After 35 years in Florida, Bill McFee and his wife, Maria, were ready to “come back home” to a more mellow lifestyle. After searching all over Knoxville and surrounding regions, they were able to find a home in Farragut that just happened to be a little over a mile from Bill’s father’s family home in Concord! Not only was the home in their price range, it had all the features they were looking for – a single story, well-built home with room for visiting family and enough yard to “not be looking directly in the neighbors windows” (and vice versa!). The interior did need updating, particularly the kitchen and master bath, so before they made the move to Knoxville, it was decided that a renovation was in order.
The McFees asked their realtor to recommend local interior designers as well as contractors. Shae Seeber of Shae Design Studio was on that list, and after interviewing several contractors, Bill and Maria felt an early comfort level with Shae and her husband, Greg Seeber of Willow River Design and Build. It also made sense to them to use a husband and wife team for design and build, as they provided a “soup to nuts” solution. The update to the kitchen and master bath was expanded to include removing some interior walls for better access and flow. It would also involve updating the flooring throughout and the ceilings (including adding a high-tech lighting system), along with refacing the fireplace. This would make the home completely move-in ready when Bill and Maria relocated from Florida.
While Shae assisted the McFees with design recommendations and finalizing the overall layout with 3-D construction renderings, Greg handled all the cost estimates, feasibility evaluations, and subcontractor scheduling for the now more complex project. As Bill and Maria were still commuting from out of state, trust and communication became a very important part of the remodeling job. “Good communication is key to the success of any project,” said Bill, “and Willow River’s team are great communicators.” Not only was Greg quick to respond to phone calls and emails, he would periodically send the McFees “fly through” videos showing the progress. “Which we loved!” Maria added.
When they were in Knoxville, the McFees spent a lot of time in the home with the project’s subcontractors – electricians, tile crew, painters, etc. – and found them all to be very skillful at their various professions. Having worked with other contractors on both residential and commercial jobs, Bill found Willow River Design and Build to be “honest and knowledgeable, and their work is on par with contractors from much larger operations.”
How do they feel now that they are Knoxville residents in their newly remodeled home? “Every project like this one will have its snags, but Greg promised us that he would not sign off on the job until we were satisfied, and he kept his word. We are so very pleased with the end results.”
Willow River Design and Build
9700 Kingston Pike, Ste. 11
Knoxville, TN 37922
865.214.7030
LuxuryKnoxHomes.com