Wholesome Origins
Rosette Forever Homes was created when Sean Depass and I both wanted more control of the future of our careers. We both came to the industry with carpentry experience, but it was through volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, and eventually becoming staff there, that we met and recognized persistence and perfectionism in one another.
I then went on to work in high-end remodeling, and Sean simultaneously had climbed as high as he could in his roles at Habitat. I knew I wanted to grow something successful and immediately thought of Sean as a partner. We sat down and decided to build a company with the idea of making high-performing homes with the most up-to-date building science techniques we could, while not sacrificing the historic beauty that St. Louis is known for.
Get Inspired
Daunting is often a word I hear when folks first reach out. That's because people think, “where do I go, who do I talk to first, and how do I make this thing real?” This is totally normal. The type of projects people find us for are usually like a giant puzzle that you can see only in your mind at first, and there's no box top to reference.
Educating yourself on a major project is so important—talking to friends and family who have had similar work done recently can help. What did they like, not like and how important is it to pick the right firm?
Look for the types of design you like—dig into magazines and online—and make sure the contractor or designer you select could align stylistically. Then call those contractors and designers. Ask point blank what they think your project might cost, how long it could take and when they could get started. Like any industry, the market is competitive, so if you find a company that you like and trust, it is likely they're going to be similar in pricing to a company of the same ability. At that point it should come down to who you think you'll like working with for months on end. It also never hurts to read reviews and ask contractors for references.
From Idea to Reality
To get the vision actualized, you have to first understand what exactly you want and how that is going to affect your home. This is the scope-defining portion, which directly relates to budget.
Budget is usually best understood by contractors, as we deal most directly with pricing materials and labor. We get a downpayment for the first round of materials ahead of time to get them ordered before the project, then we divide how long we expect the project to take and bill monthly based on that.
Next it's time to start collaborating with design professionals. That's when the vision starts to become more tangible and the possibilities can expand. It's also when the fun starts!
You can bring us a designer, or we can bring one to you. At Rosette, we work with many different designers and architects that seem suited to our client's particular ideas and needs, and are willing to listen to our ideas too. Because we have design details that we believe aid to the longevity of your home, we tend to keep the contract for the design work under Rosette's name so that we can be at the table for collaboration.
We like to integrate ideas based on our building science background and our historic detail experience in the early stages. We often have ideas for things like built-ins, and other millwork related choices that sometimes aren't part of initial ideas, but we also introduce ways to make the home's operating costs less.
A Final Piece of Advice
A major home project is an emotional experience for most people—us contractors included! We've found that if we find clients that jive with our values of consistent communication, continual improvement and gratitude, then everyone from the general laborer to the client gets the project they hoped for.
Consider what's important to you. If it's having a fast project, there are companies that can get it done fast. If it's having an inexpensive project, there are also companies that pride themselves on low pricing. If it's having a well-constructed project that is both beautiful and meant to last—that's the lane Rosette Forever Homes cruises in—we'd be a good match.
