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Vision &
Affordability
X-Link (sister page): What NOT to Buy:
Buyer Beware?
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Country-Classic
(quotes and paraphrased comments)
Janet Wilson, The Ottawa Citizen -
Saturday July 28, 2007
"Natural (RED) pine floors bring warmth
and rustic character to a country-style home."
"Historical paint colours and natural
materials are essential elements
to capturing the classic country look when building a new home or
cottage."
"Use thicker trim around windows and doors
and wider baseboards to
offer eye appeal and to create old-style architectural details."
"Wood is preferred over synthetic
materials. You don't want the place to look like it was
plunked down from a subdivision. It has to be reminiscent of the
(country) environment."
Notable Quotes
"Jesse, we RED
about you ... a full page with fabulous pictures in
The Ottawa
Citizen
( 20, 02). You have "experience
to burn" ... I "shopped 'till I dropped" ... I'm impressed with your
Red Pine Flooring,
your dedication, skill and technique. The result is stunning."
June and Bruce, Ottawa, ON. Canada.
"I was THRILLED to find your website...
I'm in a country-living dog situation and I am looking for both beauty
and durability ... which your floor offers."
Maria, Lac du Flambeau, WI. USA
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Building with "Vision"?
"Some people buy floor covering
— a synthetic commodity that depreciates — to fulfill their common flooring
requirements
...
my Clients, however, envision "Kid-and-Dog Friendly" Wide Plank Red Pine Flooring
... Heritage Flooring of lasting beauty, durability and value."
Livability is Measured by
Warmth, Performance and Lifestyle
Remember that
Livability is not measured solely by Hardness and Durability,
it is measured by 'Warmth', Performance and Lifestyle
... a decision in favour of a casual, yet
sophisticated, flooring material and 'Diamond-Tough' finish for a more carefree lifestyle.
Consider this as well ... when a 'perfectly'
manufactured hardwood floor is dinged, dented or scratched, its
"man-made perfection" is lost". The Consumer is 'forever' disappointed with the
livability and enjoyment
of their floor. Whereas, my new 'distressed' Northern Ontario Red
Pine floor can take the abuse by camouflaging
normal "wear and tear" and
Livability actually
improves' as the floor ages.
"The Eye is Not Drawn to a
Single Imperfection".
'Hardness/Durability' are important but,
Livability is Paramount ... when you are living with a spouse, kids, dogs,
visitors.
N.O.R.P. has a rating
of 1575 (J) on the
Janka
Hardness Rating Scale (J) For Wood Flooring Species. Therefore, Northern
Ontario Wideplank Red Pine is approximately four times (~ 4X)
more dense and harder than (any) of the White Pine(s) which have an
average rating of ~ 0380 (J)
... but, more surprisingly, N.O.R.P. has a "hardness and durability"
rating that is slightly higher than a number of American hardwood
species. Top off that amazing fact, by considering that
N.O.R.P. has twenty-two (22) annual growth rings per inch of
thickness (slow growth, strong fibre) — that is an average of 22 years
of growth per inch of 'width —
whereas White Pine growth rings are less dense (fast growth) at
approximately eight (~8) rings per inch of thickness.
Notable Quote
"I wanted an
eco-friendly product ... I heard about
the Sustainable Forest
Management Network when I was
touring the Canadian Ecology Centre in Samuel de Champlain
Provincial Park ... that's where I heard about your eco-friendly
product."
Who are "People with Vision"?
Not surprisingly, 100% of my clients are
Outliers.
— Distinct, Resourceful, Outside
Normal Expectations ... Outliers. —
Common flooring is supplied by common
retailers to people with common requirements and expectations. Marreed-Prestman
— Pineflooring.ca — builds Limited Edition, Handcrafted
Artistic Flooring — at value-oriented prices — that
appreciate
in intrinsic and monetary value. Red Pine flooring "transforms and elevates" a
house, condo, cottage, office or 'hospitality' business — for people with particular requirements, high expectations
and Vision.
One-third (1/3) of my Clients are Professional Single Women ... all are rich
as individuals but, not usually, in the monetary sense. These women
are "Pine People" ... true Outliers ... 'builders' who are, by
gender and experience, sceptical
and cautious. They do their research, they know what they want and
they find a
way to get what they want IF
the product/service can meet or exceed their high expectations.
