Gary found his true niche in remodeling. He said, “I’m attracted to remodeling – I get personal satisfaction out of going into a person’s house and doing a nice remodel.” Office Manager and Design Coordinator, Melissa Castle, confirmed, “He likes turning the old into new.” Everyone loves before and after pictures, and when Gary takes before photos he is as excited as anyone to see a beautiful, finished job. Residentially, Beyond Contracting does everything from small improvements to full-house down-to-the-studs remodels. Commercially, Beyond Contracting does Upfits for retail and franchise clients among other construction work. Both types of clients receive the same exact attention to detail. It is clear from speaking with clients that Beyond Contracting goes above and beyond in their capabilities and in fulfilling client objectives.
Franchise owner, Andy King said, “Gary is very meticulous, he has always done a great job for us. He takes a lot of pride in his company and his work, and that’s one reason I’ve used him over the years. He’s always done what he said he’s going to do, and the finished product is always where it’s supposed to be.” Andy has had several years to test the extent of Gary’s expertise. He used to be in the fire and water restoration business and Gary was the contractor he used to rebuild structures. Andy added, “When I started expanding here in the Myrtle Beach market (after shifting franchise focus from fire to food), I reached out to Gary because I knew his work and knew he could do what needed to be done. He was able to make it happen.” The scope of work has included several buildups and remodels for local Auntie Anne’s, Häagen Dazs, Jamba, and Cinnabon franchises. The ultimate proof of confidence is that Andy is going to have Beyond Contracting do a remodeling job in his own home.
Kitchens and bathrooms top the list of residential remodels, and Gary, Melissa and their colleagues stay current with trends and materials. HGTV has become a deity of inspiration, and Beyond Contracting provides the resources and skills to execute homeowners’ visions and offer alternative approaches / ideas. Kitchen updates often spring from a desire for a fresh look in the heart of the house.
Bathroom projects commonly address functional concerns. Regardless of the project, Beyond Contracting is sensitive to the client’s timeline and space. Gary said, “When we start your job, we stay there until it’s done. We don’t pull off and go to another job. If you have extra things that come up, we’ll get it done while we’re there.” Another bonus when working with Beyond Contacting is their flexibility with vendors. Gary said, “I don’t ever want to tell a customer ‘you need to go to this place.’” Beyond Contracting has excellent supplier relationships with vendors who stand behind their work. Gary is able to lock in prices for a specific period, so there are no sudden budget surprises and requests for more money once work has been agreed upon.
Linda Haines and Jim Moe own a home in the Parklands area of The Legends. They love their home and neighborhood, so choosing to remodel instead of moving to a new home was the only way to go. Their remodeling job was a classic example of Beyond Contracting taking care of “extra things” that came up when a kitchen renovation morphed into additional projects.
Linda and Jim had a kitchen island they wanted to move, and they had met with resistance from other contractors who said, “Oh we can’t move that island; it’s not doable.” Jim said, “Gary’s group came in and working very interactively with us, said ‘Okay’. We now have the island exactly how we want it positioned. Beyond Contracting is frank but flexible – not locked into “their” way of doing things.” Jim continued, “We knew it would be a complex job; they handled it very calmly and competently.” With the kitchen complete, Beyond Contracting then moved on to the master bathroom, after tending to adding cabinetry and lighting to a living room fireplace.
Jim said, “There was a lot of structural work that they needed to do in the bathroom.” He especially wanted a separate WC, so the bathroom had to be reconfigured. The job also included replacing a Jacuzzi tub with standalone tub (and a stone wall surround), and removing a corner shower for a tiled rectangular walk-in shower. Jim said “One of the things that Gary suggested, that we absolutely love, was putting in a heated floor.” Linda added, “If there was ever a time that we thought ‘I’m not really sure I like this’ then they were right there to say, ‘How can we fix it?’ It was never an issue.” Linda also liked brainstorming with Melissa on colors and other design decisions. Linda said, “Their work was just so beautiful and they were doing such a good job that Jim one day, just off the cuff, asked, ‘Do you do work outside as well?’”
They ended up nearly doubling the patio size and adding a curved wall and a fire pit. Self-described as nitpicky people, Jim said, “We like other people who are nitpicky about how things should be, give us their word on a job and do it. If I find someone easy to work with, I stick with them.”
Similar to the Haines-Moe situation, Greg and Jessica Savitski live in a Surfside Beach home and neighborhood that suits them. They had already redone their two bathrooms, using a different company. Greg said, “They did a good job, so we had them come back over, and pretty much everything my wife was trying to do the guy said, ‘No we can’t do that.’ I told my wife about Gary because I’d seen some pictures of his work during presentations at BNI. Everything my wife asked him to do, he said, ‘Yep, no problem, we can do that.’ It was almost the total opposite. That’s kind of the way Gary is. He likes a challenge and he’ll find a way to get it done.”
The Savitskis now spend more time in their kitchen. Greg said, “We have a nice island where we’ll sit and play cards or eat meals, where in the past we probably just sat in the living room and watched TV. Every now and again Jessica will say out of the blue, ‘I really love this kitchen.’”
Though Beyond Contracting thrives in the remodeling space, the company also builds custom homes. Jim and Rosemary Roenick met with Gary and a Realtor at a Waterway Plantation lot. Gary already had plans for a Mediterranean-style home for the lot that the Roenicks liked. They signed a contract the next day. Jim said, “I liked the idea that he was a remodeler who built a few custom homes a year.”
The 4 bedroom, 3 bath house was built while Jim and Rosemary were still in Maryland. Jim said, “Gary was very attentive to our needs. Everyone we met would bend over backwards to please us.” Jim added, “We really used Melissa as our sounding board, as our interior design person. I can’t say enough good things about Melissa’s design skills. She and Gary work wonderfully together.”
The Roenicks have been in their home for over a year now. Jim said, “Gary builds a great house and his supervisor Chris Setser was great; he got all punch list items squared away within a day or two. We’re thrilled with the house that Beyond Contracting built.”
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