Blog

Climbing The Six Gates: Gate 5

Construction

Our journey of ideas is now at an end. The time for action is now!

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Climbing The Six Gates: Gate 4

Final Design

Well, here we all are standing outside of Gate 4. Right now it’s locked. On the other side is the fun and challenging creative work it will take to refine our design concept into a set of detailed instructions for permitting and building the project.

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Celebrating 60 Years

CG&S Embarks On Documentary Series Project

Posted on February 22, 2017

History is a story, and, as with any story, there are multiple versions. For us, CG&S’ 60 year history is many things at once.

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Climbing The Six Gates: Gate 3

Concept

You have committed to solving your home’s challenges by signing up with CG&S to do the planning and design for your project. When you enter into a pre-construction agreement with us, it opens Gate 3 into the great beyond, where we look at your home’s future, and develop smart and creative design strategies together.

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Climbing The Six Gates: Gate 2

The Pre-Construction Services Proposal

OK, we have had a mutually beneficial first meeting, we have discussed your design needs and priorities, our thoughts on budget, described the design-build process, and both parties want to get a bit more serious. Wonderful! That means that we agree to walk together through Gate 2, and we will put some serious time and attention in putting together a written proposal to thoroughly plan the project for your review.

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Austin NARI Tour of Remodeled Homes 2016

September 24 & 25

Well it’s official, the season finally seems to be changing. It’s still hot, but something is different: the air is lighter, the light paler; the city sounds different, like you can hear further and more clearly than before. Nestled in this time of change and new beginnings, the Austin NARI Tour of Remodeled Homes awaits to provide all of your remodeling/renovation inspiration.

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Shower As Creative Refuge

The best insights always materialize in the shower!

Bathrooms have many parts, but I think the heart of the bath is the shower. Well-designed showers promote serenity, comfort, and a feeling of wellbeing. Inside this special space, the mind is calm, and often valuable insights and ideas surface.

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Climbing The Six Gates

The CG&S Design Build Process

If you are like most of us, you don’t do a renovation project very often. Maybe you have done finish upgrades or repairs, but nothing substantial. You may now be thinking about a more comprehensive, complex, architectural level renovation. There are lots of stories out there about these larger projects. You may have a family member or a friend who has bent your ear about how their project went. When I ask people, I hear good stories, and I hear not so good stories. Sometimes they tell me they are fine with the end result, but the process of getting there was confusing, frustrating, and painful. What if there was a way to guarantee a success story for your remodel? Well, dear reader, the good news is that there is! We call it Climbing The Six Gates. Now sit right down and let me tell you all about it. Today we’ll start at the beginning: Getting through Gate 1.

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Central Hub

Dining Rooms At The Center Of Home & Family

I grew up eating at the dining table. It was a safe place. A place where we ate incredible, homemade food (thanks mom!) and talked about our day. It was a place where we had family meetings, birthday parties or study sessions. It was the central hub of our house.

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Spec Versus Design Build

I was recently asked by a colleague, “Why don’t you build spec homes? You don’t have to worry about clients!” Taken aback, I stood there with a confused sort of smile, the kind of reaction that occurs when basic assumptions or ingrained ways of operating are suddenly, unexpectedly challenged.

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