One-third (1/3) of my Clients are "Odd Couples" or, more
precisely, Couples-at-Odds. 'Romantics' who agree on almost
everything ...
they love the potential "Look and Feel of Pine Flooring" (underfoot) but,
they have never
really
considered buying Red Pine Flooring. Ultimately, they become 'desperate' to
find "an inspirational floor" that they can both love.
X-Link (sister page):
Our Name "The War of the
Floors."
One-third of my Clients (1/3) are Traditionalists ... conservative, practical ...
and profoundly frustrated with the poor performance of modern 'engineered' woods
and high-maintenance broadloom.
Once a Traditionalist discovers "The Value Proposition" I offer
them, they almost abandon contemplation, they grab the opportunity and "consider
themselves lucky".
The Emotional Connection
Northern Ontario Wideplank Red Pine flooring is a visual
statement that will reflect your lifestyle and impact your mood day-in and
day-out. People who desire a Marreed-Prestman
floor, generally do so, with the intent of building an emotional
connection within their living environment ... Clients experience the
warmth, beauty and durability of
new,
Artistically 'Distressed'
"Kid and Dog Friendly"™
RED PINE Flooring (harvested from
the Sustainable Northern Red Pine Forests in Northern Ontario, Canada).
www.PineFlooring.ca
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Sample: GOLDEN
(Light Distressing) with GripTight
™ Fastening Technique (and filler plugs)
"Price is what something costs ... Intrinsic Value ... is what a Marreed-Prestman
—
pineflooring.ca —
offers you
beyond the cost of flooring as a commodity."
Intrinsic Value ... is what
a Marreed-Prestman — pineflooring.ca — offers when you want to make a
perfunctionary change or you
have a desire
to
transform and elevate your house, condo, cottage, office or business
... and you have a desire to own a one-of-a-kind, Limited Edition,
Handcrafted Northern Ontario
Wide Plank
Red Pine Floor.
Budgeting for a
Marreed-Prestman Floor?
It is standard planning practice to budget five
percent (5%) of the total cost
of a building (excluding a water well, septic system, driveway,
landscaping) for 'commodity' flooring ... a Marreed-Prestman Floor
requires an additional percentage point or more of budget for my Full
Installation and Artistic Finishing.
Although, a DIY: Do-it-Yourself
Installation and 'local' finishing will cost considerably less ... you are
not buying my expertise nor, 'competing' for an Installation/Finishing time slot.
Whatever your square footage requirements, calculate only in proportion to the
Actual Square Footage area
being done with Wideplank Red Pine flooring. Starting prices for
Premium Materials and Full Installation start at ~ $
12.00 sf..
Small areas are
priced slightly higher. You should also consider my generous Pre-Season 2010 Limited Time Offers
(below) — and my DIY:
Do-it-Yourself Support Options.
Consider the Benefits of Buying Flooring
for the Long Term, in the Planning Process.
People seem "eager to spend" on kitchen and
bathroom 'cabinetry' and 'fixtures' — in the early stages of a project —
because they know those rooms impact both the practical and aesthetic value
of their home or cottage. Windows are next but, a bit of an afterthought.
Later, as their project becomes a reality, 'budget' and 'deadlines' get
squeezed so, the design, livability and ambience of their Dream Home/Cottage is compromised and flooring, regretfully, "becomes a commodity",
even though, "flooring" has the greatest impact on every aspect of any
project. My clients, some of which, have built many times would agree with
me ... 'cabinetry', 'fixtures', 'windows' and 'flooring' ... should read ...
"Handcrafted Canadiana Wide Plank Red Pine Flooring, large, double-glazed,
low-E/Argon (insulated) windows, functional MDF-based cabinetry/solid wood
cabinet doors and passageway doors and complimentary 'brass-core' plumbing
fixtures".
A hand-crafted Artistically Distressed'
Wideplank RED
PINE floor is critical to the design, livability and ambience of many
projects but, people may not plan ahead for flooring in the manner they plan
"the kitchen", "the bathroom" or "windows", thus, they may not
get the GREAT NORTHERN WIDEPLANK RED PINE FLOOR "they have always wanted"
... simply because I am a "one-man show" — an Outlier. — an
accomplished and resourceful craftsman (with
one crew). I am usually "Sold Out" months in advance ... so, plan early to
avoid disappointment.
