An ongoing blog series—Meet Our Team: Designer Spotlight—where we introduce you to each team member at the Elmwood Design Centre.
We've made it through introductions to all of the Interior Design Specialists that make up our Elmwood Design Centre team. Now it's time to dive into the Exterior. We have one tried-and-true exterior specialist that makes all of our clients' siding, roofing and window dreams come true. Meet Andrew—an expert in all things lumber and building materials but with a passion for colour and exterior design planning.
Career Beginnings
Andrew's been in the construction industry for almost 25 years. After taking on a somewhat unexpected career as a contractor for 20 years, he joined the Elmwood Group in 2019, serving as an LBM associate at the contractors desk at our Elmwood Drive Home Hardware location. During the construction phase of our Design Centre, Andrew played a substantial role in choosing materials, consulting on building codes and offering design ideas. It was during that time that we realized we would need an exterior consultant to join our design team. Enter: Andrew - and the rest is history.
Since joining the Design Centre team, Andrew's design portfolio has continued to grow, helping clients build new homes, up their curb appeal and turn backyards into outdoor retreats. Andrew is also our Beaver Homes & Cottages consultant and plays a big role in helping clients design their dream homes. His focus as a design consultant has always been to bring his client's ideas to life.
"I always try to step into my clients shoes and get an understanding of what they might be thinking in their head. Sometimes you can have an idea in your mind but have trouble putting it into words. It takes being a good listener and picking out even the tiniest likes and dislikes to get the right design on paper."
Andrew's journey into construction was sort of left up to chance. As a kid, he was a "take it apart and put it back together" type. He was always interested in building things but ended up going to school to study technology. He quickly realized that sitting in front of a computer all day was not for him. With no real alternative career plan, opportunity struck and a friend offered him a job in the contracting business. He jumped and has never looked back since.
First Project as an Exterior Design Consultant
Not having a lot of experience in the design part of the industry, Andrew learned the rules to the game as he went along. After reading that, you might be expecting a story about how his first project was a complete disaster. Ironically, it was quite the opposite.
"I think I got lucky. My first clients were incredible—I couldn't have asked for anyone more ideal. With the Design Centre being so new at the time, and myself being new at the design part, I really didn't have a guideline to follow. But everything went so well."
This first project was a pretty major exterior renovation. New siding, windows, doors, roofing and even a garage upgrade. We'll let the before and after pictures speak for themselves:
We loved being able to dive into some Q&A with Andrew to learn more about what makes him the exterior consultant he is today:
Q: If you could go back to one era where you thought design was unmatched, which era would that be and why?
A: "Mid Century Modern. I just love the architectural part of it—clean lines and a minimalistic feel. It's cool to see it making a come back today."
Q: What advice would you give to someone who's looking to get into the contracting/design industry?
A: "Go to school (Haha!) I did it the hard way and kind of left it up to chance. It's important to get educated, gain hands-on experience in the trades. Learn and when you think you know it all, go learn more. The design industry has really changed and resources are a lot more accessible these days. It's a solid career to venture into."
Q: How do you find inspiration for your projects?
A: "I get inspired by my clients. When someone brings me an idea, it's exciting to try and turn that into reality. I always say that the designs are not mine, they're my clients. They're usually the ones with the initial ideas—I'm just the one that gets to "perfect" it. I love being able to put that "wow, that's exactly what I wanted" reaction on their faces and that's what keeps me motivated in this career."
Q: What advice would you give to clients who are taking on a renovation for the first time?
A: "Do your homework before starting anything. Consult with people who've done it before—this could be your neighbour, your in-laws, and anyone in between. But most importantly consult with the pros. Talk to a contractor, financial institutions if needed and us designers! Don't invest in anything until you have a clear plan in place that includes budget and timeline."
In the wise words of Devo—"when a problem comes along, you must whip it". Andrew has had his fair share of batting design dilemmas out of the park and we consider him our professional problem solver when it comes to anything exterior related.
As we wrap up introductions to our design team, we hope we've made you feel a little more confident in trusting US as your design experts. From kitchens, to exterior upgrades and anything in between, each team member holds unique experience and expertise, with an ultimate goal of making your design project as seamless as possible. We hope you've enjoyed these introductions—stay tuned for more renovation and design inspired blog posts in the coming weeks!
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