By Clyde Noel
Town Crier Correspondent
Business Profile
Thinking about remodeling your kitchen, adding another bathroom or a family addition? Think you can get your costs back when you sell the house? A lot of planning by the homeowner is necessary before the remodeling job begins.
Metropolitan Home, Remodeling Magazine and the National Association of Home Builders have compiled approximations of major construction costs and agree 80 to 90 percent of costs can be returned on minor kitchen remodeling, second bathrooms and converting unfinished attics into an extra bedroom and bath.
Charles Fleskes, owner of J & R Plumbing Co., is a general contractor who is currently working on numerous remodels in Los Altos.
“We have been in business since 1960, and I can’t remember so many remodeling jobs in Los Altos as there are right now,” Fleskes said. “Housing demands change with time, but right now most of the people who call are concerned with their bathroom.”
Fleskes said bathrooms get more use than kitchens because of water. You use more water with showers and toilets than in the kitchen and therefore, bathroom pipes and fixtures wear out sooner.
Christine Randolphi, Fleskes’ daughter, who works in the office, scheduling and answering the phones, added, “People don’t like the fixtures that come with the house, and after living with them several years, they want them replaced.”
When Fleskes upgrades bathrooms, people request designer faucets and plush fixtures. People also are attracted to the larger 13″-by-13″ square tiles instead of smaller four-inch block-style tiles. The most desirable colors for bathrooms are mostly neutral or earth tones, he said.
“Kitchens are a personal thing,” Fleskes explained. “People have different thoughts on the appliances they want to use in the kitchen and different work spaces. When it comes to costs, as soon as you break the sheet rock, the price becomes excessive.”
Forty-one years ago, Jack and Rosemary Fleskes, Charles’ parents, started J & R Plumbing Company. Fleskes has worked in the construction business since 1968 and has extensive experience in residential construction and repairs.
“We try to solve problems for people. In my personal history as a general contractor, we are considered a repair- type organization,” Fleskes said. “We still do business the old way and know what it takes to get the job done.”
Fleskes talked about construction costs in the Los Altos area, which are close to the highest in the nation.
“People don’t realize how much construction costs are in Los Altos,” Fleskes remarked. “Los Altos is one of the most expensive places in the country to live, and to get good help, they have to live within commuting time and we have to pay top dollar for good help.”
A feature at J &R Plumbing is the virtual showroom connected to DSL. When working on an estimate on a job, customers can visit any manufacturer online to see what is available and what the cost will be.
J & R Plumbing and General Contracting Co. is located in the AIW Walthers Flooring Showroom at 5084 El Camino Real, Los Altos.
For more information, call 322-3001.
