81st Street: Green Color, Green Design… Green Tea??

I used one of my own flip projects (81st Street) to test some new materials and installations for a client project: 64th Place. We introduced an 8 foot, commercial strength, disappearing pocket door, concrete countertops, stained concrete floors, an outdoor living area that is very uncommon in old town Scottsdale, complete with fireplace, evaporative cooler, built in BBQ and Pavers. We enclosed the garage, upgraded the master bedroom to a true master suite complete with an elegant bathroom design and walk in closet. The home just reeks of appointments for the contemporary enthusiast and environmentally conscientious soul. We installed stained concrete floors, tank-less hot water heater, low-e windows, new HVAC, new duct work, new electric, new plumbing, dual flush toilets, lots of natural light, renewable building materials and lots of style.
Every project has its bizarre moments and 81st Street was no exception. One day, I got a visit from a neighbor. Unlike most neighbors I meet in Scottsdale, he was upset that we were doing a project across the street from his house. Well, if we were going to have the cojones to make improvements on HIS block, we needed to assure him that any mess during construction would be minimal. I can’t lie, it was hard for me to wrap my feeble brain around the notion that this guy could be concerned about anyone else’s property. This guy who bore a striking resemblance to the lead singer from ZZ Top… and… and… and… had an old Lincoln on cinder blocks in his driveway. Well, when ZZ came over, he was pissed as a piece of trash, potentially from our site, flew on to his front ‘lawn.’ After he calmed down, he proceeded to apologize for his abrasive tone and explained that he had had a green tea just a few minutes before he came over and was feeling a little amped up.

Green tea… who knew? Further, his daily routine was thrown off course by his untimely consumption of an apple which defiantly did not keep his bowel movements as regular that day as he had experienced in the past. The apple and green tea diet did help him allegedly lose thirty pounds (the world according to ZZ) but like all diets, it did not come without its side effects. I now know about ZZ’s physiological reactions to minor caffeine intake, what an apple a day does for him, and his affection for lousy American automobile engineering (wheels optional).

Anyway, I’m going to preemptively declare 81st Street a success (we haven’t sold it yet) as the project was completed in 6 weeks, close to budget and we took the quality of work to another level. This was a great education in process management, design, execution and the effects of green tea.

PROJECT: ARABIAN

Okay, so sometimes I like to fancy myself an artist, particularly when I’m working on the well thought out design. When working with the client on the Arabian project we talked about a backyard entertaining area that was timeless, made the water look Caribbean blue, and had modern design elements but with some old world charm mixed in. We discussed Versailles pattern pavers, and bringing a slowly dying oasis back to life finishing the aesthetic with something vibrant that possesses a tropical feel. Ultimately, we achieved the clients’ objectives.

Along the way, I learned a lot about execution and client communication. The client is a good friend and is very particular. I knew that going into the project and so, it was no surprise that we would often have conversations that started with ‘this looks great’ and ended with ‘now if I’m being critical, then I would say [and insert criticism here].’ After the project was over, I thought to myself: CAN YOU IMAGINE IF SOMEONE WAS STANDING OVER MICHALANGELO’S SHOULDER SAYING ‘WOW! THAT’S AN AMAZING JOB. WHADDYA CALL THAT THING? DOUG? OH RIGHT, RIGHT… DAVID. I LOVE HOW REALISTIC THE SHOULDERS LOOK. AND THE HAIR, THAT’S SOMETHIN’. HMMMM…. NOW, I’D JUST SAY THAT… YA KNOW…. IF I WERE BEING A CRITIC MIKE, I’D MAKE HIS JUNK A LITTLE LARGER…. YOU KNOW WHAT I’M SAYING… LARGER TWIG AND SLIGHTLY UHH.. SLIGHLTLY UH MORE ROBUST BERRIES…. AND THENNNN, AND THEN… IT WOULD BE AT LEAST A 9…. YA’ KNOW??’ Yep. I know. And all kidding aside, this is exactly the kind of client that I love to do work for because I get to demonstrate our patience, attention to detail and value add. Most importantly, these are the clients that I learn the most from. S&L, Thank you for entrusting your home to me and the F4 Team.


Nikki William is an author for F4designs, Best home renovation and remodeling company. She has been writing articles on kitchen designer for home renovation site since long time.