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Fine Homes: The Art of Millimeter Precision and Invisible Details · On The Lake with James Pitropov

0:00
Karen & Ray: you build a custom home not for something for just a couple of years.
0:04
Karen & Ray: we have clients, and I think yours as well too, were thinking about how they're gonna hand it down to their kids and grandkids.
0:11
Karen & Ray: So I think a lot of thought, is taken into consideration it's huge.
0:17
Karen & Ray: Planning is a big, big part of it.
0:32
James Pitropov: Well, hi there everyone.
0:33
James Pitropov: Welcome back to On The Lake, the podcast where we talk about exceptional living, beautiful homes and the details that matter the most when building or renovating near the water and beyond.
0:45
James Pitropov: Today's conversation is one that I'm really excited about, especially for anyone who loves design, craftspersonship, and understanding why great homes stand the test of time, not just visually, but structurally and functionally as well.
1:02
James Pitropov: Today, I'm proud to be joined by longtime colleagues Ray and Karen from FineHomes.ca.
1:10
James Pitropov: Hi guys.
1:11
Karen & Ray: Hey James
1:12
James Pitropov: Ray and Karen are a team known for their thoughtful approach to high-end residential construction finishes.
1:18
James Pitropov: Today we're going to talk about what really makes a home high-end, you're going to be amazed by the work and the projects that Karen and Ray produce as a team.
1:29
James Pitropov: We're gonna look at what homeowners should look for, especially when it comes to windows and specific high-end building finishes, and how Fine Homes approaches quality from the ground up.
1:41
James Pitropov: Ray and Karen, welcome to On The Lake.
1:43
James Pitropov: It's great to have you on here
1:45
Karen & Ray: Thank you, James.
1:46
Karen & Ray: Thank you for having us.
1:46
Karen & Ray: having us.
1:47
James Pitropov: So the term high-end gets booted around a lot in real estate and construction, but it can mean very different things depending on who you ask.
1:57
James Pitropov: From your perspective, Ray and Karen, when you walk into a home, how do you know right away whether it's been designed by an architect or interior designer and built or finished at a high level?
2:10
James Pitropov: Like, what are you looking for, and how do you recognize what, good design is?
2:14
Karen & Ray: When I walk into a home that's truly high-end, the first thing I notice is that every level of detail is designed and planned.
2:22
Karen & Ray: Every detail fits just right.
2:24
Karen & Ray: design has include every aspect of a home.
2:29
Karen & Ray: The HVAC system, the plumbing system, they have to be integrated so that everything's seamless.
2:34
Karen & Ray: The-- we don't wanna see wasted space, bulkheads, Nowadays, cabinets, finishes, and so on have to fit just right.
2:43
Karen & Ray: They can't be cut off.
2:45
Karen & Ray: Sometimes you see-- you walk in a home, you see the door jambs are like half cut, and that's just badly thought out, and those are what kinda separates a high-end home from one that's just haphazardly put together, right?
2:59
Karen & Ray: every stage of construction has to be coordinated.
3:03
Karen & Ray: Every inch has to be...
3:04
Karen & Ray: Now, now they've mapped down to millimeters so that, for instance, of the new features that we see a lot are, in-wall plumbing, LED lighting.
3:14
Karen & Ray: On the last project we just did, there was over 40 LED lighting systems throughout the, throughout the house.
3:22
Karen & Ray: That meant every wire for LED had to be pre-done way before the cabinet maker even got involved.
3:31
Karen & Ray: So If we were to be building like a spec home, those would be left to the cabinet makers showing up on site,"Oh yeah, let's do this." Well, too late.
3:43
Karen & Ray: There's no wiring
3:44
James Pitropov: Yeah, the choices diminish
3:46
Karen & Ray: Those are-- those millimeter accurate locations of in-wall faucets, it's all too late
3:51
James Pitropov: Ray, one thing that people may not know about you is that you come out of an architectural background, and, now you and Karen are builders, and Karen's strong suit is that she also does interior design.
4:03
James Pitropov: Do you feel that your background as an architect, helps you look at things a little bit more carefully and considerately when it comes to how materials come together?
4:13
Karen & Ray: because we have a architectural background and a construction background, I think we look at it from a big picture.
4:20
Karen & Ray: we get a chance to research the materials.
