Greetings,
Joe Reed here. Along with my partner Jacob Thompson, we hope that this letter finds you and your loved ones safe and well.
Here we are in late April, like many of you, facing uncertain circumstances and spending our days in ways we’ve never experienced in our lifetimes. We are doing our best to look toward the future with optimism.
Our industry in Washington State has been put on hold since March 25th. It was at this time that Governor Inslee deemed the vast majority of all remodel projects as non-essential services. The last few weeks have been tough. We just received some good news however, on Friday afternoon (April 24th). The Governor announced that he is allowing construction work to resume in a limited manner starting immediately. This phase 1 applies to some of our current projects.
Phase 1 of Construction Restart Safety Requirements Include:
- Only projects that were currently in progress prior to the shutdown are now allowed to resume.
- Companies are now required to have a comprehensive Covid-19 specific safety plan for each project including PPE, sanitation, distance requirements, and documentation.
We will not put our employees or our clients at undo risk
Safety has always been a core component of our business philosophy. We’ve taken advantage of this time away to procure adequate PPE, innovate and implement new safeguards. We’ve drafted a comprehensive company action plan with guidance from the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) and the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW). Before returning to our client’s homes we will have our new action plan in place and all of our employees will be trained on the new safety requirements. While the new safeguards will slow the remodeling project slightly and add to the daily administrative paperwork, this will simply be an addendum to the regular safety protocol of our remodeling process. All jobsite vendors and trade partners will also be in compliance with the safety plan. We will not put our employees or our clients at undo risk.
As members of the MBAKS Remodelers Council we have been directly collaborating with many of the other top remodelers in our area for nearly a month. The experience has been truly remarkable as many of these companies are our direct competitors. The collective mindset has been to share ideas and experiences to ensure that our remodeling industry remains in tact for the long-term betterment of our community. We can’t say enough good things about our RC leadership and our fellow members. It is no coincidence that the construction industry is the first industry granted a return to work by Governor Inslee due in large part to efforts of the BIAW and MBAKS.
We believe team morale has remained high
Home Run Solutions misses our clients, our trade partners, vendors, and each other. We’re happy to report our employees have stayed safe at home over the last few weeks, spending time with their families. Some of them have turned to other hobbies, others put their skills to work on their own homes. We believe team morale has remained high during this period of isolation. We’ve stayed in touch via weekly Zoom meet-ups. The Governor’s announcement was timed perfectly as we had our weekly meeting an hour after his press conference. We could definitely tell our team is ready to get back to work!
One aspect of our business that has not slowed down is on the design side. Much of our design process was already being done efficiently with the use of modern technology before the pandemic. We decided in early March to convert our initial consultations and design meetings to the Zoom platform. We will continue to schedule and conduct virtual consultations in this manner as we believe we can stay safe and just as efficient while limiting our in-person exposure.
For many, the need to remodel has become emboldened during this duration of extended home isolation
Projects in design are moving forward so they’re ready to transition into construction when new projects will be allowed as part of Phase 2. We expect to hear word from the Governor’s office in the next week or two relating to the timing and guidance on new “Phase 2” projects. One thing is certain, there is still the need to remodel in our community. For many it has become emboldened during this duration of extended home isolation. As leaders in this industry we are doing everything we can to safely meet this need. Please use this link to learn more about our virtual design process and services.
As we transition into spring, there is good reason for optimism. The human spirit is resilient. This period of difficulty will pass. There will be better days and things will improve. That is also the nature of what we do as remodelers in delivering improvement and our return to work will be great step in the right direction!
Thank you,
Joe & Jacob