Small Business Spotlight: NJW Renovations Unlimited

Renovating can breathe new life into your home and make your dreams a reality. However, it can also bring about stress as you trust strangers to understand your vision and make your home what you always hoped it could be.

No one is more conscious of this than Joel Walter. He's the founder and President of NJW Renovations Unlimited, a nearly thirty-year-old Design, Build, Remodeling company that has been helping homeowners achieve their home dreams, with a focus on minimizing the stress and even creating an enjoyable remodel experience.

Joel takes pride in the fact that his job superintendents frequently are told by clients, "I feel like you care."  He says that's because they do care. They understand “The Big Picture” with all the positives and negatives.  They understand that their presence sends a homeowner’s life out of everyday sync and this can be stressful, that there is value in the service they provide, that there is an inconvenience in having contractors around five days a week, every week, and that there is an impact of leaving behind spaces the homeowners love.  By understanding all this, the supervisors are continually adjusting how they do their job and how they communicate with the homeowners throughout this process. 

Located in Carroll, NJW RU, has been serving Central Ohio since 1996. They have won awards for their work and are well known for keeping the customers at the center of every project they do.

The company does interior and exterior renovations as well as restoration work on older homes. The oldest home they had the pleasure of working on was built in 1803, and the oldest piece of wood they have worked with came from Europe from the 18th century and was incorporated into a fireplace mantle.

Restoration projects require extra attention and tender-loving-care.  "I enjoy matching cuts and styles and making it look authentic. There's something about returning a home to the way it was," Joel explained.

However, restoration work tends to be more expensive and time-consuming than other construction. For this reason, he indicated that most restoration work tends to have emotional ties, specifically an old family home. Thus, many NJW RU projects tend toward other remodel work like additions, whole house renovations, or single-room projects.

Joel explained that the best way to achieve a quality finished project is to have a good start. That's why he instills in his NJW RU team these five critical business practices: understand the homeowner's vision, study the unique logistics of each situation, create a quality plan and budget, select the right materials for the job, and set clear expectations for the homeowner and the entire team.

It is on this foundation they will literally build and operate.

To start building an understanding of the client’s needs and desire NJW RU schedules an in-home consult. "About ten percent of our clients know exactly what they want.

The rest know they want a bigger family room or a better functioning kitchen, so we go through the home and their ideas and offer suggestions, such as traffic flow options and design ideas, keeping in mind value engineering as a part of the project.  This approach can save homeowners money.

Sometimes, they have specific needs to incorporate. For example, they may have a big dining table that they put thirty people around three times a year, so making the dining room smaller isn't an option. We must understand the motivation and why they want certain things done so we can give them what they truly want."

NJW RU services Central Ohio with projects in Columbus, its suburbs, and surrounding counties. With an average of ten to fifteen projects under construction at any one time, they typically complete about 125 projects per year. Their staff of 31 includes many employees who have been with the company for more than twenty years. All this experience means they are accustomed to working with a variety of homes, financial institutions, and municipalities.

They also offer spring and fall maintenance contracts for a variety of services, such as checking the generator, maintaining fireplaces, cleaning gutters, and other seasonal chores. "If we did the work, we would know the home better than anyone, so it makes sense that we offer these services to our clients."

When faced with a homeowner's indecision on whether to renovate versus selling, Joel discusses the general questions a homeowner needs to answer. "Many of my clients have been in a house for twenty years and are ready to remodel or maybe even move. I ask them some general questions. Do you like your neighborhood? If your house was updated, would you stay?"

He admits that the cost of building supplies has increased in recent years and that cost is an essential factor for most people’s decision. Some clients will investigate a new home build, and many become deterred by the overall cost once they add in all the options. Some may consider selling and purchasing a different home. Many times, they find the cost to update that home to their desired “Dream Home” and the idea of moving the contents of their existing home, adds up to more than they really want to undertake.

"That's when we talk more seriously about staying put. What's most important? We can do the work in phases to make it more affordable. We might start with the kitchen and family room so the extended family can have a great holiday with grandma and grandpa. Next year, we might add an addition or remodel the ground floor to accommodate a primary bedroom and bathroom to ease mobility concerns of people that desire to stay in their home. Then, we might look at the exterior to see how we can help there. Every situation is different," he explained.

“Good planning in the early stages can also help save money. By making choices when there's plenty of time and when you are not under deadline will typically cost less than those last-minute decisions that may require structural changes or schedule interruptions or expedited shipping costs of supplies.”

The details are some of Joel's favorite things. This is  apparent upon walking their showroom where he takes time to point out various options for finishing tile edge, such as metal trim, bullnose tiles, pencil edge tiles, or even buttered grout edge, to name a few. He demonstrates various ways to disguise clutter in a coffee bar and methods for saving space in unexpected places. Joel also points out the numerous small decisions that can make a big difference for someone who wishes to stay home as they age or as their household changes.

Though the showroom is an amazing resource for helping clients envision some of the selections they will need to make, Joel credits the professional expertise of interior designers and architects who help clients make the functional and fulfilling transformation of a space that’s required for a lifetime of enjoyment. "It's interesting to observe these professionals designing and creating homes that function exactly as a family needs."

"People are concerned about the resale value of their home. This is your home, and it needs to serve you while you live here. Someone will likely come in after you're gone and remodel it to suit their needs."

"We spend a lot of time with every client. We're available on the phone, including evenings and weekends, and schedule weekly progress meetings, so we get to know each other well and often hear that they feel like we listen and respond. The best thing we can hear is, 'Everyone in my house was so professional, and I feel like they really care.’ Our goal is always to make people feel heard and that they know we value that their job is done well."

Learn more about NJW Renovations Unlimited at NJWRU.com. There, you will find information about working with NJW professionals, photos of past projects, and blog posts packed with information, including current trends and other home topics to consider.