4:24
Karen & Ray: So for instance, nowadays, there's a lot of incredible engineered materials that might surprise many.
4:30
Karen & Ray: like a home now can be built down to the millimeter.
4:36
Karen & Ray: So for instance, on our last build, Everything from the casing to the wall paneling was all cut by CNC.
4:43
Karen & Ray: Nothing left for, hand-cut, patched, painted on site.
4:49
Karen & Ray: Those were all prefabricated down to the millimeter a- and, and put in place with no nail holes
4:57
James Pitropov: I was impressed when we were on site on one of your projects, Ray, and we were looking at the highly customized stair, which, a lot of designers would outsource and have someone else, design and fabricate in a shop.
5:11
James Pitropov: you're not only designing it, but you're actually building it on site, and the precision is such that there were some opportunities for some fine details between the flooring and the fascia of the opening of the floor and the stair.
5:28
James Pitropov: do you find that this approach helps you go further with design?
5:32
James Pitropov: Like, does it open up new opportunities to play with the design, during construction as well?
5:38
James Pitropov: Or do you like to have everything designed in advance?
5:41
James Pitropov: Like, how do you and Karen like to operate?
5:44
Karen & Ray: Are very detailed.
5:46
Karen & Ray: We have everything down from the plumbing run, where it runs in the building, which most people don't deal with, to how the HVAC runs through the j- joist system so that we don't have bulkheads, to the staircases and all the trim work, They never, have bad intersections.
6:07
Karen & Ray: Possible only because it's well coordinated in 3D 3D in advance, and the actual materials are, cut on a CNC machine and assembled on-site.
6:20
Karen & Ray: Very few people want to let this level of detail, happen on-site because, it's just, too much coordination for many builders.
6:31
Karen & Ray: But we are different.
6:32
Karen & Ray: We are both the designer, the builders, and the detailers, so everything come together
6:39
James Pitropov: I like that third tier of specialization.
6:43
James Pitropov: as we go along with each project, at Lakeside, we ourselves find that we're always learning, and there's new ways of putting things together, and there's more and more attention to details, which is why it's always great to speak with like-minded designers and people involved in construction because there is the opportunity there to look at not only what the design is, but how we put things together.
7:05
James Pitropov: Karen, do you find when you're working with Ray, I think sometimes your role is you provide a bridge between, yourselves and clients' expectations as well.
7:15
James Pitropov: what, do you think that pulling together the designs and details, interior designs, does that truly, boost the livability of a space?
7:25
James Pitropov: Like, what do you think the impact of the work that you and Ray do during construction, what's the impact on the overall design, do you find?
7:31
Karen & Ray: Well, first off, a lot of our work when we sit down with the clients, we actually start off with what, Ray calls a napkin sketch.
7:38
Karen & Ray: And a napkin sketch happens when the two of us have had an opportunity to sit down with the owners.
7:44
Karen & Ray: We get to know them.
7:45
Karen & Ray: We see the space that they're living in, or, you know, the home, like if it's another cottage that they have, how that has been working for them or hasn't been working with them.
7:55
Karen & Ray: So we take a lot of that into consideration about how the spaces, flow, how it lays out, because a lot of times in a cottage, you're talking about a beautiful view.
8:06
Karen & Ray: You're talking about a site-specific, topography as well too.
8:11
Karen & Ray: So there may be challenges that have to be taken into consideration.
8:15
Karen & Ray: At the same time, certain things that they want to be able to enjoy.
8:19
Karen & Ray: areas for the grandkids, the beautiful master bedroom, and then the areas that they're going to enjoy their dinners, and outdoor areas that they're gonna be spending with friends and family.
8:31
Karen & Ray: So all of that comes together in the design.
8:34
Karen & Ray: So I may have some wonderful ideas, and Ray helps, create all that, practical aspect of it as well.
8:41
James Pitropov: are you moving more towards, collaboration with various trades?
8:45
James Pitropov: and do you find you're taking like a deeper dive into the actual execution of the work?
8:48
Karen & Ray: it's a bit of both, right?
8:50
Karen & Ray: A lot of times people get inspiration out of Pinterest or, magazines, that, how do you say it?
8:57
Karen & Ray: They...
