Lamorinda Couple Builds Beautiful Business and Beautiful Homes

Meet  Kari and Lance Grosz. They are the passionate, meticulous owners of Lamorinda Construction & Consulting, a company that proudly provides quality craftsmanship to Lamorinda homeowners who care deeply about their dwellings. LamorindaWeb is proud to introduce you to Kari, Lance and Lamorinda Construction & Consulting, Title Sponsor at Home Expo 2012.

Most any homeowner will tell you that purchasing property is one of the biggest investments they likely will ever make.  The down payment can be a doozy, and the mortgage is like a monthly reminder of just how pricey a slice of the American dream is. 

But for most Lamorinda homeowners, it's not just about the dollars and cents.  Here, a house is so much more than a structure made up of walls and a roof.  In this community, a house is a home, a place where children are raised, family memories are made, and where life unfolds. 

That's precisely why Kari and Lance Grosz thrive in Lamorinda.  They are the passionate, meticulous owners of Lamorinda Construction & Consulting, a company that proudly provides quality craftsmanship to homeowners who care deeply about their dwellings. 

LamorindaWeb is proud to introduce you to Kari, Lance and Lamorinda Construction & Consulting, Title Sponsor at Home Expo 2012. 

 

Building a Brand

Lamorinda, you could argue, would be right at home on the pages of Architectural Digest.  Our neighborhoods tend to be dotted with lovely architecture, well manicured yards, and pristine interior design.

A lot of the credit for our good-looking community goes to Kari and Lance, who have earned a prestigious place in Lamorinda as the go-to construction and design firm – a company that’s been firmly ensconced in the area for nearly a decade.

“We’re a design-build firm,” summed up Kari.  “We take people from beginning to end with their projects, whether they’re small or large.”

That means everything from a quick fix like swapping out a toilet to brand new construction, and everything in between.

They bring a wealth of experience, know-how and business acumen to the table.  Kari previously worked as an event planner for Bank of America’s investment banking division and Lance was a marine clerk in Oakland.
 
Their expanding family had them rethinking their careers.

“I went out and got my contractor’s license,” Kari explained.  “And Lance has 30 years of plumbing and electrician experience.”

Talk about the perfect blueprint for a construction and design company.

“We offer the Nordstrom experience to our customers,” Kari smiled, explaining the things that make their company different - and better - great communication, quick replies to calls or e-mails, and making life livable for the customers, even in the midst of a major home overhaul.
 
“High end customer service,” she said, “in construction.”

Launching a business may seem daunting, but not for Kari and Lance, who by nature – and trade – are great about tackling projects.

“It was actually less complicated than you might think,” Lance explained.  “We were already doing so many projects for friends and neighbors while maintaining our full-time jobs.  It evolved into a situation where we realized we should make it official.”

“It was almost a product of demand,” he reasoned.

“And it was our passion,” Kari added.  “We enjoy it so much.  We love the interaction with people, the creativity side of starting a project, where it starts and where it finishes.”

More often than not, friendships develop – which is itself a rewarding benefit of the job.  Plus, the referrals have been rolling in for Kari and Lance.

 

They Know the Neighborhoods

Plenty of Kari and Lance’s customers come calling because they’ve purchased older homes – not at all uncommon in Lamorinda.  Most residents simply recognize a need to update the look and feel of the house.  But Kari and Lance have a keen sense of what’s beneath the house – or behind the walls, considering so many of them are 40, 50 and sometimes even 70 years old in the area.

“The ages of the houses are dictating a lot of what they need,” Lance pointed out.

“The homes are very expensive,” Kari reasoned.  “So people are coming here and making a very large investment and a 50 year-old home that’s never touched needs a lot of updates and modern conveniences.  They also want to make sure they won’t step on a floor and fall through because of dry rot or that their water comes out of the shower, that their pool isn’t leaking.”

“Who are you going to find that you can trust, that’s going to come into your home and tell you the truth, who’s going to walk you through the process.  Maybe it’s not doing the kitchen first, maybe it’s supporting under-floor.  Who’s going to walk you through that, who’s going to give you the best price and work with you on a budget?” Kari outlined the things homeowners should consider.

“We’ll meet with you.  We’ll set up a schedule of what makes sense, and then try to work within your budget,” she explained their careful and thoughtful approach to each project.

