b'stress, miscommunication, and the unmistakable feelinghair than a man my age shouldve had at the time. That of standing in a hole you helped digwith no ladder project was a crash course in the unromantic side of in sight. renovation. But it also changed everything for me.From that point on, I ran my company differently: One particular lesson arrived a few months into amore inspections, more transparency, more contract project I should have known better than to take on indetail, more realistic budgeting. Less wishful thinking, the first place. more brutal honesty.I was in my mid-20s, still trying to steer my fledglingAnd somewhere in that mess, I arrived at the question renovation company into larger, full-scale work. UpI now ask every potential clientand myselflong to that point, wed been living in the land of kitchens,before we discuss cost, timeline, or design:bathrooms, and the occasional deckrespectable jobs,but I wanted more. So when an opportunity came alongIs it actually worth it to renovatefor a full-home renovation, I jumped at it. The budgetyour home?was tightunreasonably tightbut I was young,confident, and deeply convinced that raw effort andWell dig into this complex question in the next article. optimism could make up for financial reality. While much of the answer is introspective, there are afew immediate considerationsand the most important What I didnt know at the time was that the homeownerone is this:couldnt actually afford the stated budget either. Theentire plan was built on refinancing the house at theIs this your long-term or forever home?end of the project, once it was completed, reappraised,and refinanced. That particular revelation would comeIf so, renovation just might be worth it.later. If not? The financial, emotional, and even physicalstress that a renovation brings might outweigh the The first major plot point came just a few months in.HOME RENOVATIONS return.While opening up the structure, we discovered theIs It Worth Itexisting foundation was made of hollow cinderblocks At SpaceCraft Custom Homes and Renovations, we not the solid, load-bearing type we were counting on.specialize in full custom renovations and homes built The new addition above had been engineered with thefor the way people actually live. Were proud to serve to Renovateassumption that we were working with a stable base.homeowners throughout the Seattle areaand are now Turns out, we werent. excited to be working in Normandy Park as well.Your Home?To fix it, wed have to excavate and pour an entirely newStay tuned for Part Two //foundationan unexpected $40,000 expense.Part One: Lessons From the Early Days // The homeowner didnt have the money. He was furious and confused. I was stunned and embarrassed.E arly in my career, I had a project that taught meI wouldve preferred to learn them in the comfort of mymore than any business book, podcast, or coffee- reading chairtucked under the warm, familiar glowHow did we miss this? Caleb Quick | CEOfueled mentor session ever could. Unfortunately, mostof my old yellow lampor maybe at a caf on a quietof those lessons arrived the way hard lessons usuallyspring morning, sipping a cortado while a seasonedWe got through itsomehow. The job limped to the(206) 818.9653doabruptly, without warning, and completelybuilder regaled me with stories about the right wayfinish line, but not without a steep price: financial loss,caleb@spacecraft-homes.comuninterested in whether I was ready for them. to do things. But no. These lessons came wrapped insleepless nights, frazzled nerves, and one more grayspacecraft-homes.com12 Normandy Park City SceneSpring 2025 www.spacecraft-homes.comSpaceCraft-March2025-Editorial(F).indd 2-3 3/26/25 3:25PM'