8:59
Karen & Ray: We still ultimately have to build it, so there has to be materials that are readily available to purchase or something that we know we can use that material and make it, the way that they want for the design and the function that it has to serve.
9:15
Karen & Ray: So all of those all come into play.
9:17
Karen & Ray: So we're wearing different hats, and that's what makes us unique, is that we have trades, we have materials that, we source.
9:26
Karen & Ray: Some of them, we, actually are, wholesalers or have direct access to, and that makes us unique in terms of being able to, source things, that are now available.
9:38
Karen & Ray: Sometimes it's new technology, which, Ray is really good at.
9:42
Karen & Ray: and with, some of our suppliers, they have new products that they're developing or ask for input in terms of what we're looking for or problems that, hopefully their products can actually solve
9:56
James Pitropov: so far what we're hearing is that interior design is important.
10:00
James Pitropov: the architectural design is important.
10:02
James Pitropov: Karen and Ray's forte as designers and, builders of projects is that the end product becomes something unique, doesn't it?
10:13
James Pitropov: And ultimately, Karen, wouldn't you say it's not necessarily about the materials themselves or exclusively about the materials, but you did mention about the livability of spaces.
10:22
James Pitropov: do you find that you aim for a certain feel?
10:24
James Pitropov: Or does your work with Ray, do you feel that it, ultimately, like, do you wanna try to reflect something about the owners in it?
10:30
James Pitropov: Like, does that come out in the projects?
10:32
Karen & Ray: Ultimately this, uh, home will actually be the owner's, right?
10:37
Karen & Ray: So it's how they're gonna live, how they see they'll be entertaining, how they'll be spending time there, and also with their families and friends.
10:47
Karen & Ray: And, you know, you build a custom home not for something for just a couple of years.
10:53
Karen & Ray: we have clients, and I think yours as well too, were thinking about how they're gonna hand it down to their kids and grandkids.
10:59
Karen & Ray: So I think a lot of thought, is taken into consideration in how they plan things out, and it's huge.
11:08
Karen & Ray: Planning is a big, big part of it.
11:11
James Pitropov: Yeah.
11:11
James Pitropov: You really touched on something there.
11:12
James Pitropov: Like it really is about, in a lot of cases, it's about legacy too, isn't it?
11:15
James Pitropov: It's about livability and then w- what can we hand down that has, lasting value.
11:22
James Pitropov: There's always materials that, people can look at on- online, in magazines.
11:28
James Pitropov: "We want our place to look like this." But how do things over the course of years, h- how do they last or weather or
11:36
Karen & Ray: Well, I don't know if you have a similar, methodology as this, but what we find is it takes months usually of meetings, dinners, lunches, gatherings with client.
11:48
Karen & Ray: You become
11:49
James Pitropov: Okay, let's not put too many ideas into our
11:51
Karen & Ray: with them.
11:51
Karen & Ray: Like you, because that's the only way
11:53
James Pitropov: where's dinner, James?
11:54
James Pitropov: Where are the nice lunches?
11:56
Karen & Ray: that's the only way you understand them.
11:58
Karen & Ray: Because they're not trained to give you their complete input, right?
12:03
Karen & Ray: they're not trained as designers to give, detailed breakdowns as their exact needs.
12:10
Karen & Ray: We're kinda having to be the glue between the family member, the ideas, the desire, and the unspoken ideas that we have to kind of understand between the lines.
12:24
Karen & Ray: And then as designers and builders, we get to make a product that enhances their life.
12:32
Karen & Ray: Sometimes- that's not always easy,'cause sometimes the families have very different ideas, but you gotta find that ground that they all love.
12:43
James Pitropov: Karen, don't you love that, don't you love that about Ray?
12:45
James Pitropov: the unspoken rules I find that so intriguing because there is a whole aspect to that in projects
12:49
Karen & Ray: you know, it really is about the client and what they want.
12:53
Karen & Ray: And as, Ray alluded, sometimes people can't necessarily articulate exactly what they want.
13:00
Karen & Ray: It's sometimes we have to read between the lines, we have to spend time with them to understand, you know, what's really important to them and what they want to achieve with this home, and how we can enhance it, ideally make it better than what they even expect.
13:18
Karen & Ray: Ray sometimes describe it as, you know, he's the shrink.
