Introducing...The WeheartDurham Team!

A few posts back I introduced you to Renee, our newest addition to the Garman Homes sales team...she's the one we tasked with taking over Durham in a totally welcome non-hostile kinda way.  That's her in the pic above with Kevin.

I realize I haven't introduced Kevin yet...meet Kevin!  He's integral to our takeover plan for Renee.  You know all those houses Renee is going to sell in Durham?  Well, Kevin is the guy that's gonna make sure all those houses get built.  Because really, what would be the point of selling houses you can't build?  That would be silly.  And frustrating.

So truth be told, this isn't the first time Kevin & Renee have worked together.  They actually crossed paths once upon a time in another builder life.  So now they're like Peaches & Herb...Reunited and it feels so good!

We're so lucky to have these two on our team.  They take great care of our buyers, our agents and our neighbors.  That's why we heart them.  And they heart Durham.

Design Process: Step 4.

Step 4:  Transition from Virtual to Reality.  

At this point in your design journey you've probably flipped through lots of Flickr pictures (some of you may have stayed on there longer than you should have-no worries, we can spot that glazed over 'I don't even know what I like anymore' look).  Help is on the way.

Maybe you've even driven through a few neighborhoods taking note of the colors you liked.  That's all good stuff because you're about to transition to a whole new level...time to pick some stuff!

Your first Design Appointment!  [With a real live actual designer.]
Time Allotted: 2.5hrs
By Appointment Mon-Fri.

First up on the agenda:  Exterior Colors.

We've narrowed down your choices slightly from 'every color in the rainbow' to 'every color we like seeing on a house'.  We refer to this collection of colors as our Exterior Color Schemes.  Clever, right?

We've spent lots of time refining these palettes to make sure we're offering a broad range of colors and the right mix of colors for your neighborhood.  We may even have a few recommendations just for your house and elevation.  We try to be thoughtful about these things.

At this point we should probably also outline a few ground rules on choosing your Exterior Color Scheme...you can't pick the same colors as your neighbor.  Not even if you're building a different house.  It's not that we don't want you to have the color you want, we just want to protect what is special and unique about each house.




Second on the agenda:  Cabinets, countertops and whatever else you have time to choose...

We'll start in the kitchen and see how far we get!  Cabinets, countertops & cabinet hardware, OH MY!
Before you know it your house will start to look good in more places than just your head.

After this appointment give yourself a pat on the back.
These are big decisions and you're making em!
We're proud of you.

Hello. My name is Jim Garman

Hi! I'm Jim Garman. That's me over there. More often than not, I have an iPhone pressed to my right ear and my left hand on the steering wheel of my 2008 Prius. I don't often sit still. Gretchen Mathison must have used a high shutter speed to capture this photo. Love her.

I live in Durham with my wife, Katie, and our two children, Ellie (5) and Sam (2). Katie is a doctor at Duke, she's kind of a big deal. I'm very thankful that she has a "real job." Ellie is in preschool and Sam hangs out during the day at Lakewood Avenue Children's School. I grew up in Kentucky and graduated from Yale in 1998. During college I spent more time on the Habitat for Humanity jobsite than in the classroom...and I have the grades to prove it!

After graduating, I moved to San Francisco to chase a dream with Antony Brydon, founder of the Habitat Bicycle Challenge. In 2000, I moved with a ring in my pocket to Durham, where I promptly proposed to Katie, my college sweetheart.

I spent the next six years working my way up through the ranks at DR Horton, where I learned homebuilding and leadership during the best of times. Oblivious to the pending economic disaster, I struck out on my own in late 2006, starting the first Garman Home in March, 2007.

Since then, our merry band has built over 250 homes in the Triangle.  We are thrilled to come to work everyday and do what we love...build great homes for great people.  As a five-year old company, we are excited to wrap up kindergarten this year and move up to first grade...always humbled by how much we have to learn and how much better we want to be.

You ain't seen nothing yet.

Have a question about me?  About us?  Anything at all?  Call me.  My cell phone is the "main company" phone number posted on our website, I'm easy to find.  I look forward to hearing from you!  \JG

Design Process: Step 3.

Step 3:  Search our Flickr  Feed

See that cute little baby in the corner of our photostream?  That's Sam Garman.  Jim is confident that someday Sam will thank him for stealing his identity for our Flickr feed because of the primo yahoo address registered well before Sam could talk let alone type.  Or search Flickr.  

Flickr is how we catalog our houses.  It's our portfolio (we know, fancy word for 'database' but we had to veto that word on account of it being just too boring and not worthy of describing our awesome collection of house pictures.)

Your time on Flickr will be well spent...we recommend the following searches so you're well prepared for your upcoming design appointments.   Think of it as fun house homework.  We promise, this is fun homework.

Search #1:   Exterior colors

We've labeled each picture with the paint colors, roof shingles and trim colors so you'll know the exact colors you like (and in some cases, don't like).  This will help tremendously when you're faced with the task of picking colors you like from a collection of samples that are way smaller than the size of a house.

Search #2:  Kitchens, Master Baths  & any other spaces you have a vision for...

We love the search feature in Flickr.  Type in kitchen and you'll get transported into every kitchen we've ever built!  Type in Master Bath and it's instant access!  You can even type in your neighborhood name and see what all of your neighbors houses look like.  It's so fun.

Enjoy!  See...we told you homework could be fun.

Design Process: Step 2.

Step 2:  A is for Appliances.

It may seem like an odd place to start the design of your home but appliances are our first stop for a few reasons.

Reason 1:  Shopping for appliances is fun.  And you have a credit.  Don't you love to go to stores where you have a credit?

The base price of your new Garman Home includes a credit towards appliances at Sears in Crabtree Valley Mall.  They offer us special builder pricing that we pass right along to you.   It's a sweet deal. We'll help you schedule an appointment with a Sears appliance expert who will help you choose which appliances are right for you.

Reason 2:  Depending on what you choose, appliances can affect the layout of your kitchen cabinets.  30" appliances vs. 36" appliances...gourmet vs. non-gourmet kitchens...it all affects your cabinets.  And kitchen cabinets require the longest lead time from order to installation.  So if we want your cabinets to be on time for your construction manager (and trust us, you want them to be on time)...we need to get you to Sears quickly so we can get to work on your kitchen cabinet layout.

Ok...I think you're ready for Step 3.

Design Process: Step 1.

See this kitchen?  Isn't it pretty?  Do you want a kitchen that looks like this?

Or this?

Or maybe this?

Maybe you have something entirely different in mind.  That's cool, we can help you with that too.  But first, you gotta help us, help you.  Not to go all Jerry Maguire on you but there really is no better way to say it.  Other than you had us at hello.     

Step 1:  Admit you have a house to design

Admit that you have a lot of decisions to make and then reassure yourself that you have the capacity to make good design choices.  You may not have your own show on HGTV but trust your own sense of style.  You will be able to design a home that is uniquely yours.

Now, remind yourself you will have help.  Our designers are fantastic at what they do.  We hired them because they love helping you pull together all the small details that will turn one of our houses into your new home.  Think of them as your design sherpas.

Ready?

Ok...move to Step 2.