How 'critical' is it to determine the reality
of BUDGET" per major item"
... early on in the building planning process?
Imagine, if you absolutely "had to have"
livability, beauty and durability in one
major item in your "Dream Home" or "Dream Cottage" ... which one
would you consider critical enough to your
project to
warrant an expenditure of $ 10,000., $
20,000., $ 30,000.? Which one major purchase
is guaranteed to exceed your highest expectation
for quality living and appreciative value. Would it be your "dream
kitchen", "dream bathrooms", "dream windows", "dream
fireplace" or "dream floor"? Which
one
of these five major
items is the only one that will appreciate in intrinsic and
monetary value beyond your initial
appreciation and wildest expectations?
Invest in
a Classic ... in future, it will be a Masterwork.
"Dream Kitchens" are susceptible to fashion
... "Dream Bathrooms" are difficult to adapt to changing life style ... "Dream
Windows" are seldom appreciated ... "Dream
Fireplaces" are susceptible to energy-efficiency, environmental
concerns, inflating firewood costs, wood storage requirements and 'careful
attention' (due to children and pets, etc.) ...
But, "Dream Floors"
are definitive ... people love them forever . By
definition, Dream Floors are Classic. Classic Wood Floors are proven to be
warm, durable and livable.' Critically, they are, by nature, compliant' with fashion and lifestyle
as proven throughout our history in building ... from Cabins, Cottages and
Homes to Restaurants, Inns and Resorts ... to Country Clubs and Castles.
Notable Quote
"Our Project Manager told us that your
flooring would put us 'over budget' — he did not seem to care about
the
floor as a quality-of-life investment nor the concept behind Kid-and-Dog
Friendly Flooring TM — he said we could let him install local
White Pine
flooring ... paper-underlay, blind-nailed and finished with tung-oil ...
that would allow us to stay
"on budget". Now, we have his
flooring installed and it is definitely
not what we wanted. We should
have stuck with our initial reasons for wanting your floor ... we could have
raised the budget 2% to 3% or 'compromised' elsewhere."
"If Business Is So Bad, Why Is It So Good?
"
Marreed-Prestman is
not a Retailer or Sub-Trade nor, "a gun for hire" ... I have
personally installed and finished high quality, artistic 'Heritage' flooring in a
trailer-home, a quaint chipboard-walled cottage, an exclusive
penthouse condominium, a hand scribed log home and, of course,
I have done the gamut of residential, recreational and commercial
projects. I have worked in "high security locals" and have done
Wideplank Red Pine Flooring for a
Judge, a Crown Prosecutor, an R.C.M.P. Special Investigator, a few Police
Officers and Lawyers and
many Business People. — I have been checked out 'every which way' possible — I have
even endured an R.C.M.P. Investigative Clearance in order to work at 24-Sussex
... in the days when 'Orange Flock Wallpaper' was all the rage in the PM's
residence and where "Goggling"
was "an unacceptable security risk" not, a Search Engine.
Marreed-Prestman — pineflooring.ca — is interested in projects
where Clients want to make a perfunctionary change or build a lovingly
crafted Dream Home, Cottage, or 'Hospitality' Business.
Exceptional Renovations and New Builds
require planning, insight, time and a bit more money, when the goal
is to obtain a unique handcrafted Canadian product with integrity.
Turn-Key Services
Marreed-Prestman
serves Clients who act on their Vision
... people who do their
research and know what they want and
know why they want it ... they learn
"there is no comparison" to what I offer in premium materials, expert
installation and professional 'Diamond-Tough' FloodCoat TopCoat Finishing.
Clients commit
themselves to my methodical construction process.
From start to job-completion, Marreed-Prestman
takes pride in fulfilling its responsibility.
Clients,
of course, have the
benefit of my 'turn-key' expertise and my hands-on proprietary methodology. They also appreciate the fact they are able to "go on with their
business" without worry or concern over their flooring project.