13:21
Karen & Ray: You're sitting on his couch, you're telling him all your problems, and he's gonna figure out, you know, how he's going to make this come to life, right?
13:30
Karen & Ray: So
13:31
James Pitropov: come over in a few minutes, have the couch ready, and we'll, we'll,
13:34
Karen & Ray: doing great Dirty 3
13:35
James Pitropov: So that, that's all, all quite interesting, the attention to the detail.
13:38
James Pitropov: I think one, one advantage that you have, as well is you're onto some new products and you're actually, specifying and importing a lot of interesting, products that are, that have something to offer people on their, on their new builds.
13:51
James Pitropov: Can you tell us, a little bit about, windows?
13:53
James Pitropov: we all know that particularly on lakeside projects, view is important, solar radiation, thin modern profiles which are impossible to, to get.
14:03
James Pitropov: what is it that you've, that, that you bring to the table?
14:07
James Pitropov: And I'm, I'm thinking on projects like Pencil Lake and, and, a project on Bay of Quinte that we've been working together.
14:12
James Pitropov: tell us a little bit about the windows, Ray.
14:15
Karen & Ray: windows, the most basic, need is, to let in light.
14:19
Karen & Ray: But it also, frames the view, it creates comfort and nowadays it has to be energy efficient as well, right?
14:27
Karen & Ray: So On a high-end home, it's, one of the single biggest differentiators especially for a lakeside home, that show off the property and, it often starts with what's the view and how am I gonna frame this view?
14:43
Karen & Ray: So, high-end homes often have expansive windows and patio doors.
14:48
Karen & Ray: Nowadays, 20-foot wide openings are common.
14:52
Karen & Ray: And to do that, you actually have to plan for that, and it's not just,"Oh, here, ask my engineer to leave a opening that's, designed for a 20-foot wide." Well, it's not quite that simple because, you know, a typical engineering requirement is something called L over 180 for deflection.
15:13
Karen & Ray: So that's approximately half a percent of the distance allowed for the middle of a span to be flexing.
15:22
Karen & Ray: Over 20 feet, half percent is roughly an inch and a quarter.
15:27
Karen & Ray: Imagine your patio door having to withstand an inch and a half of movement in the middle of the glass.
15:33
Karen & Ray: It's not going to do it,
15:35
James Pitropov: Well, they're gonna, they're gonna jam for
15:37
Karen & Ray: It's gonna jam It's gonna jam for starters.
15:38
Karen & Ray: So a lot of that has to be planned from the start that you are gonna be putting in these high-end products, that you're, you're making these openings that, that both your window has to understand and your engineer to understand that it's not just 20-foot wide.
15:56
Karen & Ray: It's 20-foot wide with a tolerance of one quarter of an inch, right?
16:00
James Pitropov: Yeah.
16:01
James Pitropov: So Ray, if I'm hearing right, it's not just the openings and the deflections of lintels and beams above the openings, but there's some other forces, particularly on these lakeside sites, like the wind and the snow.
16:11
James Pitropov: Tell us a little about how you handle the lateral forces of the wind blowing on these oversized windows on a 20 or 22 or 24-foot span
16:22
Karen & Ray: So often, you know, the window manufacturer makes assumptions that your wall is really strong and as long as they put in reinforcement, to hold up the glass, they're fine.
16:33
Karen & Ray: your engineer is typically worried about snow loads and loads from the roof that come down and maybe, hope that the window opening doesn't collapse.
16:42
Karen & Ray: Well, when you're on a lake and you have 100, you know, kilometer an hour winds coming at you on a 20-foot opening, you're also worried about deflection in and out, often has to be dealt with, with additional reinforcement in the structure
16:57
James Pitropov: Oh, I see.
16:58
James Pitropov: Yep
16:59
Karen & Ray: often, these wind loads also come with, debris and other things that you might, look at things such as, laminated glass, for instance.
17:09
Karen & Ray: So down south, in Florida, for instance, very common to have laminated glass to withstand hurricanes.
17:16
Karen & Ray: While we may not have hurricanes here, some debris flying up, at you from open water is enough to shatter your glass
17:24
James Pitropov: So if you're on Georgian Bay where there's steady winds, or you're on the east side of Lake Muskoka, or you're in the Bay of Quinte where there's open water, those wind forces, like they'll actually blow and they'll top the panes of glass.
