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Noreen Von Brauchitsch and Linda DeSilva started working for Mr. Handyman earlier this year as designers. Von Brauchitsch is primarily a kitchen designer and DeSilva is an interior designer. They also work together to design bathrooms, living rooms, basements and other interior rooms.
“Having Mr. Handyman behind us, we have all of the trades we need to get the job done,’’ said DeSilva, who also owns an interior design business. "Each home visit includes a team of designers and a technician so that you can tell on the spot whether we can move a wall or what the project is going to require. There’s a comfort level a client has when using Mr. Handyman, and it’s nice because we have all the services a homeowner might require.”
Fairfield-based Mr. Handyman, owned by Skip and Lorenzo Wyatt, has become known throughout the county for the services it provides in nearly every area of home repair, everything from decks to doors, tiling to windows, and attics to outdoors. Now, the designs of Von Brauchitsch and DeSilva add even more depth to Mr. Handyman’s range of services.
“It has been very well received,’’ said von Brauchitsch who worked as an independent designer and also worked for a lumber company prior to joining Mr. Handyman. “The client calls we’ve gone to, on 95 percent of the jobs, we’ve been selected. It’s been very encouraging for us.”
Von Brauchitsch said the women were hired almost by happenstance. Wyatt was following up with a prospective client to see if she had decided to move forward with a proposed kitchen re-design. When von Brauchitsch told Wyatt she was a kitchen designer, the conversation developed and Wyatt said he was seeking a kitchen designer to join his staff. “We ended up talking for about 40 minutes and we made a deal right there on the spot,’’ von Brauchitsch said. “I usually never pick up the house phone. Sometimes that pays off.”
Von Brauchitsch and DeSilva have been friends for years, and Noreen asked her a while ago if she knew anybody that would want to work with her. “I said me,’’ DeSilva aid. “We always talked about the things we might do. Now we’re able to do it together. This is awesome.”
Working collaboratively also helps the women size up projects differently. “It’s a creative industry,’’ DeSilva said. “It’s nice just to confirm with someone else what you might feel”. We also have the flexibility of schedules.
The women have already lined up some challenging projects, including a kitchen that did not have any 90-degree angles. “The room looked like the number seven,’’ von Brauchitsch said. “That was my first bump in the road. We call it the first lucky number 7 kitchen.”
Prices vary wildly for services of the von Brauchitsch and DeSilva, depending on the size and scope of the work. They are excited about their new opportunity, and eager to serve homeowners who are considering any living space re-design, such as media centers, bathrooms, living rooms and basements.
“Kitchens are popular for people who are looking to upgrade their homes,’’ von Brauchitsch said. "A kitchen re-design can range from appliances, cabinets, countertops, lighting and flooring. It provides the greatest value for your home, since we think the kitchen is the heart of the home”.
Mr. Handyman’s Kitchen Design Special for this month is available on Angie's List. More information is also on the Mr. Handyman website.
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