Eco-Friendly
Marreed-Prestman
offers
authentic
slow-growth, high-density, winter-cut, Northern Ontario
Wideplank Red Pine that is harvested through the Eco-Friendly "Sustainable
Forest Management Network" in Ontario and Quebec
... it is
not
'soft wood' like White or
Yellow Pine, it is not plastic, not
chipboard, not veneer, not 'engineered' wood (which contains
formaldehyde), not a composite (which is compressed pulp wood),
and not reclaimed river wood ('Brittle Wood') or
'haphazard' barn wood.
X-Link (sister page): Why 'the
inherent' discrepancy' between logic and reality?
Isn't Pine a Softwood?
Be fair to yourself ... determine your
actual requirements before 'factoring' prices...
In my experience, people
rush to guesstimate their flooring requirements which falsely encourages or
discourages them when they calculate the cost of their flooring project ... if
you underestimate your requirements, you may be surprised by the actual
square footage and appropriate budget requirement ... if you overestimate
you may 'disqualify' yourself based on false 'pricing' information. Neither
situation is advantages.
Calculate your actual sq. ft. flooring requirements as accurately as
possible? This exercise may surprise you .... if you are building
or renovating an 1,850 sf. house, you may only require 1,250 sf. of
'distressed' Wideplank Red Pine Flooring plus, utility flooring.
1a)
Measure the interior of each room (excluding walls, including
closets) then, remove the footprint for the kitchen and
bathroom cabinets/counters, tubs/showers, staircase, fireplace/stove base
areas and closets that you may not want done, etc., to determine a fair
measure. (Avoid using 'building plans' and 'exterior' dimensions.)
1b) Consider Cutting and
Fitting 'waste' ... it may be higher than expected, as this, in part, changes
as your plans progress, depending on the 'complexity' of the 'final' floor
layout, belated floor plan changes including cabinets, counters,
bathroom fixtures, fireplace, stairs and even wall locations ... mainly,
consider the skill, experience and efficiency of the installation crew.
1c) Consider your budget
requirements. If budget is "an issue" when considering "wall-to-wall" artistic
flooring, consider doing selective areas ... the critical living areas ... use
utility flooring in less important areas .
In addition to
Complimentary Online/Fax Quotations, Marreed-Prestman offers a No Obligation
Fee-Based On-Site Inspection,
Assessment and Quotation Service ... I visit your job site and
assess 'job issues', your requirements, options, methods, budget
and 'vision' ... you take advantage of my knowledge and
expertise. Whether you Do-it-Yourself or have me install and
finish or you hire a local contractor, my On-Site
Consultations will inevitably save you Space, Time, Money, and Frustration.
Half (50%) of my On-Site Consultation Service Fee is credited to either Value Package, Full Installation or DIY: Do-it-Yourself/Contractor Lumber Supply order.
Lastly, "Telephone Advisory Guidance" is available — based on my years of
experience and expertise — whether you purchased your flooring from
Marreed-Prestman or, not. Unlimited "Telephone Advisory Guidance" is available
thru job completion. From the selection of wood to finishing products and
technique and, of course, assurance that you avoid major problems associated
with jack posts, subfloors, and the like. We arrange a time for you to call
and I answer your questions while your project is underway and as a "back-up" if
you have any questions thereafter.
Notable Quotes
"Jesse, you set a schedule, a price, and a quality
of workmanship prior to starting; and delivered all three as promised."
"Jesse, based
upon my two
DIY:
Do-it-Yourself ventures with laying flooring purchased from and delivered
promptly by your company, I have no hesitation in recommending that any
potential DIY purchaser feel secure in the quality of the wood received
and in the fairness of any possible after-sales service required. You
really do go out of your way so much to ensure a happy customer, a
complete service that is rare today."
X-Link (sister page):
Reference
"I
just love my new pine floor ... everyone who comes here raves about it,
but, I can not "recommend" your
flooring
to my friends ... I bought it
because it was unique and I don't want to see my friends with it ... sorry ;-)"
"We have two kids, two dogs, two cats
and ragged broadloom and outdated and worn-out linoleum flooring.
Hope you can help us. We love wood, love country look, and love the wood
that looks imperfect and has knots.
Look forward to hearing from you and assistance."
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