17:36
James Pitropov: And that little top is enough to shatter it, isn't it?
17:38
Karen & Ray: It's enough to shatter it.
17:40
Karen & Ray: and, and the shattering, will crack and, and, you know, if it's h- if it's, blowing hard enough, well, the glass will practically feel like it's exploding.
17:48
Karen & Ray: some features such as laminated glass might be good.
17:50
Karen & Ray: It's kind of like the windshield- Yes of your car.
17:52
Karen & Ray: If something hits the windshield of your car, it might crack, it might shatter, but it doesn't blow apart.
17:58
Karen & Ray: So if you have like a debris, a pebble, or a tree branch that gets fl- gets flung at your, your house because it's, you know, it's open terrain in front of you, that's something that you might
18:10
James Pitropov: Mm-hmm.
18:11
James Pitropov: One, practical takeaway that I have from this is that the design of the windows becomes important, and it becomes important to our clients because typically they want the big openings.
18:20
James Pitropov: And after a certain size with windows, if you have fixed areas and opening areas on these window assemblies, there's a decision to be made on how wide you go, how tall you go.
18:31
James Pitropov: There's an optimization that we talk about, and it's part of the design as well.
18:36
James Pitropov: it's not enough to just say,"We want the big window.
18:38
James Pitropov: It's an oversized window." Well, there are some articulation of these units, so it's helpful if you have a designer that is experienced and interested in various configurations of how exactly each window should be laid out
18:53
Karen & Ray: windows in a high-end home like the ones you build are not a hole in the middle of a wall.
19:01
Karen & Ray: Typically very exacting wall-to-wall, which means everything has to be coordinated from the trim down to the exact size of the opening to the exact ordering of that window.
19:13
Karen & Ray: So it's no longer just an exercise left to the carpenter on site to,"Oh, let's make a window opening."
19:20
James Pitropov: So one thing that was interesting, and maybe Karen can comment on the impact on the interior of the window design.
19:27
James Pitropov: So just taking in, as a case in point, the project on the Bay of Quinte, the windows are ultra slim, and they don't come with their own jambs, so there's additional work that we do around the windows.
19:37
James Pitropov: Now, the modern detail that I've seen on your projects and which we're doing as well, is to have either, drywall or, returns on the windows that carry on the interior finish, such as our background here or drywall and so on.
19:52
James Pitropov: But that means that you need to do extra work around the interiors, because if you don't do it, if you take the windows and there's extra finishing, you might find trades that'll...
20:00
James Pitropov: they wanna put, pine trim in there from the local lumber supplier, and they wanna run beads of caulking and so on.
20:07
James Pitropov: If you want those very clean transitions, including the doors, such as we did at Bay of Quinte, you really have to have some detail.
20:16
James Pitropov: Like, Karen, do you find that, the selection of the window unit itself has effect on the cleanness of a modern interior?
20:23
Karen & Ray: Oh, absolutely.
20:24
Karen & Ray: In terms of even the placement of the windows in the design.
20:28
Karen & Ray: So some people build from the outside in, and some people build from the uh, inside out.
20:34
Karen & Ray: So I find that the two of us, we actually look at it both ways, right?
20:38
Karen & Ray: Everyone wants a home that is beautiful, but looking at the outside, you don't want windows up and down, different sizes.
20:45
Karen & Ray: You know, it all has to have a beautiful, cohesive, look about it.
20:49
Karen & Ray: So, the overall design, I think, has to be looked at both ways.
20:54
Karen & Ray: So in terms of all the details on the interior, it has to be started from the beginning when you're figuring out where you're gonna put the windows, how it's gonna frame the views and the room itself, and sometimes things have to change before you, put that first shovel in the ground.
21:12
James Pitropov: Karen, what are some of the materials that you're excited about?
21:15
James Pitropov: Like, what's a typical palette Like, do you lean towards the natural lighting to light up your materials, or is it a combination with LED lighting?
21:22
James Pitropov: Or, like, what is it that you like to specify?
21:25
Karen & Ray: for us, it really is about a timeless look, and everyone has their own, favorite palette, I would say.
21:33
Karen & Ray: And so we like to design with that in mind.
