Fisher Group featured in Home & Design Magazine (PDF Version)
"BEYOND DESIGN BUILD"

Peggy Fisher, CR , CKD is excited about the latest development in remodeling today. “There's more to a remodeling project than adding space onto an existing structure,” she said. “Our approach at Fisher Group is to really listen to the homeowners—the details of their lives. How is their home used? How does it function in their particular lifestyle?”

Some design/build firms listen to homeowners, and some even consider how a home should function. But Fisher Group takes this a bit further—beyond design/build. 

A case in point was an historical renovation that garnered a1999 NARI Contractor of the Year Award ( residential Kitchens over $60,000) for the Fisher Group. 

The owners of the 96-year-old home had called several remodelers before meeting the Fishers. Every remodeler had suggested adding a box on the back of the house. But the Fisher s solution was unique: an “L” shape addition that expanded interior space in several areas, opening the home to light and new traffic patterns without destroying the character of the original home. 

A home is meant to be lived in. Details such as the husband's passion for cooking, the children s involvement in crafts, the wife's enjoyment of serving dinners for 12 or more, the husband s employment as a television producer that requires extensive hours of program viewing, and his desire for a balcony retreat to listen to ball games, all played into how the project was designed. 

In order to fulfill the homeowners wish list, Ms. Fisher's interior design credentials were called upon early in the project. It is this rich insight into the the family s lifestyle that allows Fisher Group an edge. Would the existing dining table, if moved to a new space, be able to be opened for a dinner party of 18? A pair of stately French doors make that possible. Would the removal of several windows to create a darkened television room darken the dining room? The French doors allow light from the kitchen to pour into the newly created dining area. 

And would the kitchen design satisfy a male cook who feels that food is the essence of life, the center of family? Ms. Fisher chose a rich palette of colors that teases appetites: eggplant, mustard, rich greens. An eye-catching hood vent coupled with dramatic effects custom lighting provides, made the kitchen a center for his culinary passion. 

And when the father of two young daughters saw the urban courtyard with its planters and trellis, he whispered: “That's where they'll get engaged.”

After the project was completed, the homeowner wrote: “Itseems so simple now, but (the other remodelers) could only suggest adding a room...(that) could never achieve any sort of unity while giving us all the things on our wish list. Please accept our applause. 

”The Fisher Group can envision the life of a family and create functional aesthetic space for their particular lifestyles—beyond design/build.