that comes up. Having work done on your home can be similar to visiting relatives… it’s great when they arrive, but if it is an extended stay, it’s kind of nice to have your home back. When a project is finished, we want people to know we took care of every detail on the punch list before we leave. Then we reassure them we will be back after they’re settled in and have had some time to enjoy the space without a work crew on site.

For maintenance items that are not covered under warranty, as well as, a review of the work, we take a proactive approach with a complimentary 90-day return visit. We do this for many reasons; most important is that it provides assurance that we are not just moving on to the next project, and secondarily our customer may have noticed some adjustments to hardware or have questions about a product that was used. If your renovation company does not offer this then this might be a red flag.

Common Interior Post-Renovation Adjustments

During renovation some items we install, over time, will shrink, come out of adjustment and make a few odd sounds while acclimating. In the winter as dew points drops and in the summer with the fluctuation in humidity it is not uncommon for there to be separation in some of the trim or for wood flooring to open and close in gaps. It is also in the first 90 days that some hardware may loosen prematurely and counter tops and tile backsplashes have minor separation from settling. Typical things we address at no charge at our 90-day follow-up:

• Caulking touch-up’s to counters, trim and tile areas.
• Hardware adjustments to cabinets, doors and windows.
• Loose nails, screws or bath hardware.

Common Exterior Post- Renovation and Addition Adjustments

Surprisingly, even with more drastic conditions of wet and dry, we see far less issues with settling on a home’s exterior. Things that can arise and be repaired may be:

• Exterior molding expanding and contracting.
• Deck boards with cracks or splits or the occasional warped baluster.
• Door and window adjustments with locks or operation.

Common Mechanical Adjustments after Home Renovation

If we worked on the heating, air conditioning or electrical system, there are a few common issues that may come up. New regulations require “arc fault” circuit breakers be installed, and there are many complaints that they trip too easily. Hot water heating systems may have air trapped after an initial bleeding and may result in requiring some additional purging (a gurgling noise is a first sign). New air conditioners cannot be charged in winter months because the system calls for heat.
Common concerns and repairs we will take care of:
• Heating or HVAC system may require adjusting
• Electrical switches or breakers may require swapping.
• Plumbing and electrical fixtures may need tightening or adjustment.

Examples of issues that we have addressed in 90-day follow-up visits. Some expected, some not, all addressed!

Gap in floorboards.

Seam in column (built in high humidity, separated when heating came on in the fall).

Shower tile cracked (likely a fracture that occurred during initial cutting of the tile).

Butcher-Block Countertops

March 22, 2019 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

A tell-all of the good, the natural, the beautiful…

Kitchens continue to trend as a living space that also serves as our culinary preparation place. Adding a butcher-block top or wood top element can add warmth and texture, as well as provide an easy spot to prep food or even lay-out a cheese board while entertaining.

There are many options for and uses for adding a wood top. The type of top you select should first consider the function. If you intend on using this for a side board, it may be best to get one with a finished surface that doesn’t require maintenance and the hardness of the wood species is also less relevant.

If you are going all “Top Chef” on your top… an edge grain butcher bock that gets oiled weekly would be the best choice for you… these are the design team’s favorite for their utility and their beauty. Choosing the wood species that fits the space and end-use does offer a lot of choices from the traditional maple used in the butcher shop to cherry, walnut and oak.

What are the Pros and Cons of using wood countertops?
Pros: Reduce the time spent washing and storing cutting boards, adds warmth and beauty, adds texture and architecture for relief to large flat surfaces.

Cons: Working tops require maintenance… oil weekly-monthly, finished tops are subject to scratches (and may not be the best choice for small children with type-A parents).

How Light Affects Us In Our Home

March 15, 2019 by Ray Wiese Leave a Comment

It’s no surprise that light affects how we function and feel. In the winter time this could not be more obvious as many of us long for the vitamin D that keeps us healthy and sunshine that helps ward off the winter blues. And now, we experience Daylight Savings Time and have to reset our internal clocks to rise without the help of the bright sun out our windows.

In this article we will talk about man-made lighting, but if you are interested in learning more about natural light in your home you can read more here. As a design build company in New England we give careful thought in coming up with a unique lighting design plan that works for your space for maximum flexibility and use.

New research around light may transform the way we light our homes with what is being termed Tunable Lighting. This LED-based technology allows us to tune our lighting to correspond to our body’s natural circadian rhythm. This technology has been around since the early days of LED, but is only now gaining greater acclaim with improved efficacy, colors, controls, and capabilities. You have likely already seen this technology at work when restaurants dim their lights as the dinner hour kicks in and the sun begins to set. For many of us at home, we begin dimming lights once the dishes have been done and we ready ourselves for bed.

The technology is here, but is not yet ubiquitous for the average homeowner. However, stay tuned because changes are coming. Imagine the day when you turn your lights on in the morning and the cool light wakes you and heightens your sense of alertness, but in the evening the same light warms to quiet the mind and body. Here is an interesting video from the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy showing how this works.

A Renovation of Our Own

A Master Suite Retreat

Our 90-Day Return Visit

Butcher-Block Countertops

How Light Affects Us In Our Home

Contact Us

Showroom Hours

Location