21:36
Karen & Ray: natural light, I think, is, the best thing about framing any particular room.
21:43
Karen & Ray: But in terms of materials, it all has to go seamlessly together, in terms of, a really polished look.
21:52
Karen & Ray: ultimately, It really is about, making the client's, vision come to life.
21:57
Karen & Ray: with LED, it is so nice because a lot of it is much more inexpensive now and readily available.
22:04
Karen & Ray: You can control the color temperatures much more easily, So right now, you know, a lot of people are shying away from the too warm, like the 2,700, Kelvin color, and preferring a more whiter.
22:19
Karen & Ray: And I find that way, colors are more true to the actual material that you pick.
22:24
James Pitropov: That's a sweet spot, isn't it?
22:25
Karen & Ray: It is.
22:26
Karen & Ray: It is
22:27
James Pitropov: Ray, when you're, executing on, the interior finishes, do you find that the details are all ones that you, discuss and negotiate with the clients, or do you work in your own little details just out of matter of practice?
22:38
James Pitropov: Like, are there details that you might discuss with, another designer or architect that, might be surprising for the, the homeowner?
22:46
Karen & Ray: Well, typically we, we to show the homeowner most of the significant details that's visible to them.
22:54
Karen & Ray: But often the ones that are the most important for you and I as builders are the details that they don't see, we have to make sure that these details allow the home to, to live for many, many, many years
23:07
James Pitropov: Yeah.
23:07
James Pitropov: I love the idea of, designing the interiors and specifying the interior material so that there's longevity and there's meaning, to the client.
23:14
James Pitropov: But when you and I and Karen walk through a project, I can appreciate the attention to detail.
23:20
James Pitropov: And again, on some of the projects that Karen and Ray have been working on, there's, exquisite attention to detail on some items that not quite might be as obvious, such as the beautiful custom stair that really There's a little extra in there coming from you guys that we can pick up on.
23:36
James Pitropov: Do you find that the clients, do they ever get overwhelmed with, the interior design?
23:41
James Pitropov: Like Karen, are people receptive?
23:42
James Pitropov: do they kinda go with it, or do you find that there's just too much out there for them?
23:46
Karen & Ray: a lot of times what we do to begin is start with what's the palette, what's the overall feel that the client wants?
23:56
Karen & Ray: And a lot of times, especially in a build, there's, flooring, there's cabinetry, and those are a huge part of the budget, right?
24:05
Karen & Ray: But at the same time, it really helps define the look.
24:09
Karen & Ray: So a lot of times I recommend to my clients, if they want something timeless, it is to start with a more neutral palette, and we can, you know, jazz it up, we can make certain areas spectacular, with little things, feature walls.
24:25
Karen & Ray: and then the rest of it, where you want a punch of color or something, you know, really, eye-catching, can be things that might be easily changed.
24:34
Karen & Ray: It can be furniture, furnishings, wall treatments, that sort of things.
24:40
Karen & Ray: But- Or even as simple as a pillow, right?
24:41
Karen & Ray: Or simple as a pillow.
24:43
Karen & Ray: And so, you know, keep the, the things that are more difficult or expensive to change, such as hardwood flooring and tile and cabinetry, something a little bit more timeless or something that is, definitely durable, that terms of the look is, is going to, you know, last 10, 15, 20 years.
25:04
Karen & Ray: It comes back to that, that psychiatric, couch of mine
25:08
James Pitropov: Yep.
25:09
Karen & Ray: you have you have to understand what they're dreaming about, but you also have to temper their own ideas and thoughts.
25:13
Karen & Ray: also have to temper their own ideas and thoughts
25:17
James Pitropov: Re- Ray, would you say that FineHomes.ca has a, defined, vision Like, what's, what's your core value that you bring into the project, you and Karen?
25:27
James Pitropov: What's FindHomes.ca really about?
25:29
Karen & Ray: It's really is our role is to be the shepherd to kinda guide our clients through the process of building their dream, right?
25:38
Karen & Ray: So we have lots of experience both in design, construction, fabrication, manufacturing.
25:46
Karen & Ray: and marketing and sales.
25:48
Karen & Ray: So we know when a product is sellable.
25:51
Karen & Ray: when we can create the most value.
25:52
Karen & Ray: But at the end of the day, it's what does the client really want for their lifestyle?
