Morgan and Liz (although I know she is no longer with SunDesign) were both great at helping me envision the outcome, narrowing down choices for me, playing with the budget so that we saved in areas that didn't matter to me and splurged in others that did, politely steering me away from choices that I would have regretted :), and being flexible and available.JR! I cannot say enough good things about him. Besides the obvious things you'd expect, like being professional, reliable, and producing excellent work, he also was really good so many other things. He came up with good solutions to problems that either weren't figured out in advance or that surprised us. He navigated interpersonal relationships well - he was often put on the spot to diplomatically point out the pros and cons of options on which my husband and I disagreed. (We all walked away happy!) More important that any of these things, however, is that I trust him. When someone has access to your house all the time, witnesses the rush of getting the kids out the door to school every morning, deals with your adorable (yet incredibly annoying barking) dogs, and sees personal things, they become temporary part of your life. JR was there for a death in the family, illnesses that left me cranky, tired and miserable, in-laws who visited from out of town, etc. I trusted him to guard the door when there were 5-10 men in the house, and I had to shower without a lock, and I trusted him to interact with my children. Those are things that can't be put on a resume. Those are things that may be overlooked if you aren't there to witness it yourself. Those are things that are invaluable.

Morgan and Liz (although I know she is no longer with SunDesign) were both great at helping me envision the outcome, narrowing down choices for me, playing with the budget so that we saved in areas that didn't matter to me and splurged in others that did, politely steering me away from choices that I would have regretted :), and being flexible and available.JR! I cannot say enough good things about him. Besides the obvious things you'd expect, like being professional, reliable, and producing excellent work, he also was really good so many other things. He came up with good solutions to problems that either weren't figured out in advance or that surprised us. He navigated interpersonal relationships well - he was often put on the spot to diplomatically point out the pros and cons of options on which my husband and I disagreed. (We all walked away happy!) More important that any of these things, however, is that I trust him. When someone has access to your house all the time, witnesses the rush of getting the kids out the door to school every morning, deals with your adorable (yet incredibly annoying barking) dogs, and sees personal things, they become temporary part of your life. JR was there for a death in the family, illnesses that left me cranky, tired and miserable, in-laws who visited from out of town, etc. I trusted him to guard the door when there were 5-10 men in the house, and I had to shower without a lock, and I trusted him to interact with my children. Those are things that can't be put on a resume. Those are things that may be overlooked if you aren't there to witness it yourself. Those are things that are invaluable.