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This is one of the more thoughtful letters I have ever read from a client and really speaks to the value we can bring to the remodeling customer. President, Tom Kelly
Michael and I live in a modest home in North Portland. It is smaller than I prefer, but more spacious than many of the homes I’ve seen in Asia and other parts of the world.
And much like its occupants, it is also imperfect and in process.
Homes, like lifelong friends, welcome us to a place of protection, peace and belonging; speak to us and about us - our need for hospitality and our willingness to extend it. Homes are shelter for our bodily selves and realms beyond: I believe that homes reveal our spirit, the inner space that finds expression in physical space.
Years ago I had a friend over for lunch who was describing the process of remodeling his home. He said, "You know, when you work on a home it’s symbolic of changes
happening in your personal life." I stopped cooking, turned to him, and let my eyes sweep over the partially painted walls, the ladder propped in the comer, the bare windows
and acknowledged that, yes, quite a lot was going on in my life at the time. Just as it is now. New job, shifts in energy level, changes in health and family, the lovely, limitless
process of aging, the loss of friends and discovery of new ones. Our homes access our spiritual journey, help us to integrate the sense of place that is both interior and exterior,
and give us language to articulate our quest for congruency. Homes both shelter us and dwell within us.
Recently, and too often, I agonized over a poorly built fence that NKC did not design, but thankfully remedied. The poorness of its construction reminds me that every aspect of
life deserves thoughtful attention and that the relationship of home to person is far more than appearance. The fence appeared well, until up-close scrutiny revealed not only flaws but weak assembly. Without the reality of solid construction, fences and other projects remain unfinished, waiting to be given opportunity to provide proper function.
A house feels the pride of being meticulously prepped prior to painting, and swells with joy that its porch rails are beautifully constructed, its chimney expertly built and its
roofing released from the burden and load of damage and finally replaced with substantial material. I write as if a home articulates thought and feeling; I believe it does.
Its construction and appearance speak of joy or difficulty, peace or unsettledness, welcome or withdrawal.
Throughout the process of home repair, NKC employees have met us with respect and courtesy, thorough communication and caring creativity. I was aware of my vulnerability
in this process of collaboration. Uncertain and hesitant to have people unknown to me in our home, I also felt some indecision over finances and questions about how much to invest in a humble dwelling that will perpetually require attention (as all homes insist, actually). Our experience was one of receptivity, not judgment, and conversation that opened up possibilities and opportunities for our home to regain a sense of pride and purpose.
The excellence of the work provided through NKC, and the integrity and kindness of the employees contributed to a sense of trust. The consultation, communication of timelines,
and review of the work have been a source of relief and comfort. We have been well served. In my profession we call it, "Being ministered to."
The piano was silent for many years but when the roofing, painting and porch rails were complete, I played a few melodies to match the renewed energy of our home. Our homes are physical space and sacred space that house the joys and longings of our everyday lives and those who share it.
Thank you for making the visible changes that support the process of ongoing integration.
Evelyn Gerardo Challis
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