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2020 Hindsight: Our Year in Retrospect

2020 Hindsight: Our Year in Retrospect

They say hindsight is 20/20, and after a year like this, there is AMPLE opportunity to talk about what we’ve learned when looking back. From lockdowns and face masks to job loss and fear of illness, there have been a lot of things that have been hard about this year.

…I’ll leave writing about the hard stuff to those who have been on the frontline.

Right now, I want to take a step back and look at EVERYTHING that happened this year for us, not just the pandemic.

At Signature Home Services, we’ve learned as individuals and we’ve learned as a company. It’s been a year when SO much has happened that I can’t even say that 2020 was totally defined by COVID-19.

…Honestly, if you are reading this blog, then you’ve been a part of this year—making it that much better. And good, bad, challenging and rewarding, there’s much to look back on now that we’ve turned the corner to a new year.

Follow along as I go through our 2020 in hindsight!!

 

Our 25th Year in Business

For those of you who joined us months back, you’ll remember that in February we celebrated 25 years in business.

That’s a LONG time…a quarter of a century…it’s a silver anniversary—and I suppose Rob and I both have more “silver” to show for it!!

The photos say it all—the celebration was GREAT. Good food, and even better company…

But then, of course, in came COVID.

 

Our Response to COVID-19

Those of you who worked with us in 2020 on any remodeling or handyman project know that our first response to the spread of the coronavirus in Texas was to gear up in additional PPE. The thing about remodeling and handyman work is that it already required a lot of gloves, masks and protectors, so this was really a matter of stepping up our already-high standards in cleanliness.

I have to say, I’m proud—our field staff REALLY took clean jobsites to an amazing level this year!!

Specifically, THIS is what you can expect now from a handyman visit…our production staff for remodels uses the same PPE, too.

Of course, the PPE was just phase one of the COVID-19 response. The next step came after Rob and I discussed how seriously the pandemic could affect our ability to get building materials in a timely manner.

Imported materials were obviously going to take longer and had added hurdles to jump, but just about everything we source is manufactured or built in the U.S. What really got us thinking was the strain that the logistics industry was suddenly under…With delayed shipping, materials and products we were accustomed to getting in weeks could take MONTHS instead. So Rob and I ordered materials ahead of time for projects that were a sure thing.

I have to say, it was a sight to behold, seeing our warehouse and jobsites that FULL of materials months before we needed them! But it’s what kept us on schedule for our remodeling projects this year.

In phase three of our response to the pandemic, there was the new line of interior design service we began to offer!! And yep, you guessed it—we mapped out how we could offer our design services virtually. The real added benefit to this was the hybrid model it enabled us to offer, too…now, you can choose to consult with us for certain parts of your design project virtually, and choose what to source or do yourself, and STILL call us to come out for anything you want help with, like installs.

I have to say, I’m REALLY excited about how flexible our interior design services are now!!

Perhaps the biggest change we saw as a result of the pandemic was a shift in the way our clients were thinking. Everyone was suddenly seeing their homes in 20/20 vision…with how much TIME we were all spending indoors, that creaky door or too-small vanity were a bigger deal than before…and that same paint color that had been there since 2004 became IMPOSSIBLE to look at. Our clients came to us with a new priority in mind…they wanted more out of the return on enjoyment in their homes.

Of course, we still shared some insights this year around returns on cold-hard cash investments, too. But, personally, I was THRILLED with the choices clients were making in selections and design simply because it’s what would bring THEM joy.

This bathroom before and after was a good example of that.

 

renovations repairs and return on enjoymentThen, I Published a Book!

Another REALLY big deal this year was that I published a book! It’s not on Amazon or anything like that…this wasn’t going to be my “big break” onto the top sellers list…I simply wanted to put on paper all the advice I found myself sharing with just about every project. There are some concepts that they just don’t teach us when we buy a house, but they make a HUGE difference in our quality of life.

This book is filled with insights, trends and the infographics I’ve published, and has tons of specific steps to take to get more out of your home—aesthetically and in how it functions.

Want a copy? Just write me…seriously, send me a message now and I’ll send you one!

 

Our Projects in 2020

Most of all, I look back on 2020 and think of the work we’ve done!!

I just wrote about this before and after bathroom remodel, for instance.

before and after bathroom remodel for a walk in shower-01

And not that long before it, I wrote about this kitchen remodel.

2020-11-29 Before and after Sandlin-01

Here were some other projects we photographed recently…

Feeling a little inspired to get started on your own?! Download this remodeling planner…it just takes a walk through your home, and you will find HUGE opportunity to bring a BIG return on enjoyment for your home!!

And keep scrolling for more news and posts we shared on our Facebook page in 2020!!

2020 has been a big year for us in so many ways. It has been challenging, certainly, especially as we’ve seen how the course of the pandemic impacted our community. But we will not define this year by the pandemic alone. The larger “20/20 view” has lessons learned and SO much silver lining.

We spent more time with our families.

Much of our staff got to work from home.

And we saw our clients get more out of their remodels than EVER.

We’re excited to see what 2021 brings—for us as a company, for our clients, and for each member of our staff. It’s our resolution to play the BIGGEST and most positive role in that as possible!!

Please share your 2020 silver lining with us, too!!

 

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