Su Casa, Spring 2000

When many people think of remodeling their home, they have in mind perhaps putting in new double-paned windows or turning the patio into a sunroom or updating the appliances in the kitchen. But what if one is willing to spend on the remodel more money than a lot of houses cost in the first place, say $250,000? What kind of a remodeling job would that be?

"We were looking for not simply a remodel, but a whole new house," say recent clients of Jeff Speck's Jade Enterprises, Inc. On paper, the job consisted primarily of enlarging the kitchen and pushing its boundaries beyond the original walls, and reconfiguring and expanding the upstairs master suite. In reality, a new house was created. Speck, who holds the title of Certified Graduate Remodelor from the Central New Mexico Home Builders'Association Remodelors Council, looked at the too small kitchen with limited window views toward the Sandias and, with his designer Chuck Maguire of Maguire Designs, Inc. and the homeowners themselves, proceeded not only to open the house toward the mountains but to keep going and extend the new openness to an entire outdoor entertainment and pool area. Tall windows frame the mountains for those who cook and those who dine, and doors lead to the lovely Southwestern garden and the pool and hot tub beyond. Pushing out the walls also created a new room of many uses adjoining a bathroom: guest room, exercise room, drying-off area for swimmers and hot tubbers.

This part of the award-winning remodel encompasses 200 sq. ft. (upstairs, there is another 107 sq. ft. of remodel). The goal of the Sandia Heights homeowners was a new area that would be "big, new and modern, yet warm and cozy, too," and that's what Speck and his people delivered. The design of the new kitchen is straightforward, almost spare, but the use of complementary materials gives the large space a sociable glow. Creamy tumbled marble squares with an eye-catching diamond design tile the workspace walls, offsetting the no-nonsense stainless steel of the double oven. The massive island of superb cherrywood cabinetry is crowned with polished granite; wall cabinets, both glassed and solid, were fashioned of the same wood by Cottonwood Cabinets. A dual-level ceiling is finished with whitewashed tongue-and-groove wood planks. The floor is of warm dark red brick.

The island doesn't hold a range, as is usual, but the stainless steel sink as the owner wanted to stand at the sink and see the mountains. Indeed, it is the window wall that turns the 16-year-old home into something new and spectacular. The house is blessed with a nearly unimpeded view of arroyo, foothills and Sandia Crest, and located as it is in an established area, those views will remain. "I look outside," says the owner, "and I think I'm in a resort." The new design flows naturally from the two-level living room with its own wall of windows.

Upstairs, Speck bumped the master bedroom out to the edge of a former long, narrow deck, a portion of which looks over the sweeping, flagstone terrace, pool/hot tub and gathering space with kiva fireplace and long bancos. Views to the mountains were opened up from the bedroom. A large walk-in closet was created and the master bathroom beautifully remade in soft light beiges and all-new fixtures. Jade's job also included replacing all the lighting fixtures in the house, installing new windows and removing the wood trim from exterior windows, replacing old exterior elements with low- or no-maintenance materials, painting and carpeting.

Remodelings biggest challenge is its intrusion into the lives and space of those living in the house while it's being torn apart and reconstructed. For this job, Speck had to put in a temporary plywood wall to replace what had been the outside wall, while construction of the extension took place. The remodel, upstairs and down, took seven or eight months to complete, a period when the folks on the job lived side-by-side, with the owners. The trick, according to the homeowners, lies in finding the right person to work with.

Jade Enterprises was recommended by next-door neighbors who were delighted with their own remodel, and another strong client-builder relationship was born. It is this sort of relationship that Speck most cherishes. "We're friends with everyone we've ever worked for," he says. "We" includes four lead men and a helper; lead man on this job was Sebastian Meyer who has been withjade for nine years. This crew can handle four jobs at a time, resulting each year in more than 30 remodels plus the construction of two to three new custom homes throughout the metropolitan area but concentrated in Corrales, the Northeast Heights and Sandia Heights. The design/build company focuses on kitchens and additions and specializes in making the remodel process as comfortable as possible for homeowners.

Speck's calling goes way back. As an 18-year-old right out of high school, he followed his dad's urging and bought a lot for $5,000-1,000 down and $50 a month for the remainder. He had worked for a contractor while in high school and afterward "just kept right on." He framed for several years and then established Jade Enterprises in 1983.

"I just wanted to be outside," he says. "I like remodeling; there's something new every day." His wife Debra used to work with him, framing alongside, and is now vice president of the company. She is active in the Remodelors Council, of which Speck was one of the original members. He jumped early on the C.G.R. certification as a tool for professional image. The couple lives with their two daughters in a North Albuquerque Acres home they built. And those awards? There were five in 1999 alone from the Remodelors Councils Excellence in Remodeling Award: 1999 Grand Award, Best Recreation, Best Large Bathroom, Best Large Kitchen and Best Remodel Over $250,000.

Courtesy of Su Casa, Spring, 2000.
Article: Susan Craig
Photography: Jack Kotz