“It is important that we do the infrastructure because we don’t want people to throw good money after bad,” Lance reasoned.

Kari and Lance also know what works, given a home’s constraints – things like low ceilings or a sloped lot may mean that gorgeous layout you see in a catalog might not work in your home.

“It’s our job to communicate and educate our clients,” stressed Kari. 

 

Jobs of All Shapes and Sizes

It’s always fascinating to see the before and after pictures of a major renovation, but that’s not all Kari and Lance do.  Indeed, they apply their same stellar customer service to every job they take – no matter how big or small.

“Literally, I change light bulbs,” Lance said good naturedly.

“It’s all about the customer service, the community, the relationships with the people,” Kari added.  We’re full service.  Each job is different and it’s tailored to the individual because no two people and no two jobs are alike.”

That means Lamorinda Construction & Consulting’s portfolio is diverse.

“We’re doing a lot of modern and a lot of transitional right now,” Kari offered.  “The trend used to be more traditional.  We are going in new directions and it’s not about us liking the style, it’s about working with the client and getting their dreams and their goals accomplished.”

 

Focused on Their Family, and Yours Too

One question may loom over some potential remodels – how does a busy family balance a remodel with, well, life?

Kari and Lance know firsthand – considering they, themselves, are “in the thick of it,” as Lance puts it, as parents to two young boys.  They gutted their house and built an addition when their sons, now in elementary school, were toddlers.

“We try to set our clients up with a room where they have a kitchen, trying to work with weather, we work with their budgets and the kids running through a construction site that we want to be safe,” said Kari.

As Lance points out, their customers do want their projects completed, yet they understand the scope of the work involved.

Lamorinda Construction & Consulting clients also get the benefit of a crew that seals off as much of the construction “zone” as possible, to create a noise, dust and dirt buffer.  Their crews tend to put in longer days than most, which means moving the project along more quickly, too.

And, as far as Kari and Lance are concerned, a client’s family can serve as something of an inspiration in the design phase, too.

“Logical efficiency,” said Kari.  “It’s about making it useful and establishing a good flow.  One of our inspirations is our family life, our experience, and keeping up to date and working closely with our architects and knowing the logical flow of something.”

“We pay a lot of attention to how families live,” said Lance.

Ultimately, said Kari, “we listen to our clients.”

 

Ready to Remodel

Lamorinda Construction & Consulting takes great care to get things properly lined up before the first swing of the hammer.  That means an interview with Kari and Lance to discuss ideas, vision and a budget that the homeowner is comfortable with.

Communication, Kari and Lance believe, is key to getting off on the right foot – and staying there.

They are particularly proud of the people they, in turn, bring to the table for various projects – architects, a construction crew and vendors they have developed a deep trust and respect for over the years – most of them, for over 8 years.

“Our crew is polite and courteous and our subcontractors are very kind and courteous, we work with good people,” Kari said.

They also speak highly about the people behind the permit process on the city and county level.  Kari and Lance know the ins and outs, which is a big plus for anyone doing a major project with Lamorinda Construction & Consulting.

A kind and courteous approach – including good communication with the neighbors - makes the permit process “a breeze,” said Kari.

Still, the permit process can be a lengthy one, which is why it’s important for customers to appreciate that it can be a time-consuming element of a bigger project.  In the meantime, they’re encouraged to come to the table – literally – with their design and remodel goals.  Magazine pictures help, too.  Some customers have gone so far as to prepare entire binders.

“That gives us an idea of what you like is consistent or not and then we can help direct you,” suggested Kari.

Ultimately, if you remodel with Lamorinda Construction & Consulting, you’re sure to be pleased with the final result.  And, your wallet will thank you, too – there’s no better bang for your buck in Lamorinda.

“If you work with us, you get all of our expertise.  You get the design aspect and the clock’s not running.  We’re not charging by the hour, it’s all included in the job.  We offer a complete service from beginning to end.”

Stop by booth #1 to meet Kari and Lance Grosz, owners of Lamorinda Construction & Consulting, at LamorindaWeb’s Home Expo, January 28, 2012, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette.  This event is free to the public!

Lamorinda Construction & Consulting.  1265 Del Arroyo Ct., Lafayette.  (925) 899-7201.  lamorindaconstruction.com  

Photos provided by Lamorinda Construction & Consulting. Photos copyright Newmediasoup, LLC