The Command Center

We have fun thinking of analogies in our company.  One of our favorites is the similarities of your home being like a ship.  It’s a complicated operation that takes constant love to keep it running and to keep it headed in the right direction.  If the captain doesn’t pay attention to their duties, then a systems failure can leave you dead in the water.  Have you ever worried about your boiler failing in winter?  What would you do?

Well, every captain needs a helm or a command center.  A place to keep important systems, like laptops, cell phone chargers, note pads, mail, keys, you name it.  My command center has a 42-inch high counter top for easy access while standing.  It also has two doors on a 15-inch deep cabinet.  I keep pens, paper, scissors, and letter openers on the top shelf along with an old school stereo for pumping up the living room speakers.  The second shelf has a mail slot for each family member...I take no responsibility for the level of organization outside of my own mailbox! I also have a small tool box with some essential tools for a quick fix-it.  The third shelf is like Bermuda’s triangle, miscellaneous things seem to gravitate to it, only to be lost at sea.  And last, but certainly not least: the bottom shelf is the most important to my dog Rio, because that’s where we store his food and grooming tools.

We have incorporated this concept over and over again into our designs.  Our clients love it.  We urge them to keep their O&M manual in it; this is the Operations and Maintenance manual we provide at the end of every remodel.  It holds key contact information for manufacturers and/or trade partners who were involved with the remodel.  And it contains the ever elusive list of paint colors that we used in their home, ha!

So...what would you do if your boiler failed?  Well, you could walk over to your command center and open up your O&M manual to the HVAC section and quickly access the troubleshooting section for your new boiler.  If that fails, well then you can pick up your fully charged cell phone and give us a call, or better yet, call the technician listed in the manual.

Bon Voyage.