And that’s when we ended up opening Atelier Maison and Co, which is a healthy furnishings destination.” A CHANGE IN APPROACH Flash forward five more years, and Sullivan once again recognized the need to make adjustments to their approach.“People come out here and they want views, and they want outdoor living, but you can’t control what gets built around you unless you’re in a coveted neighborhood,” he conveys. “With that said, the coveted neighborhoods combined with the municipal regulations have gotten very stringent and we found that it was taking longer and longer to launch projects. So, what we did is we formalized an actual pre-construction department.” When a lead contacts Living Stone, they screen the potential client to ensure mutual compatibility and provide transparent information, including pricing. The process starts with a pre-construction contract, which allows the company to proceed with necessary preliminary steps like surveys, geotechnical engineering, and architectural introductions. This contract also facilitates further pre-construction services such as interior design. “We have a system with our sister company ID.ology where they come in and do a pre-build package, which means while the plans are being designed, the selections are being made with the interior design firm so that when both things are completed during pre-construction, Living Stone can then price out the project for the client and have it be very close to the actual cost,” Sullivan expands. To help provide prospective clients with realistic cost estimates, Living Stone has also developed a program called the Ballpark UPE (Unit Price Estimate), which is continually updated with data from the latest completed projects. “We have a computer model, where we can plug in the desired square footage, or the desired budget and we can spit out a very accurate forecasted budget for them that will give them line-by-line budget items,” he relays. Living Stone holds an unlimited building contractor license, enabling them to undertake both commercial and residential projects. “We could build a small house, or we could build a Walmart.And under our license, we could do anything in between,” Sullivan says. Notable examples of their luxury commercial work include a facility known as The Collaborative near Biltmore Village and Orion Retreat and Daycare, a dog and pet spa in Weaverville 4 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 11, ISSUE 07
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