Knowing what works, and what might not
Spruce puts the idea in its own words: to renovate is to reimagine, to reinvent, the function and beauty of existing space. Knowing what works, and what might not, are key factors in determining the success of any project. That judgment gets made before the first wall opens.
Older Birmingham houses carry a lot of history behind the plaster: framing altered by an earlier owner, rooms never meant to open to one another, mechanical runs that go where nobody expected. A renovator earns his keep by reading those clues early and asking what the structure will allow, and where a good idea will turn into a hard one.
Steve Varner has renovated homes of all sizes around Birmingham. The company calls this its signature focus and informed design, earned through years of experience, and it is the reason a conversation about your house starts with questions rather than a sketch.
Reimagining the rooms without losing the house
Spruce renovates great rooms, kitchens, baths and formal rooms, the places where a house is lived in and shown. The aim is to reimagine function and beauty together, so a room works harder and looks better in the same stroke.
The white kitchen pictured here shows the idea: a marble island at the center, an opening to a screened dining porch, a plan that lets the cook stay part of the conversation. Rooms that open toward one another change how a family moves through a day, and getting that right is a design decision as much as a construction one.
Character is what a good renovation protects. Original trim profiles, a stone hearth, an old beam and the proportions the house was built around are worth keeping, and new work is detailed so it sits beside them quietly. Whether the house is Tudor, Craftsman, Country French, Contemporary or Modern, the renovation is tailored to the house and to the homeowner.
Daily order while the family keeps living
Renovation asks for something new construction doesn't: the house is still a home during the work. Spruce describes its daily practice as balancing operational organization with the vision of its clients, always taking into consideration the individual scope of each project.
In general craft terms, that means sequencing the trades so a kitchen is out of service no longer than it has to be, protecting the rooms that stay in use, and keeping dust, deliveries and subcontractors out of the family's way. The vendors and subcontractors on a Spruce job are a trusted and experienced group, curated from years of industry experience, so the people in your house are people Steve already knows how to work with.
The same path of Design, Estimating, Permitting, Construction, Management and Warranty that carries a new home carries a renovation. To talk through a house in Birmingham, call Steve at 205.369.2777.
