renovations, remodels and repairs

Feature Story

In relative terms, building a house can be easy compared to remodeling, renovating or restoring a home. “When you build a home from scratch, you have a blueprint and you just follow that blueprint,” said Stefan Hunter, owner of Royal Restoration, which focuses on reconstruction, remodeling, renovating and restoring a home. “It’s like having a coloring book.” Hunter, an immigrant from the United Kingdom, originally came to Albuquerque in 2002 to work as a medical representative, but because was not U.S. citizen, he was unable to get a license. So he fell back into a career that he had before moving. “I had done a lot of remodeling in the U.K.,” Hunter said. “I decided that it would be a good idea to get into it again after seeing the quality and standards of work around at that time. I figured I could do a lot better so I ventured out into the construction field.”

Of course, building practices are different here in the states, especially when it comes to some of the odd construction methods found in New Mexico.

“I had done a lot of remodeling, but it’s a lot stricter in the U.K. than it is here,” Hunter said. “The houses are built of brick and mortar. I figured with stick-frame houses, it would be a lot simpler.”

It wasn’t perhaps as easy as simply throwing open the doors and welcoming customers.

“I did a lot of studying and I went to work for several companies to understand how buildings here are put together commercially and residentially,” he said.

That’s part of an enduring effort to remain educated and in tune with the latest and greatest in the industry.

“It is always an ongoing thing to keep up with new trends and stay ahead of the game,” Hunter

said. “We’re always bringing in new things and new designs and changing with the times.”

While the company does quite a bit of remodeling and renovation, many requests start as restoration projects arising from damage incurred in fires or floods, he said.

“We do a lot of work off the insurance program,” Hunter said. “We don’t guesstimate. We actually estimate how much things should cost.”

Many times, the repair work is able to be turned into a small renovation or remodeling project by being efficient with provided funds.

“Water and fire can do a lot of damage, and depending how much damage is caused, we can definitely work with the customer to improve what they have,” Hunter said. “We get the customer involved and they’ve already got a surplus of cash. So we show them what they can do. We add a little bit more to this here or there to make it work better for the customer.”

Before starting any work, Hunter discusses all possibilities with the client to make sure everybody is on board with repairs or changes.

“I do a lot of consulting with customers and give them ideas, whether it is a full remodel, a repair of some damage, or a full renovation,” he said. “We walk through the whole project, basically going through everything. We go to the various warehouses and pick out tiles and color. We go over all of the customer’s needs.”

From that point, it’s a matter of putting everything down on paper.

“Once we find out their needs, we compile their estimate and map out what we’re expecting to do, so that everything is clear as day,” Hunter said. “The toughest things are remodeling and restoration, in my opinion. You can give an estimate, but the customer has to be forewarned that this is an estimate. You try your best adhere to it, but you can’t take into account what’s behind the drywall or what’s been done in the past.”

Termite damage, dry rot, asbestos and mold are just a few of the surprises that have been uncovered behind some walls.

The latter two in particular take special handling to properly remove and Tucker said he brings in specialists from other companies to complete the work correctly.

Fixing prior work that was poorly executed can also be a challenge, he said.

“People have added on without permits,” Tucker said. “Or put peaked roofs on top of flat roofs. Sometimes you’re going through several layers of roofs to get to the main one.”

Insulation is frequently inadequate, as well, and older homes are usually filled with R-11 or R-13, which is about half of what should be in place for walls. Ceilings require even more.

Electrical issues are also common problems, especially in older houses.

“We get behind walls and we find stuff that shouldn’t be there,” Hunter said. “Just poorly done, live electrical.”

Adobe construction, of course, is something he had never had to face in England, but it can pop up at the oddest times here, he said.

“Especially on the older houses and where there have been add-ons,” Hunter said. Sometimes you break through the drywall and you can be faced with an adobe wall that you didn’t expect. Sometimes you can tell from the depth of the wall, but not always.”

Occasionally, important supports have been removed; making it a wonder that walls or ceilings have not caved in.

“It blows my mind how many people hire contractors — or a so-called handyman — who do things with no license to do the work,” Hunter said. “It’s like stealing money from the customer because you’re not giving proper service.”

"I do a lot of consulting with customers and give them ideas, whether it is a full remodel, a repair of some damage, or a full renovation." stefan hunter owner, royal restoration and remodel llc