25:59
Karen & Ray: And our role is that of the shepherd.
26:01
Karen & Ray: We are to- curate this for you and find the right path for you.
26:06
Karen & Ray: while we have some amazing budgets to work with, they're still not endless.
26:13
Karen & Ray: We still have to help our clients, pick and choose and decide which ones are the most important, which ones will create long-lasting values, and, what will their home look like 20, 30 years from now?
26:27
Karen & Ray: Are you
26:27
James Pitropov: but that makes so much sense.
26:29
James Pitropov: It's, it's so important to have the right shared vision.
26:32
James Pitropov: Kieran, what does this translate to when you're actually dealing with clients?
26:36
James Pitropov: you have a very personable way of interacting with clients.
26:39
James Pitropov: Like, do you find that that relationship becomes important in the overall direction of your, projects?
26:46
Karen & Ray: Yeah, definitely.
26:46
Karen & Ray: And the home is for them.
26:49
Karen & Ray: And so a lot of times it really is about getting to know them, what their likes and dislikes are, and how we can actually elevate their design to actually s- uh, exceed their expectations.
27:03
Karen & Ray: 'Cause it'd be about, you know, someone who has come to you for help, and we're there to do more than actually what they're, they're hoping for.
27:14
James Pitropov: So what I hear from Ray is making the right decisions within certain budgets.
27:18
James Pitropov: And then what I'm hearing, additionally from you, Karen, is exceeding the expectation within that, which I think would be appealing to a lot of, people building a home or cottage out there.
27:28
James Pitropov: It seems like the right, sort of thing to do.
27:31
James Pitropov: so Ray and Karen, the types of projects that you're involved in are, similar to Lakeside and there is some overlap in our projects and collaborations, which is why we're speaking today because Ray and I, we have similar backgrounds, we've known each other forever, and we can have these conversations is there one sort of overriding piece of advice that you can give people out there?
27:52
James Pitropov: Because the type of work that we're all involved in, including clients, like the clients that come to us to finehomes.ca as well, they are looking for more coordinated projects with higher expectations.
28:03
James Pitropov: In a lot of cases, the clients are fairly educated.
28:06
James Pitropov: It's not the first time they've built anything.
28:07
James Pitropov: They want options.
28:09
James Pitropov: we'll start with Ray.
28:10
James Pitropov: Ray, is one overriding piece of advice on getting things on track and getting those exceptional results
28:15
Karen & Ray: one piece of advice that we would give is don't rush the process.
28:19
Karen & Ray: Sometimes people...
28:22
Karen & Ray: sometimes people think,"Oh, we can have this home designed in a month or two, and this will be the perfect home that we just spent our life savings building.
28:31
Karen & Ray: We'll live in it for the next 20, 30 years." Well, it doesn't quite work that way.
28:36
Karen & Ray: There's a lot of detail that has to be thought through, and a lot of times people don't understand how much, you have to think in terms of not just the details, but your understanding of your own needs and which parts are more important than others.
28:53
Karen & Ray: So it takes time.
28:54
Karen & Ray: It takes time to sometimes to find just the right property that lets you do what you want.
29:00
Karen & Ray: You know, there's lots of lakeside properties, but it may not have the boat slip, or it may well may not have the front lawn that you want because your kids like to play in that front lawn.
29:09
Karen & Ray: It takes time to find all the things that you really need and what matters and to balance all that
29:16
James Pitropov: Well, what I've seen in this whole design process is there's a level where you get to where you think everything is resolved, and let's call that good.
29:23
James Pitropov: And then if you go back and with the right client and you realize there's a better, but it takes a little longer to develop.
29:28
James Pitropov: And then there is like the best, and this is what we aspire to.
29:32
James Pitropov: And when we have, clients with the expectations and are naturally curious and want to explore ideas, that we can reach that level, but it does take a little more time.
29:43
Karen & Ray: Well, it's also about trust.
29:45
Karen & Ray: for yourself, we've seen, you know, your clients and they absolutely love you, and how they felt that it was a collaborative, experience, that they told you they wanted and you've come up with one iteration, and then they go,"Hmm, oh, this is good." And then something else comes from that, right?
30:07
Karen & Ray: Some other way of improving it or tweaking.
30:11
Karen & Ray: And so sometimes you go through a couple of times and, you know, they sleep on it or you sleep on it, and then you come up with another idea.
30:20
Karen & Ray: So sometimes it's a bit of, going back to the, I wouldn't say drawing table, but just, you know, having more inspiration based on your conversation with the clients, learning more about,"Oh, if I did this, oh, they like that, I can probably take it one more step." And it doesn't necessarily mean that it costs more, doesn't mean that takes up more space, but that there's that extra step, that extra thought that made it just that much better
30:50
James Pitropov: Well, that's awesome.
30:52
James Pitropov: Ray, what is the, the one final sendoff message that you have?
30:58
James Pitropov: Like, what are you most passionate about in the design process?
31:01
Karen & Ray: Other than working with James?
31:03
James Pitropov: Yeah, beyond James.
31:04
James Pitropov: we, you know, taken for granted, What's your, what's your, what are you most passionate about, Ray?
31:10
Karen & Ray: I think it's all the little integrated details that has to happen between all the trades to make, some of the products that, people expect today, that they see often on Instagram or whatnot.
31:25
Karen & Ray: Everything from the, the exact location of a faucet to where LED lead comes out to, you know, oh, I need that plug, you know, within millimeters of that slot or where the air vent comes out.
31:40
Karen & Ray: They seem like, you know, mindless decisions, but they're not.
31:44
Karen & Ray: They take a lot, of work to coordinate.
31:47
Karen & Ray: And
31:47
James Pitropov: it right
31:48
Karen & Ray: coordinating that down to, where everything just, as, um, Jony Ive termed it, the inevitable.
31:57
Karen & Ray: It feels correct.
31:59
Karen & Ray: It feels like that is inevitable.
32:02
Karen & Ray: Well, everything is supposed to come together.
32:04
Karen & Ray: Well, it's not always that easy.
32:06
Karen & Ray: It doesn't just come together.
32:08
Karen & Ray: It comes together because there's a lot of thought behind it
32:11
James Pitropov: Ray, that's brilliant that he said.
32:12
James Pitropov: Karen, what's your sendoff message out there?
32:14
Karen & Ray: Well, for us, it really is about, enhancing, what the client wants to do with their home, and really delivering something that exceeds their expectations.
32:25
Karen & Ray: We really want them to enjoy this home for many years to come, and that every part of it is well thought out, that they're actually going to enjoy it, and sometimes surprised at,"Oh, my gosh, this is so nice." It just is.
32:43
Karen & Ray: so a lot of times it really is taking the time.
32:47
Karen & Ray: Don't rush the process.
32:49
Karen & Ray: when you plan things out, and a lot of times the planning, may be other trades, but for Ray and I at Fine Homes, he likes to actually take on, trying to make something ourselves if that part is not out there or it's crazy expensive, for us, that's a huge part of it as well, that Ray is very hands-on and loves to get technical and, you know, he's a bit of an innovator as well, too.
33:14
Karen & Ray: So that's
33:15
James Pitropov: the, there, there you go.
33:17
James Pitropov: Innovative, thoughtful, working closely with clients, that's Fine Homes for you guys out there.
33:25
James Pitropov: thanks, Ray and Karen.
33:26
James Pitropov: It's been a fantastic conversation.
33:28
James Pitropov: I encourage you, if you're listening and you want to learn more about Fine Homes, Ray and Karen's work and their approach, you can find them at finehomes.ca.
33:38
James Pitropov: They're really outstanding individuals, and we collaborate.
33:42
James Pitropov: This is what we do.
33:43
James Pitropov: we like to keep a check on each other so that we're, we're all growing together.
33:47
James Pitropov: This is the way things are these days.
33:49
James Pitropov: You gotta get in with the right people.
33:50
James Pitropov: There's no substitute to that.
33:52
James Pitropov: to our listeners, if you enjoyed this episode of On the Lake, please be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share with someone who loves great design and thoughtful construction.
34:01
James Pitropov: Until next time, thank you for listening, and we're gonna continue to bring you a wonderful, knowledgeable, thoughtful guest such as Ray and Karen, and we'll see you back on On the Lake.
34:13
James Pitropov: Thanks, guys.
34:14
Karen & Ray: Thanks, James Thank you